Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Ryan Tannehill a FANTASY SLEEPER, Best Fantasy Picks w/ Kate Magdziuk & Trevis Gipson

Starting point is 00:00:00 Is Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill a fantasy football sleeper? I got a fantasy football expert who says exactly that. We're going to talk about that and more fantasy football related items on today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Let's get it. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast.

Starting point is 00:00:51 I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, it is time for our Tennessee Titans fantasy football extravaganza. We got a lot to talk about on today's show. Do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, use the code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. Thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free.

Starting point is 00:01:24 Make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day. I teased it, and I delivered, ladies and gentlemen. I got a big fish here. We got a special guest on the show. We got Kate Madjuk. She is the managing editor for Behind the Steel Curtain. We'll let it slide that she's a Steelers fan for the time being, everybody.

Starting point is 00:01:44 Put the knives down. She's also a fantasy football analyst for Pro Football Focus for Yahoo Fantasy. Also, one of my esteemed co-workers, a host for the Locked On Dynasty fantasy football show for the Locked On Podcast Network, and of course, one of the leaders over at Ball Blast NFL, talking all things fantasy. I mean, one of the best in the absolute business. Very excited to have you on, Kate. Thank you so much.

Starting point is 00:02:11 And I know you got a little bit of a, we'll call it a spicy take on one of the Tennessee Titans fantasy options. I'll honestly just give you the floor. What do you think about Ryan Tannehill this year? I really like Ryan Tannehill as a sleeper. And I feel like I might, this is like the loneliest island I've probably ever been on in my entire life. Now, like you can speak more to the quarterback competition than I have, but then I can't,

Starting point is 00:02:39 but like, I've gotten the sense that it's not really been much of a competition. Is that fair to say? I I've gotten the sense that it's not really been much of a competition. It might. Is that fair to say? Like it's a competition for the backup spot, but definitely. Yeah. Tannehill is unless there's an injury. Tannehill is, is comfortable in his spot for this season. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:02:55 And like, you know, I don't know, looking at ADP right now, average draft position over on fantasy pros, which, you know, takes into account Yahoo, ESPN, wherever you're drafting. Right now, he's being drafted on average as the quarterback 30, which I think is a little insane for a guy who just got one of the best wide receivers in the league in DeAndre Hopkins. I think that's going to elevate his passing game significantly over what we saw last season.

Starting point is 00:03:24 He's healthy, not managing injuries that we saw in 2022. I think that's a really under underrated, you know, part of the discourse on Ryan Tannehill. But over the past two seasons prior to A.J. Brown's departure, Tannehill ranked seventh among quarterbacks in PFF passing grade. This is a QB nine Qb12 in back-to-back seasons um you know he's he's got the ability to scramble scored 20 total rushing touchdowns uh over 55 starts like that is the recipe for a fantasy football sleeper in and of itself and he's probably going to go undrafted in most fantasy football leagues now um you you know, the return of Traylon Burks into the mix as he gets healthier, hopefully a bit more conditioned than we saw last year,

Starting point is 00:04:12 the addition of DeAndre Hopkins. I'm just having a hard time figuring out what I'm missing with Ryan Tannehill. Is there any insight you can give me? Or can I scream this take a little bit louder so that, that, you know, we can, we can say it for the people in the back. No, I would. No, I don't think you're crazy. I would scream it a little bit louder.

Starting point is 00:04:34 I think the last time that we saw Ryan Tannehill with two consistent wide receivers on the outside, he, like you said, 2019, 2020, he was a very viable fantasy quarterback. And I think with some of the quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts and Justin Fields, who are really running these days that, you know, quarterbacks are getting pushed up the board a little bit, the top quarterbacks, which gives you even more value for some of those sleepers. So I agree with you on Tannehill plus in a new offense with better pass blocking offensive linemen should help him stay on his

Starting point is 00:05:05 feet a little bit more than he did last year and then in turn stay healthy I think I think you're on to something there but but of course Kate when talk Titans and fantasy football the first name that comes up is Derrick Henry what are your thoughts on Derrick Henry this season are you fading the big dog I am feeding the big dog which really hurts me because Derrick Henry this season. Are you fading the big dog? I am fading the big dog, which really hurts me because Derrick Henry, year over year, one of my favorite players in the league. I have a Derrick Henry jersey, which I actually can't believe I didn't put on for this podcast.

