Team news: Tennessee Titans | Page 4

Steelers WR Roman Wilson has been coming out of his shell at training camp. He stacked great days over the weekend, making his best catch as a pro on Sunday, and he seems to be developing some rapport with Fields and Kyle Allen.

Related players: George Pickens, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III

The story said it hasn’t been a secret that Wilson didn’t have a great OTAs and minicamp with the Steelers. Wilson has a chance to win the Steelers WR2 role and likely just needs to pass Jefferson to do so. Austin, who was also listed in the story as a camp "winner" will be in the mix as well. Wilson is a third round pick from this past spring.

While they moved quickly to sign Tony Pollard in March, they don’t project the former Cowboy will play a similar role to the one that Travis Henry filled in Tennessee. Last year’s third-round pick Tyjae Spears is also on hand and head coach Brian Callahan made it clear on Tuesday that he expects both players to see plenty of time in the offense this season.

“The fun part for me is: How are we going to deploy those guys?,” Callahan said, via the team’s website. “Maybe they both play at the same time, maybe one gets hot and you let him run, maybe we just rotate back and forth. I don’t know what that’s going to look like yet. But they are both going to play quite a bit of football for us, and I don’t view either one of them as a starter or a back-up. They are both starting players to me.”

Not exactly what fantasy owners want to hear. The statement makes a lot of sense and probably shouldn't come as a surprise. However, many consider Pollard and Spears to be of the same mold. As you would expect, the expectation of both players seeing lots of time puts a hit on their rankings. We have Pollard ranked 32nd and Spears 34th, with Pollard's ADP in the 8th round and Spears' the 9th round. Hopefully we get a better feel by the time fantasy drafts come around, but it looks like both players could be Zero RB targets for those using that approach.

Rico Dowdle, an undrafted, 26-year-old running back, functioned as the Cowboys No. 2 running back behind Tony Pollard in 2023 at the age of 25, but in 2024, there's the chance he may end up leading Dallas in carries in the regular season.

"Definitely, he's had a good off season, looks great," HC Mike McCarthy said at Cowboys OTAs on May 30. "You know, I think just like anytime these guys have a chance to really hone in their training. So, Rico's done an excellent job there. Very comfortable [with him]. He's very, very bright, very instinctive football player. So, he's definitely one of the the lead lead guys in the room as far as his experience here, but also his understanding of the offense."

Related players: Ezekiel Elliott, Deuce Vaughn

Dowdle was listed among five potential Cowboys breakout candidates for this coming season. Dowdle compared his running style to Elliott's, just smaller in size, and he believes he is more of an all-around RB. In the story, Elliott said he views himself as a starter but also wants to keep himself fresh for a stretch run and potential playoff run, meaning Dowdle could get significant work in the offense. The Cowboys RB situation is just one of many things to keep an eye on this offseason.

Tyler Boyd is signing with the Titans, on a one-year deal worth up to $4.5M

A reunion with Brian Callahan.

Related Players: DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, Treylon Burks

This signing makes all the sense in the world with Brian Callahan at the helm. Boyd should have a decent fantasy floor, but he is the third option—at best—with Will Levis at the helm. Slotting him into a lineup in typical redraft leagues will be difficult.

Wide receiver Quez Watkins is signing with the Steelers.

Related Players: George Pickens, Van Jefferson, Dez Fitzpatrick, Calvin Austin

The Steelers receiver room suddenly looks like a bunch of WR2/3s. As it stands, Watkins figures to work mainly out of the slot with Pickens and Jefferson on the outside. With Diontae Johnson shipped to the Panthers earlier this month, the team is very likely to address the position in the NFL Draft.

The Titans are signing Jaguars star WR Calvin Ridley, completing their FA with a splash. The 29-year-old Ridley gets a 4-year, $92M deal with $50M fully guaranteed.

Related Players: DeAndre Hopkins, Treylon Burks

Calvin Ridley finished the 2023 season WR24 after being drafted WR14, so his first (and only) year with the Jaguars was a bit of a disappointment. Now he joins the Titans to play alongside DeAndre Hopkins with Will Levis at quarterback. The Titans have traditionally been pretty run-heavy, but new head coach Brian Callahan served as the offensive coordinator for the Bengals for the last five seasons. He didn't call the plays, but the Bengals were pretty pass-heavy in that span. (Cincinnati was second in pass rate over expectation in each of the last two seasons.) If Callahan brings those pass-heavy tendencies to the Titans, and Levis is up to the task, then Ridley and Hopkins could have productive fantasy seasons.

The Titans are giving former Cowboys RB Tony Pollard a 3-year deal worth $24M.

Related Players: Tyjae Spears

Pollard had moderate success when taking over the Cowboys backfield last season, but that was heavily influenced by volume. Pollard should be considered a top-30 option heading into 2024, while Tyjae Spears should be in very heavy consideration as a late-round option as his ADP dips following the signing.

Chargers' game status

QUESTIONABLE — Nick Vannett, Zion Johnson, Deane Leonard

DOUBTFUL — Kenneth Murray Jr., Tanner Muse, Nick Williams

OUT — Keenan Allen, Joshua Palmer, Joey Bosa

Related Players: Quentin Johnston, Jalen Guyton, Alex Erickson

The Chargers offense is circling the drain, and one more lost WR isn't going to help things. Avoiding everyone but Austin Ekeler is probably the best course of action.

Titans QB Will Levis, returning from a high-ankle sprain, is in line to start, coach Mike Vrabel told reporters.

Related Players: Ryan Tannehill

Good news for DeAndre Hopkins and Chigoziem Okonkwo for fantasy purposes, as Levis adds volatility and extra ceiling to a mostly pedantic offense. Levis should be considered a QB streamer in a positive matchup against the Texans, especially with C.J. Stroud in the game to push the pace.

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy on 1053thefan on rookie RB Deuce Vaughn getting an opportunity Saturday night with No. 2 RB Rico Dowdle (ankle) being out: “Deuce will be up this weekend. We got a plan and looking forward to it.”

Related Players: Tony Pollard

Dowdle had seen some increased usage over the back half of the season, but we probably shouldn't expect the 5'5", 176-pound rookie back to be eating into Pollard's workload too much. Vaughn has carried the ball 21 times for 38 yards (1.8/att.) to this point in the season.