Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley heads into a Week 1 matchup against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The veteran wideout revitalized his career last season in Jacksonville with over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns, helping him secure a large payday from the Titans this spring. With DeAndre Hopkins now 32 and in his last year of his contract, Ridley figures to be the WR1 for this offense captained by sophomore quarterback Will Levis. Week 1 presents one of the toughest matchups all year with the Chicago Bears and their formidable secondary led by lockdown corner Jaylon Johnson, who also just signed a massive extension in the offseason. Hopkins is currently questionable with a MCL tear, and if he doesn't suit up, Ridley should see even more targets in this offense. The former Alabama star checks in as a low-tier WR2 for Week 1, with a slight upgrade if Hopkins is unable to go.

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard heads to Chicago to face the Bears on NFL opening weekend. Pollard came to Nashville by way of Dallas on a 3-year, $21.75M deal this offseason after an underwhelming year as the Cowboys lead back. He now takes over a Titans backfield that is without superstar workhorse Derrick Henry, but retains the shifty Tyjae Spears who flashed quite a bit last season and should get a sizable workload. Titans Offensive Coordinator Nick Holz recently said the backfield will likely be a 50/50 split which brings Pollard's value down some, but he should still be the 1A to Spears' 1B in the backfield at least to begin the year. Week 1 will be anything but easy traveling to the Chicago and their #1 rushing defense from last year, which should be elite once again in 2024. Consider him a low-end flex for Week 1.

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears takes on the stout Chicago Bears defense in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. Spears played second-fiddle to future Hall-of-Famer Derrick Henry last season who bolted for the Ravens in free agency. Even with Henry receiving the lion's share of the work, Spears was able to snag 52 passes, tied for ninth among RBs in 2023. Tony Pollard came over from the Cowboys on a fairly lucrative deal, but Spears should still have a major role in this new-look versatile offense. The Bears in return basically all of their stud defensive line from a unit that ranked #1 in the league in rushing yards allowed per game. It will be very tough to run on this front but with Spears' passing game chops he should see enough work to warrant deeper league flex value, with a slight upgrade in full-PPR formats, especially if DeAndre Hopkins misses the game (currently questionable with a MCL tear).

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis travels to Chicago to take on Caleb Williams and the Bears in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. The Kentucky product started eight games last season due to the inept play of Ryan Tannehill and showed major flashes throughout his short stint as the lead signal caller in Nashville, all while dealing with a horrible offensive line. With revamped protection and receiver core that now features Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, Levis has a huge opportunity in front of him to prove that he is "the guy" for this franchise, and it starts with a tough test on the road against Chicago in Week 1. The Bears ranked in the top half of the league last season in total yards allowed, but most of that was bolstered by their #1 rushing defense. Stopping opposing quarterbacks was not their strong suit, but they did add former Titan / All-Pro safety Kevin Byard in the offseason, which should give that unit a major boost. While Chicago gave up considerable yardage total through the air, they actually led the NFL with 22 interceptions last season. Because Levis is still mostly unproven and has a tough road test against a stout defense, he should only be started in deeper superflex formats.

Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz said during a press conference on Thursday that the team thinks it will be a near 50-50 split in the backfield between running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears this year. Holz goes on to say that the Titans have some plays earmarked specifically for Pollard or Spears, but the rest of them are interchangeable. We'll get a better look at Tennessee's new backfield combination on Sunday in Week 1 at Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears, but it sounds as though the Titans feel that Pollard and Spears are interchangeable and are basically co-starters to begin the 2024 season. Pollard failed to impress in a lead-back role in Dallas in 2023, and it doesn't look like he's going to have a leg up on backfield touches over Spears in his first year in Tennessee. To open the regular season, both RBs should be considered more of RB3/flex plays.