Starting point is 00:05:35 That's actually my bad. But probably would have been a little blast. Yeah, it would have been a little blasphemous for me to come on and say I'm fading Derrick Henry here. Drafted right now, on average, is the running back six off the board going in the early second round. But again, every single year we say this is the year of decline for Derrick Henry. I'm not necessarily saying decline is what we're going to say, but I would argue that this is one of the

Starting point is 00:06:03 most diverse offenses that we've seen from the Tennessee Titans over the last several years. Like, you know, between, I think this is the best one to punch we've seen at the wide receiver position, you know,

Starting point is 00:06:16 for, for a long time, you know, I, even outside of, of, you know, what we saw from trail on Burke's last year,

Starting point is 00:06:23 like I would love to see them, you know, work him around the formation on Berks last year. Like I would love to see them, you know, work him around the formation a little bit more. He was primarily a slot receiver in college. Like there's still a lot to unlock in terms of this passing offense. Um, then there's the addition of Tajay Spear in the Tajay Spears in the third round, um, was absolutely incredible in his final, uh, final season,,600 rushing yards, 19 touchdowns. He's got a smaller build, but he looked fantastic in this preseason. Ran tough, and I would argue ran a lot bigger than his size, 4.73 yards after the last touchdown.

Starting point is 00:06:59 Already learned that stiff arm from Derrick Henry. Yes. He's already got it down. You know what? If you're going to learn the stiff arm, you might as well learn it from the best in the biz. Now, you know, I think the passing, you know, the passing assets paired with, I think, you know, a guy that seems to be one of the most viable backup running backs for this squad in a long time that, you know, which is kind of surprising given,

Starting point is 00:07:26 you know, the, the identity of this team has been a run first team behind Derek Henry. I, I'd argue that Spears is one of the best players that we've seen in this position with the opportunity to spell him. I, again,

Starting point is 00:07:39 I'm not projecting that he's going to fall off a cliff, but I am saying that I have some concerns about how early he's being drafted, you know, early second round for a 29 year old running back in evolving offense. I, I have my concerns. Yeah, that seems fair. And I get what you're saying. You're not saying that Derrick Henry is going to be worse as a player. You're saying the addition of Tajay Spears is going to cut into that a little bit. The diversification and the new elements of the offense may result in more passing and all that.

Starting point is 00:08:10 That all makes sense. I understand that. I do want to ask you one last Titans related question. Out of the young guys for the Titans, Chigakonkwo, tight end, Tajay Spears, the rookie running back, Traylon Burks at wide receiver. I know their ADPs aren't all in a similar spot, but out of those three, which one of those guys are maybe you more willing to add onto your team, maybe in the mid or late rounds of the draft?

Starting point is 00:08:32 I'm actually looking at Traylon Burks. Like I had mentioned, I'm really excited, especially for what DeAndre Hopkins brings to the situation, right? Like he's going to play on the outside. He's going to be that primary guy on the outside. But what I do think he adds is the ability for this team to get more creative with Traylon Burks coming out of college. Like with the ball in his hands,

Starting point is 00:08:56 he literally just looks like a running back because he's so big. He's so elusive after the catch. That yards after the catch ability, I think they were really able to, to maximize that in college for him with, with playing him out of the slot and creating mismatches against, you know, some, some guys that don't have that size speed combination to be able to cover him. Um, you know, 77% of his snaps in three seasons at Arkansas came out of the slot six two two twenty five that doesn't sound like a slot receiver but you know the the fixture of Hopkins there on the outside I think just gives this Titans offense a little bit more luxury to try new things and and

Starting point is 00:09:39 emphasize the skill set that was worthy of a first round draft pick to begin with. Yeah, you're, you're a hundred percent right. And I think the proliferation of the big slot in the NFL makes that more likely something they can do with Berks. Well, I actually had one more. What are your thoughts on Nick Folk is a fantasy. Just kidding. Just kidding. We're going to move forward. We're going to get some of Kate's thoughts on the big picture NFL, maybe some of her sleepers or maybe not even sleepers, just guys that she really believes in this season. Before we get into that, though, do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Get ready for the NFL season with incredible offers from FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. Right now, new customers can bet $5 and get

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Starting point is 00:10:42 to join FanDuel. The app is easy to use and you can be on everything from the spreads to player props and more. Visit FanDuel.com slash locked on. That's one word locked on and kick off the NFL season with an offer you won't want to miss. FanDuel, official partner of the NFL. Alright Titans fans. We are back with our fantasy expert Kate Madjuk. Very excited to have Kate on the show.

