Fantasy managers simply cannot ignore Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill any longer. Sure, there used to be every reason to believe his shocking performance during the 2019 regular season was a bit fluky and unsustainable, that running back Derrick Henry is the obvious star and Tannehill's main job is to simply hand the ball off to Henry and avoid turnovers. However, that argument makes no sense because even as Henry dominates, Tannehill has become one of the highest-scoring quarterbacks in fantasy football. No, really!
The unbeaten Titans host the unbeaten Pittsburgh Steelers in the biggest game of Week 7 -- one that originally appeared on schedules for Week 4, but, you know, COVID-19 and all -- and Tannehill might still receive little notice compared to Ben Roethlisberger, but in the real and fantasy worlds, he deserves much respect. Yes, Henry was the overall fantasy star of Week 6 with his 40.4 PPR points against the Houston Texans, but the quarterback did far more than manage the game. Tannehill threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns, a cool 28.5 points. He delivered 30 points a week prior versus the Buffalo Bills and scored 26 points in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, too.
In fact, everyone knows Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was great last season and still is, but since Tannehill became the starting quarterback for the 2019 Titans in Week 7, he has averaged better than 23 fantasy points per game, second at the position to only the reigning league MVP. Including Sunday, Tannehill has started 15 regular-season games for the Titans and tossed 35 touchdown passes versus seven interceptions, accumulated 3,964 passing yards and rushed for five touchdowns. He has outscored Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson in that span. No, really, he has. Stats do not lie!
None of this means we necessarily rank Tannehill ahead of those fellows, but he has surely earned QB1 status. All due credit to Roethlisberger, who might win the comeback player of the year one season after Tannehill did so, but the Titan is producing fantasy points at a higher level. Somehow, Tannehill remains available in free agency in nearly 50% of ESPN standard leagues. How can that be? There are several theories, really, the first being that Tannehill, now 32, certainly never starred in the past, but as events occur outside Nashville, that part seems irrelevant.
For example, it is true Tannehill had ample chances to prove himself over six seasons with the Miami Dolphins and 2014 was the only year he produced enough fantasy points to matter. Of course, in retrospect, playing under beleaguered head coach Adam Gase likely stifled him and myriad players around him, as we are seeing in relation to the current New York Jets. Tannehill needed a new start elsewhere and with good coaching, he got it, and now he thrives.
Then there is the narrative that the Titans are a run-first outfit with the bruising, physical Henry leading the way, and indeed, the Titans prefer to run the football. Only the Ravens attempt fewer passes per game and only the Ravens did so last season. Yeah, but so what? Nobody ignores Jackson in fantasy, although it is a bit of a different argument due to his running ability. Still, opposing defenses prepare for and design schemes to deal with Henry, and it leaves Tannehill every chance to be a play-action star. He is mobile, and having electric, second-year wide receiver A.J. Brown back as an option certainly helps.
Tannehill is 12-3 as a Titans starter in the regular season, piling up impressive statistics along the way, and it will be interesting to see if opposing defenses can do anything about it. Fifteen starts feels like a reasonable sample, and the wild metrics we saw from last season appear far more sustainable. Tannehill takes care of the football. He is accurate, throwing at a 70% clip for the Titans. The high touchdown and yards-per-attempt rates remain high in 2020. Put simply, those who ignored Tannehill on draft day might have had reason to do so, but six weeks into this season, the reason is gone. This is a fantasy starter!
For whom the Bell tolls
Speaking of those escaping the purview of Gase, Le'Veon Bell could debut with the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7 as they face the Denver Broncos. He can't play in Monday night's Week 6 game against the Bills but should be ready days later. He will pair up with rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who became an instant fantasy darling when the Super Bowl champions used the final pick of the first round to secure him. Week 1 went rather well for the LSU product as he rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown versus the Texans, but he has produced more at an RB2 level since, with nary another touchdown entering Monday, and Bell's acquisition will affect him.
Bell used to be one of the top options in fantasy football, but then he and the Steelers could not agree on finances, he sat out the 2018 campaign and became a Jet in 2019. It did not go so well. While some assume Bell, 28, is simply past his prime and unlikely to star in even an elite offense, look at Tannehill. Perhaps Bell had no chance to thrive as a Jet, and he can still contribute at a star level. I ranked Edwards-Helaire one spot ahead of his new colleague in the latest end-of-season rankings, but each was a solid RB2 option. Perhaps we find out the hierarchy in Week 7!
The mile high running backs
As for those aforementioned Broncos, fresh off a surprising road victory against the New England Patriots, they might have a running back timeshare as well. Presumed starter Melvin Gordon III figures to return to the lineup after missing Week 6 with illness. Meanwhile, Phillip Lindsay, the starter the prior two seasons, returned from a toe injury and three missed games to rush for 101 yards against the Patriots. Gordon averaged 67 rushing yards in the three games Lindsay missed, and played a minor role in the passing game, averaging 12 receiving yards per contest. We have drama!
It seems likely that each running back will see significant snaps, which should not surprise us because the organization made it clear when it signed Gordon that Lindsay would remain a key part of the offense. It is odd that neither running back has done much in the passing game, because each contributed quite a bit in past seasons. Drew Lock targeted Tim Patrick, Jerry Jeudy and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam with 19 of his 24 targets Sunday, with running backs Lindsay and Royce Freeman combining for one target. It is also possible the Broncos get starting tight end Noah Fant and wide receiver KJ Hamler back from injuries in Week 7. Depth is good, but it can annoy fantasy managers, too.
Thursday night
NFC East rivals with one measly win each meet in a few days as the New York Giants make the short trip south to face the Philadelphia Eagles. There will be several things to watch for in this game as NFL action returns to Thursday after a one-week hiatus, much of it on the Philadelphia side. Quarterback Carson Wentz finished Sunday's loss to Jackson's Ravens with center Jason Kelce and no other member of the expected starting offense. Injuries are an organizational problem and could keep running back Miles Sanders, third in the league in rushing, and struggling tight end Zach Ertz from the lineup. Perhaps the Eagles get wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery.
Fantasy managers expected Wentz and Giants second-year option Daniel Jones to perform as borderline QB1 options, and so far, neither has come close to doing so. Wentz leads the NFL in interceptions, which is no wonder considering the lack of protection provided by the raw offensive line, and his lack of weapons to throw to. Wentz has scored four rushing touchdowns, but he is available in nearly 50% of ESPN standard leagues as 20 quarterbacks entered Week 6 averaging more fantasy points per game. Now he has to play on a short week after the Ravens sacked him six times and attacked him with constant pressure.
However, Jones has been worse, and let go in nearly 80% of ESPN leagues. Including Sunday's win over Washington, he has one touchdown pass overall in his past five games, and he entered Week 6 with fewer fantasy points than Sam Darnold and Dwayne Haskins Jr. Jones threw for 301 yards against the Eagles late last season, so perhaps he can still turn his current season around, but he has inconsistent wide receivers and little running game on his side after Saquon Barkley's season-ending injury.