Week 9 of the NFL season begins with an AFC duel between the Tennessee Titans (3-4) and Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3). The greatest concern heading into the game is whether rookie quarterback Will Levis will maintain his hot hand after throwing for four touchdowns in his debut last week.
On Monday, Vrabel informed reporters that, while Levis performed well, he was not ready to commit to starting Levis for the rest of the season, noting that everything depends on Tannehill’s recovery plan. On Tuesday, however, Vrabel stated that Levis would be the team’s starter at Acrisure Stadium tonight.
On the other hand, worries surrounded Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett’s health going into this game. On Halloween, however, Pickett stated that he was ready to go. Pickett was listed as a full participant on Wednesday, so he should be okay. However, if he experiences any issues during warm-ups or early in the game, former No. 2 overall pick Mitch Trubisky will step in.
There are many questions around both of these clubs, as well as how you should set your fantasy lineups. Here are our thoughts.
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Aside from Ryan Tannehill’s absence, the most notable name on this list is undoubtedly DeAndre Hopkins. After the former All-Pro went crazy with Levis behind center, totaling 128 receiving yards and three touchdowns. However, Hopkins plainly has an injury. He was listed as questionable for most of the week and is still not guaranteed to play, but he is likely to suit up.
We should definitely reduce our expectations of the Levis-Hopkins duo. While the Falcons’ pass defense has allowed fewer yards and yards per attempt than the Steelers, they have allowed 15 touchdowns through the air this season. Even if you excluded their terrible Week 8 performance, their 11 touchdowns would still tie for seventh in the NFL. With Hopkins’ injury, there’s a fair chance the Titans will rely on the dependable King Henry for the most of the game.
That said, the absence of Minkah Fitzpatrick could mean more opportunities over the top of the defense this week. Hopkins did well in Week 8, after all. However, a mark of around 40 yards
In 2023, both of these clubs performed poorly in fantasy leagues. Even the dependable Derrick Henry hasn’t seemed like himself this year. With Kenny Pickett ready to play for Pittsburgh, wide receiver Diontae Johnson is the game’s biggest lock.
Although some expected Johnson’s role as the Steelers’ top option in the pass attack to shift to George Pickens this season, Johnson has dominated target share since returning from injury. In Week 8, Johnson had 14 targets, more than Pickens had in the previous two weeks combined.
The counterargument is that some of those targets came from Trubisky after Pickett suffered an injury and Pickens remains Pickett’s top option. While Pickens
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