Starting point is 00:11:27 We just talked about some Tennessee Titans-related fantasy info. Now we're going to kind of spin it forward. I want to try to get you guys ready for your NFL fantasy drafts. And you're not just drafting Titans out there. If you are, I respect it. But with that being said, I do want to get some of Kate's thoughts before we get into it. I do want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day,

Starting point is 00:11:46 Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. Make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day. I do want to let you guys know at the end of the show, we are going to talk about the addition of Travis Gibson, the edge rusher from the Chicago Bears, making the Tennessee Titans defensive front even that much

Starting point is 00:12:05 more nasty for the upcoming season. So make sure that you stick around for that. But hey, I guess like I did last segment, I'll kind of just give you the floor here. I don't need it to be sleepers or wherever you want to go. Just maybe some guys who you truly believe in this fantasy season, regardless of where they're being drafted. Heck yeah. I love the opportunity to, to talk up some of my favorite guys here. How about I give you one at each position that I'm like all in on for the season. We'll start at quarterback though. I, I do love Ryan Tannehill as a sleeper. There's a guy that I think might have a little bit more upside as a passer.

Starting point is 00:12:42 And that might be of surprise to you guys, but it's Sam Howell, Washington Commanders quarterback, who has absolutely dominated the preseason, I think, in terms of looking competent as a passer. But what is really exciting about Sam Howell is, I think, what is one of the more underrated rushing skill sets among the projected starters for 2023 quarterbacks. Um, in his final season at UNC Howell ranked third in the FBS with 1104 rushing yards in the regular season that again, third, most rushing yards. Um, like he was so productive on the

Starting point is 00:13:21 ground. Like imagine a combination of like Baker Mayfield's kind of scrappiness. Plus, you know, Russell Wilson's a little bit more of his finesse and that mobility. Now he heads into year two. The team seems really high on him. Ron Rivera seems very confused as to where his, his studly quarterback came from.

Starting point is 00:13:44 That's such a weird thing. He didn't know that they were going to be eliminated. They were already eliminated in the last week. And then he says this year, I didn't realize how good Sam Howe was. It's like Ron Rivera talks like he's a fan of the team, not the head coach. It's very confusing. Yes, like doesn't speak very highly of his ability to evaluate

Starting point is 00:14:03 the own talent that he sees in the roster. But, you know, he's going to be throwing to Terry McLaurin, one of the better wide receivers in the NFL, though he is dealing with a turf toe injury. A guy I have projected for a second year breakout in Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel, an excellent kind of gadget player who adds a lot of versatility to that offense. excellent kind of gadget player who adds a lot of versatility to that offense as those wide receiver three like i i think this looks like a great late round value with that rushing upside um at the running back position i gotta talk about alexander madison who you know now takes over as the lead back in the vikings offense um you know it's kind of interesting i think the the stats have uh maybe skewed away from alexander madison he wasn't as efficient as dalvin cook but this guy's gonna freaking eat the team cut uh seventh round rookie duane mcbride um the the team has has said vikings beat writer

Starting point is 00:14:59 uh alec lewis said the team is very committed to Alexander being the guy, you know, in opportunities where he's he's gotten start outside of, you know, in the absence of Dalvin Cook. This guy is produced, you know, right around 20 fantasy points per game. of running backs that have the potential to touch the ball 15 to 20 times any given week that are being drafted as late as Alexander Madison. I don't know what we're doing here. Volume is king. Volume is king in fantasy football. It is. It's talent and then volume.

Starting point is 00:15:42 How much do you get the ball, and what can you do when you have the ball? And Alexander Madison may not be as talented as Dalvin Cook, but he's surely going to get a ton of volume. So I agree with you. That definitely matters. RB 21 in fantasy football drafts right now, heading into the biggest draft weekend of the year. I'm going to take that value.

Starting point is 00:16:03 At wide receiver, I have a lot of take that value, um, at wide receiver. You know, I, I have a lot of guys that I really, really like this season. Um, you know, Deandre Hopkins, one of the, one of those top guys, uh, wide receiver 22 on average right now, but, uh, to, to mix it up a little bit, I want to shout out Deontay Johnson, uh, wide receiver for my favorite team, who I think is getting overlooked a bit, particularly due to the splash. But you know what? It's also the George Pickens factor, because George Pickens is a walking highlight reel. And Deontay Johnson, his highlight reel plays are not, they're not splash plays, generally speaking. Like Deontay

