Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans Matchup Preview (9/26/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Ryan Tannehill needed a bounce-back game after an ugly Week 1 loss in which he completed just 60% of his passes and was sacked six times. While he didn’t throw a touchdown in Week 2 against the Seahawks, he did throw for 347 yards and finished with a passer rating of 94.5 compared to 74.9 in Week 1. The Colts’ pass defense has been bad so far this season, so Tannehill should continue to progress towards the elite numbers he has put up over the past two seasons this week. When Tannehill faced the Colts last season, he was held to under 60% passing in both games but did throw for two touchdowns with no interceptions. Regardless of whether or not Indianapolis gets Xavier Rhodes back this week, I’d expect a better performance than that for Tannehill.

Part of the reason Tannehill hasn’t had to do much in some games in the past, including a 45-26 win over the Colts last year, is the presence of Derrick Henry, the best pure runner in the NFL. Henry is coming off a signature performance in which he ran the ball 35 times for 182 yards and 3 touchdowns and fueled the rare comeback win built on the ground game. Henry has also been more involved as a receiver so far this season and he has 9 catches for 74 yards so far. Despite a poor Week 1 outing, Henry is currently on pace through two games to top 2,000 yards rushing again. The Tennessee offensive line bounced back in Week 2, particularly on the right side with David Quessenberry and Nate Davis. However, Rodger Saffold left the game with an injury and Taylor Lewan did not play; Mike Vrabel said the team hopes to know more about the status of those two key offensive line starters later in the week.

A.J. Brown and Julio Jones have had slow starts to the season, but Jones recovered from just 3 catches for 29 yards in Week 1 to come up with 6 catches for 128 yards against the Seahawks in Week 2. Brown has just 7 catches for 92 yards so far this season and couldn’t take advantage of what should have been a plus matchup vs. Seattle. Brown had more drops than catches on Sunday and tweeted after the game that someone from his family told him he couldn’t have caught COVID that day if he had tried to. Luckily for Brown, his drop-plagued day didn’t affect his team’s ability to win and I’m expecting much better performances from him moving forward. Chester Rogers has emerged as the third receiver on the team and has 6 catches for 84 yards so far this season.

The Titans’ defense hasn’t improved the way many had hoped following some offseason additions as they have allowed 30+ points in each of their first two games. However, they held the Seahawks to just 6 points during the second half and overtime, and that should not be overlooked. Jackrabbit Jenkins has been solid in coverage so far this season while Kristian Fulton, despite allowing a long touchdown to Freddie Swain on Sunday, has emerged as a solid complement to him across the field. Rookie Caleb Farley will also be returning at some point soon and carries huge upside. Chris Jackson has also been pretty solid in the slot. While Bud Dupree hasn’t quite lived up to his big offseason contract as of yet, Harold Landry, Jeffery Simmons, and Denico Autry have provided a strong pass rush presence. Landry and Autry each had five QB hurries on Sunday and Autry had two sacks.

Tennessee Titans Depth Chart

QB: Ryan Tannehill
RB1: Derrick Henry
RB2: Jeremy McNichols
WR1: A.J. Brown
WR2: Julio Jones
WR3: Josh Reynolds
TE1: Anthony Firkser
TE2: MyCole Pruitt

Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans Daily Fantasy Picks

Derrick Henry should be back in the good graces of fantasy managers following an excellent game on Sunday and I have no problem spending up on him in this matchup, particularly with Christian McCaffrey not in the main slate and Alvin Kamara facing a tough Patriots defense. A.J. Brown is still a great GPP play as this should finally be the week he breaks through his early-season slump and he should have lower ownership after his slow start. Julio Jones is also worth a look – he was excellent last week. On the Colts side, it’s difficult to endorse any of the offensive pieces until we know what Carson Wentz’s injury status is. If Wentz plays, Pittman is worth a look and I don’t mind Jonathan Taylor against a beatable run defense.