The Tennessee Titans have undergone significant changes this offseason, impacting both their coaching staff and roster. Most notably, they parted ways with long-term head coach Mike Vrabel and brought in former Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan.
The Titans also made significant moves to bolster their offense by adding Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, and Tyler Boyd. They upgraded their offensive line with the signing of Lloyd Cushenberry and the first-round draft pick of JC Latham, all of which should provide strong support for Will Levis as he enters his sophomore season.
These roster changes are poised to transform the Titans’ offense, especially at the wide receiver position. With Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins as the leading receivers, fantasy football managers are left wondering: who is the top Titans WR to draft in 2024?
Let’s delve into the fantasy football outlook of these standout receivers.
TITANS OFFENSIVE PHILOSOPHY CHANGES ARE COMING
With an old-school coach like Mike Vrabel and a monster at running back in Derrick Henry, it makes sense that the Titan’s offense has been centered around the rushing attack in recent history.
In 2023, the Titans ranked:
- 30th in pass rate over expectation (PROE)
- 26th in overall pass rate
- 26th in 11 personnel usage
These numbers are set to look a lot different in 2024. With Brian Callahan installing his offense and Hopkins, Ridley, and Boyd at Will Levis‘ disposal, we should expect to see a passing-centric offense with plenty of 11 personnel formations.
With Callahan as the OC last season, the Bengals ranked:
- 2nd in PROE
- 3rd in overall pass rate
- 4th in 11 personnel usage
Fantasy managers should not be shocked if the Titans dramatically shift in 2024 and pass the ball at a top-ten rate in the NFL.
CALVIN RIDLEY 2024 FANTASY OUTLOOK
After a relatively underwhelming season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, drafters are not ready to give up on Calvin Ridley. He is coming off the board as the WR36 and could come up throughout the summer as he again sees off-season hype.
It will certainly be nice for Ridley to see more creative usage in 2024. The Jaguars undoubtedly misused Ridley in 2024, relegating him to vertical and boundary routes. Vertical and boundary routes can lead to fantasy success, but not for a player with Ridley’s skill set and archetype.
Check out his targeted routes from Week 5 of last season:
More creative usage for Ridley is intriguing. But let’s be real about what Ridley brings to the table. He has not been a significant factor in fantasy since 2020.
Ridley certainly has a path to find moderate fantasy success in 2024. However, he is more of a “meh” player to me in the middle rounds of drafts. I don’t think he’s going to be a stone-cold bust, but I don’t think he will lead teams to the fantasy playoffs.
Yet, there is one player in this passing attack on whom I am very bullish.
DEANDRE HOPKINS 2024 FANTASY OUTLOOK
We are now at a point where DeAndre Hopkins can be drafted as a WR4 in fantasy football and start the season on your bench. Hopkins comes off the board as the WR42, a full six slots (within the WR position) behind Ridley.
I would argue that Hopkins has a better fantasy outlook than Ridley in 2024.
First, we have the offensive changes that are coming to Tennessee. More passing volume will benefit all pass catchers, including Hopkins.
Hopkins also proved to still be a target earner last season. He also showed a clear connection with Will Levis after Levis took over as the starter in Week 8. From Week 8 on, Hopkins earned a 26.7 percent target share, 8th among WRs during this stretch. In 11 games with Levis, Hopkins saw 7-plus targets in seven contests. He also saw double-digit targets four times. Ridley will certainly introduce improved competition for targets, but Hopkins still has the talent to earn targets at a high level.
Levis’s play style also perfectly plays into Hopkins’ strengths. Unlike Calvin Ridley, Hopkins has built a career as a physically imposing receiver who can win jump balls on vertical routes. What does Will Levis like to do? To put it simply, he likes to chuck it.
Levis ranked first in deep throw rate (percentage of throws that travel 20+ yards through the air). A ridiculous 20.8 percent of Levis’s attempts were deep throws. This kind of play style is what creates an environment for Hopkins to smash in fantasy.
THE FINAL TAKE: CALVIN RIDLEY VS DEANDRE HOPKINS
Overall, I am very excited about the changes that are coming in Tennessee. Will Levis might not be the ideal QB for an actual NFL team. However, with his play style in a Brian Callahan offense, he is certainly capable of creating a fantasy-friendly environment.
While I am willing to invest in both primary pass catchers in this offense, the path for DeAndre Hopkins to smash at his WR42 ADP is clear. Give me all the DeAndre Hopkins shares in 2024.
