Injuries are starting to pile up in Tennessee these days, so a date with the lowly New York Jets couldn’t be coming at a better time for the Titans. Head coach Mike Vrabel announced today that the team would be without the services of top wideouts A.J. Brown and Julio Jones on offense, and that linebacker Bud Dupree would also miss Sunday’s game as well.
Both receivers suffered hamstring injuries in last week’s win over the Colts, with neither managing to get in a practice this week. Jones owners may be having flashbacks to last year’s weekly ritual of checking in on Jones’ availability as the veteran WR battled chronic hamstring issues all season long.
While you can expect Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Josh Reynolds to see the bulk of the targets on Sunday, realistically with both their top pass catching threats out of the game it’s likely to be the Derrick Henry show vs. the Jets. Henry is coming off a 113yd performance last weekend, and figures to see a steady dose of touches in a plus matchup against a weak New York defense.
While Westbrook-Ikhine is the most appealing option of the Titans wide receivers, unless you’re truly desperate there are probably better options available for a matchup that has all the markings of a run heavy game script. Henry has to be viewed as a top 3 start this weekend at the running back position, while Westbrook-Ikhine may hold some Flex appeal in deeper leagues. The 2nd year wide receiver could be worth an addition as a potential “stash” player in the event that Brown and Jones miss multiple weeks.