Fantasy Upside
Ryan Tannehill's 2022 numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt given he was frequently hobbled by injuries last season. Tannehill ended up missing five games entirely and was bothered by his ankle issue in several others. The end result was a lost season where Tannehill only managed 13.9 fantasy points per game, good for a low-end QB2 finish. Tannehill is now 35 and the Titans drafted Will Levis as a possible successor under center, but it appears that transition will have to wait at least one more year as Tannehill has been declared the unequivocal starter heading into training camp and the team's signing of DeAndre Hopkins signals they do not want to enter a full blown rebuild quite yet. Tannehill's calling card has always been his game management and efficient, low-volume passing. He still managed to finish fifth in the NFL at 7.8 yards per attempt last season, a sign that he still has some juice left in the tank as a passer. With Hopkins, Treylon Burks, and Chig Okonkwo available as pass catchers, Tannehill has a solid supporting cast and he could still be a workable QB2 if things fall into place.
Fantasy Downside
Tannehill returns to start behind a porous offensive line that is widely regarded as one of the NFL's worst, which is a concern given his injury issues last season and aforementioned age. Tannehill has never been a total statue, but he's not exactly a mobile QB either and it's safe to say his already limited rushing output will only fade as he gets older. The other fantasy concern for Tannehill lies in Tennessee's persistent run-first offensive philosophy, and Derrick Henry will be back to carry the load including 300+ rush attempts. The Titans finished 11th in total rush attempts last year, and that was with them frequently trailing due to poor backup QB play. Tannehill will have to maintain his high-level efficiency to produce box scores useful for fantasy managers.
2023 Bottom Line
Tannehill's fantasy relevance in 2023 will likely be limited to two-QB formats or superflex leagues. He is approaching the age where we would expect his efficiency to start to decline, but he still showed he can get the ball downfield at times last season and his shortcomings are somewhat mitigated by the limited offensive burden placed on the Titans' passing game. He is a QB2 for fantasy and can be left on waivers in most drafts.