Starting point is 00:16:42 Johnson's finesse is in his route running. And you know what? Route running doesn't necessarily always make it onto SportsCenter, unfortunately. Even if we should appreciate these guys, Deontay Johnson, like there is no wide receiver that is being drafted later than Deontay Johnson that has a potential to legitimately see 140 plus targets once again never had fewer than 90 targets ever in his career so far uh drafting him on average as the wide receiver 33 we're projecting an uptick in production um you know i'm not i don't think he's a big touchdown guy but the the potential especially in full ppr formats with that target chair. Absolutely huge. And then to close out, I want to give a shout out to tight end who probably isn't even on most radars right now,

Starting point is 00:17:34 Jake Ferguson, tight end for the Dallas Cowboys, suited up as tight end 29 in current ADP. Dalton Schultz replacement, right? Dalton Schultz replacement. We know this offense has a propensity you know especially Dak Prescott has this propensity for targeting and involving the tight end position Dalton Schultz is out of town I think there's a lot of confusion just because of the fact that like you know this team took Loon Schumacher in the the second round you know

Starting point is 00:18:01 there's Peyton Hendershot who made the final 53, like there's a lot of different variables, but if you want it straight from the source, uh, we talked about him on the lockdown dynasty podcast today, uh, as one of the biggest winners in the preseason, he's actually been super efficient, was targeted, uh, on, you know, three of, uh, very limited snaps with, with, uh, Dak Prescott under center, targeted on 37.5% of his routes in the preseason, which is a ridiculous, ridiculous number. You know, he's been efficient.

Starting point is 00:18:37 He's actually, you know, going into his second NFL season. But Marcus Mosier, my co-host of Locked On Dynasty plus Locked On Cowboys, has a lot of exciting things to say about Jake Ferguson and dropped in a couple of interesting tidbits and insider pieces of information in today's show. But from the horse's mouth, he said that he would be comfortable with Jake Ferguson as his tight end one, not overall, but slot slotting him in as his tight, you know, lead tight end in the 2023 season, which from, from the Cowboys guy, I'm going to take that to heart, especially given the opportunity vacated by Dalton Schultz. Yeah, no, you're Marcus knows

Starting point is 00:19:20 his stuff in and out. He really does. I think Marcus is one of the more brilliant guys on all of football, Twitter in general. So if he's giving you some Cowboys nuggets, definitely smart to take that to heart. Kate, absolutely fantastic. Knocked it out of the park. This is what you expect when you get someone of your caliber. Hopefully we can make this an every year thing and check in with you before the season on these type of things. Guys, make sure again to check out all of Kate's work, managing editor, behind the steel curtain, analyst for Pro Football Focus, Yahoo Sports, Locked On Dynasty.

Starting point is 00:19:54 Make sure that you guys go download that. It's the perfect time. Follow with them throughout the entire season. Kate, thanks so much for coming on. We're going to move forward here, folks. Let's talk about Travis Gibson being added to the Tennessee Titans. Before we talk about that, though, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by GameTime. Buying tickets for your favorite events shouldn't be stressful. GameTime is fast

Starting point is 00:20:20 and easy, and it's the perfect way to buy tickets for not just sports but music, comedy, theater shows near you. They're going to have killer last minute deals and their best price guarantee. So you can stop stressing over tickets and start getting hyped for the fun that you will have. You can get images of your seat before you buy so you know exactly what to expect when you arrive. I really appreciated that when I made a spontaneous purchase for some Cincinnati Reds tickets about a month ago. So make sure that you guys snag tickets without the stress on GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, use the code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase.

Starting point is 00:20:59 Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off. Download GameTime today. Last-minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked with Kate Madduke about Ryan Tannehill being a sleeper and some other Tennessee Titans-related fantasy football items. We talked about some of her general NFL guys that she's very interested in this year. Hope that helped you guys as you get ready for your fantasy football drafts this weekend

Starting point is 00:21:46 and all the fantasy football action that's going to be coming as soon as the season kicks off. Big shout out to Kate. Appreciate her coming on. But we got to talk about an addition the Tennessee Titans made late on Wednesday night. It was Travis Gibson, the edge rusher from the Chicago Bears. The Bears wived Gibson. The Titans were able to pick him up.

