Tennessee Titans:
As would be expected from a rookie quarterback, Mariota has had his ups and downs this season. Now he gets his first crack at a Jaguars defense that has bled points to opposing fantasy quarterbacks all season long, giving up nearly 19 fantasy points per game to the position. That's the good news. The bad news is that road quarterbacks on Thursday night are generally not a good play. They are an even worse play when it's a rookie making his first primetime appearance.
Antonio Andrews ... because someone's gotta get the carries in this backfield, right? Maybe we'll see some Dexter McCluster. Maybe we'll see some David Cobb. Either way, it's nothing to be excited about in an offense that hasn't been able to establish a running game against a defense that has been pretty tough against the run the last four weeks. You're scraping the bottom of the barrel if you're starting a Titans running back.
Kendall Wright is out with an injury. Justin Hunter is out for the season. Harry Douglas is, well ... Harry Douglas. Enter Dorial Green-Beckham. The rookie is a big-bodied option with a style that reminds plenty of people of Julio Jones. Just don't expect Julio Jones type production -- even against a Jacksonville secondary that has been gashed in the last month.
It's not every week that you can catch a touchdown pass that's been deflected by a couple of defenders. Such is the way of the football world. This week, Walker should be able to do things the more conventional way. The veteran tight end is the most targeted player on his team and he's facing a defense allowing nearly 12 fantasy points per game to the position. There are worse options at the position than Walker this week.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Bortles has become a fantasy darling, even though it hasn't necessarily translated to a lot of wins for the Jaguars. But that's none of your concern. You just want him to throw for lots of yards and touchdowns. Both of those are very possible against a defense that has given up nearly 20 points per game to fantasy quarterbacks. You know what's also very possible? Blake Bortles throwing interceptions. That could also happen against a defense that's averaged a pick per game.
We're still waiting to find out if Yeldon is going to be good to go for this week's game after spending the last few days in a walking boot. Signs point toward him playing, but this isn't the best matchup for him. The Titans are allowing fewer than 13 fantasy points to running backs over the past month. Even if he were completely healthy, this isn't a situation you want to mess around with this week.
At this point, we shouldn't have to convince you to start Allen Robinson. He's the sixth-best receiver in fantasy football, has scored double-digits in five straight contests and recorded 80 or more receiving yards in five of his last six contests. That should be good enough to succeed against a defense that has been pretty middle of the road against fantasy wideouts.
If we don't have to try hard to convince you to start Robinson, we shouldn't have to try that much harder to convince you to start Allen Hurns. Jacksonville's "other" receiver is eighth among wide receivers and just eight points behind his Jaguars teammate. Oh, and he's also scored a touchdown in seven straight games. It looks like a core injury isn't going to keep him out of action which means he's worth a start for your fantasy squad.
