Corey Davis, Jonnu Smith become fantasy must-starts with A.J. Brown out
The Tennessee Titans will be without their No. 1 wide receiver in A.J. Brown when they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, as the second-year pro has already been ruled out ahead of Sunday.
As is the case with most injuries, there are some Titans players waiting in the wings to step up and potentially put out a great fantasy performance now that Brown won’t play.
Those two players are wide receiver Corey Davis and tight end Jonnu Smith, both of whom were already attractive options in a matchup with a Jags defense that allowed 363 passing yards in Week 1.
With Brown out, the Titans are pretty thin at the position. Davis, Adam Humphries and Kalif Raymond will all have to pick up the slack among Tennessee’s wide receivers, but there isn’t much beyond those three.
While Humphries does get a slight bump and is slightly more than a dart-throw option in PPR, Davis is easily the most viable fantasy starter out of that group, with or without Brown in the lineup.
The former No. 5 overall pick was tied for the team lead in targets and receptions in the Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos, and he led all Titans pass-catchers with 101 yards through the air. His receptions and yards were the most he had in a game since Week 10 of the 2018 season.
Adding to that, the Titans were successfully getting Davis involved over the middle more, and his chemistry with quarterback Ryan Tannehill seems to be much-improved.
The only real concern is that the extra attention that was likely coming Brown’s way — which aided Davis in Week 1 — is probably now going to Davis. However, even if that does happen, there’s still a real opportunity for plenty of volume.
The same can be said for Smith, who will stand to benefit the most if Davis receives extra attention.
We saw Tennessee line Smith up all over the place in Week 1, and he was heavily involved in the offense with seven targets, tied for the second-most on the team.
Smith turned those seven targets into just four receptions for 36 yards, but he did find the end zone to help his day. With Brown on the shelf and Davis possibly facing more resistance, Smith could see double-digit targets against Jacksonville.
