Previewing the Patriots-Titans Matchup from a Fantasy Perspective

The New England Patriots are looking to build upon their 7-4 record in their pursuit of a playoff spot in Week Eleven of the 2021 NFL season. Sunday’s matchup with the Tennessee Titans will take place at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts at 1:00pm ET. One of the many ways to examine the matchup is through the fantasy football perspective.

In that regard, let's look at Sports Illustrated Fantasy Editor Michael Fabiano's Week Ten Start 'Em and Sit 'Em as they pertain to the Pats-Titans battle on Sunday.

Here are the notable players mentioned in the matchup with Fabiano's comments, along with some additional insight, via Patriot Maven, on that particular projection.

‘Starts’ of the Week

For this Week Twelve matchup, Fabiano did not designate any Patriots or Titans as a ‘start’ of the week. While this may seem a bit surprising on the surface, this is actually a smart strategy for fantasy players this week. New England and Tennessee are evenly-matched on both sides of the ball, despite the Titans’ injury woes. With each defense expected to dictate the tempo of Sunday’s game, fantasy ‘studs’ are not likely to be plenty for this Week Twelve matchup at Gillette Stadium.

Despite the lack of a lock for Sunday, Fabiano listed Patriots quarterback Mac Jones as a potential ‘start.’ Though the rookie has enjoyed some notable recent success, starting the 23-yard-old may be risky from a fantasy standpoint. While the Titans secondary has struggled this season (the unit ranks 24th in passing yards allowed with 253.3 yards per game), they have been successful in limiting pass plays. Tennessee yields only 6.6 yards per pass, and may limit Jones to short, underneath completions. Although he has found success with such passes, as well as spreading the ball around to various receivers, it is not a formula that provides a great deal of fantasy production.

Fabiano also lists the Patriots Defense as a possible ‘start’ as well. The Pats' preventive unit ranks third in the NFL in overall defense, and in the top ten against the run (8th) and the pass (6th). While the Titans may be limited in their running game in the absence of Derrick Henry, they may wish to utilize the run game a bit more than originally thought. Rookie Christian Barmore, one of the key cogs in the Pats run defense up front did not participate in Thursday’s practice with a knee injury. Should the Pats run defense be compromised due to Barnore’s injury, the Pats defense may not be a significant producer at any level.

‘Sits’ of the Week

Rhamondre Stevenson vs Titans

Fabiano’s Analysis:

“Stevenson was a hot name in the fantasy world heading into Week 11, but the return of Damien Harris threw cold water on his value. He split snaps and touches with his veteran teammate against the Falcons, which led to a modest 8.5-point stat line. He’ll continue to share the workload, and the Titans have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to runners.”

Patriot Maven Analysis:

As Fabiano indicated above, Stevenson’s splitting the Patriots’ carries with Harris makes him a tough choice for a fantasy start. However, there may be other reasons to sit the former Oklahoma Sooner this week. The Patriots will have their hands full in trying to counteract the Titans physical defensive front. Tennessee ranks fourth in the league in run defense, allowing just 97.2 yards per game and seventh at 4.1 yards per play. On Thursday, Stevenson was a limited participant in practice with a knee injury. If the rookie is able to play on Sunday, he may be restricted in his capabilities of running the football.

Ryan Tannehill

Fabiano’s Analysis:

“Tannehill has been one of the season’s biggest fantasy disappointments, averaging just 16.2 points per game. He’ll struggle to be much better this week, as he’ll face a Patriots defense that’s playing extremely well. Over their last four games, the P-Men have allowed the fewest fantasy points a game to quarterbacks at a clip of 5.5 points (not a misprint). Keep Tannehill on the sidelines.”

Patriot Maven Analysis:

While Tannehill is more than capable of putting together a solid performance on Sunday, it is hard to argue with Fabiano’s reasoning. When he is at his best, the Titans’ quarterback likes to make things happen off play action and designed roll outs. Unfortunately for Tennessee, their running game has taken a notable step back in the absence of star rusher Derrick Henry. With the Patriots defense now able to focus their attention on stopping Tannehill, his productivity, from a fantasy standpoint, is likely to be compromised. The Titans’ quarterback has 12 interceptions on the season, including four in last week’s loss to the Texans. Without his top wideout in Julio Jones (IR, hamstring) and possibly devoid of A.J. Brown, who is tending to a chest injury, Tannehill may be prime fodder for a Patriots secondary that is quite adept at takeaways, led by cornerback J.C. Jackson.