Starting point is 00:22:07 They didn't need to claim him off waivers or anything. Just able to add him to the roster late on Wednesday night. We got that information from Gibson himself, who tweeted, tighten up on Wednesday night. And it kind of tipped everybody off that he was joining the team. But if you guys don't remember Travis Gibson, let me remind you, he was the man who destroyed the Tennessee Titans in week one of the preseason against the Chicago Bears. You guys remember number 99 from the Chicago Bears that was

Starting point is 00:22:36 literally in the backfield every single play against the Titans in that game? Do you? I remember. And if you don't, go to my Twitter account, at Tic Tac Titans, where I posted the highlight reel from Travis Gibson's performance against the Titans in week one. He absolutely cooked the Titans, period. But it wasn't just the Titans. Travis Gibson had the most pressures of any player in the preseason this year. Travis Gibson had seven sacks in 2021.

Starting point is 00:23:06 Seven sacks. Last year, in 2022, he was the fifth most double-team pass rusher in the NFL. Think about that. Think about that. It's crazy, okay? Now, why is Travis Gibson available then? It'd be so good, Tyler. Why would the Bears let a guy go who had seven sacks and all these pressures? And

Starting point is 00:23:30 Travis Gibson requested a trade from the Chicago Bears because they switched defensive alignments. In 2021, in 2020, when Gibson was first with the Bears, they ran a 3-4. When Matt Eberflus, former Colts defensive coordinator, got hired to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears in 2022, they switched to a 4-3. Gibson has been outspoken about the fact that he is more comfortable in a 3-4 defense than he is a 4-3 defense. And because of that, he wanted out of Chicago. He wanted to be traded.

Starting point is 00:24:07 Folks, the Titans just got a steal because of circumstance. It's funny that DeMarcus Walker who had seven sacks for the Titans last year and was one of their best pass rushers all year left and went and signed

Starting point is 00:24:22 a three-year deal worth $21 million for the Bears. Now the Titans are adding Travis Gibson, who can essentially be a replacement for DeMarcus Walker from the Bears for a fraction of that cost. I mean, Travis Gibson isn't going to make any kind of normal contract that you're used to seeing in regular free agency. It's going to be a one-year deal worth close to the minimum.

Starting point is 00:24:48 This is a steal. And we've talked about the edge rusher position. And I have said consistently, you only keep four edge rushers because you simply don't have the talent. Sam Okwe and Nonu and Thomas Rush are not good enough to make this roster. I don't care if you need edge rush help or not. They are not talented enough players to this roster. I don't care if you need edge rush help or not. They are not talented enough players to keep them over other players at other positions who are just simply more talented.

Starting point is 00:25:12 You're not going to keep, just because everybody plays Madden, you're not going to keep a 62 overall edge rusher over a 70 overall wide receiver just because you need edge rushers. No, you keep the better player and figure it out later. And the Titans have figured it out later. Now the Titans have five guys on the edge with Key, Landry, Weaver, Murphy.

Starting point is 00:25:36 Now they had Gibson. And Gibson could have some inside-outside versatility as well and maybe be a potential replacement for Danico Autry after the season. This is a dynamite, home run, knock it out of the park addition, quite honestly. Now look, are the Titans adding prime Von Miller here? No, that's not what I'm saying.

Starting point is 00:25:57 My excitement is not to make you believe that the Titans just got an all pro, but these are the fringe moves, like DeMarcus Walker, that can impact the team in a major way. Everybody always has this thought process of, oh, is this guy a pro bowler? Oh, then he's a bum. There's in between, there are role players that are valuable and key members. And I think Gibson is going to be that.

Starting point is 00:26:24 This is Jeffrey Simmons, Tierra Tart, Danico Autry, Harold Landry, Arden Key, Rashad Weaver, Travis Gibson, Caleb, I mean, the Titans are going to eat quarterbacks alive this year. I cannot wait. So excited. Again, go to my Twitter account, at Tic Tac Titans. On Wednesday night. I basically reposted a highlight reel from the All-22 of Gibson tearing the Titans apart. Seven sacks in 2021. Fifth most double-team edge rusher in the NFL in 2022.

Starting point is 00:26:59 Most pressures in the NFL preseason 2023. And the only reason he's not on the Bears anymore is because he didn't want to play in a 4-3 and he wants to play in a 3-4. Welcome to Nashville, Travis. You killed us in week one. We'll happily add you now. But that's going to do it for today's show.

Starting point is 00:27:18 A lot of you guys have been asking me for a fantasy-related episode. Last episode of the week before we really dig into the regular season next week. Wanted to make sure I got that for you guys. But with that being said, that is going to do it for me today, folks. As always,

Starting point is 00:27:34 I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.

Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Ryan Tannehill a FANTASY SLEEPER, Best Fantasy Picks w/ Kate Magdziuk & Trevis Gipson

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