It may seem like there isn’t much on the line in this Titans matchup with the Texans, who have already clinched the division. The Houston Texans will be starting their first-string players, though, indicating they will be going for the win. This is great news for DFS players who want to invest in the Texans offense who will be going up against a Titans team that has a couple of other players who can have break-out games.
Texans at Titans Start Em’
Tony Pollard (Draft Kings Price 6.2K, FanDuel Price 6.7K)
The last time these two teams played, Tony Pollard ran circles around the Texans’ defense: he had 119 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Considering that the Texans’ pass defense is pretty scary, Tennessee might try to serve a steady diet of runs in this game as well. If Pollard gets close to 20 carries, that should translate into yards and possibly touchdowns. With no Tyjae Spears, the veteran back will get a bulk of the workload with incentives on the line.
C.J. Stroud (Draft Kings Price 6K, FanDuel Price 7.3K)
Now that the Texans are confirmed to start their first-string players, Stroud is an interesting QB play for DFS. Stroud started off the season looking like one of the premier quarterbacks of the league but has since regressed considerably. This game against the Titans would be a good opportunity to show what he can do before heading into the playoffs. Stroud hasn’t thrown for 300 yards since week five, and this may be the last game where he can fling the ball before dealing with a tough first-round playoff game.
Nico Collins (Draft Kings Price 7.8K, FanDuel Price 8.7K)
Given the way the latter half of the season has gone for the Texans, it can be easy to forget that Nico Collins was a contender for wide receiver 1 on the year. If Stroud is going to get the green light to air the ball out, it will most assuredly be Collins catching the deep ball. He is one of the best deep threats in the league, so Stroud just needs to deliver a good ball to him to rack up big plays.
Texans at Titans Sit Em’
Calvin Ridley (Draft Kings Price 5.4K, FanDuel Price 6.2K)
Ridley isn’t in a good position for DFS this game simply because he has to deal with the Houston Texans secondary, a unit that is pretty good at sticking with their man. Granted, Ridley did get 93 yards off of 5 catches in their previous matchup, but that was coming off of one of Will Levis’ best performances of the season. He likely won’t have as good of a performance in week 18.
John Metchie III (Draft Kings Price 4K, FanDuel Price 5.5K)
John Metchie III can catch the football well from someone so young. The issue is that, since he is filling in for Tank Dell, he will be running the same routes. While Stroud can hit Metchie III in the slot or on a hook route, all of the deep balls will be directed toward Nico Collins. Therefore, Metchie III can have a good day, but won’t put up great numbers fantasy-wise.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (Draft Kings Price 4.4K, FanDuel Price 5.3K)
The only reason why it would make sense for Westbrook-Ikhine is because he had a nice game in the last matchup (48 yards and a touchdown). Most of that came on a go route that Levis could dial up, though. Starting Westbrook-Ihkine here is simply a bet that he will have another long touchdown. He hasn’t had more than 3 catches in any of the games this season, so chances are Kamari Lassiter holds Westbrook-Ikhine to short yardage in this game.
Texans at Titans Lock
Joe Mixon (Draft Kings Price 7.4K, FanDuel Price 7.7K)
While Stroud might want to air the ball out in this game, he will need help from Mixon to keep the defense honest. If the Titans can effectively blitz, they will eventually find the backfield. Mixon should be getting the ball to make third down more convertible, but given his talent, he will probably break out of these short runs and turn them into 20/30-yard rushes like he usually does.
Texans at Titans Fade
Chig Okonkwo (Draft Kings Price 3.8K, FanDuel Price 5.4K)
Okonkwo actually gets a decent target share in this offense, but he almost never has a good fantasy day. He has 2 touchdowns on the year, and his season-high yardage is 81. The last matchup between the Texans and Titans proved that the formula for victory was targeting Ridley and Westbrook-Ikhine, so Levis might not look towards Oknokwo too often.
