In just his third season under center for the Titans,
Vince Young hopes to make the ’08 season more productive than last. Despite the fact Young played in 15 games last season, he managed to find the end zone through the air a measly nine times. From a fantasy perspective, Young’s end zone inconsistency makes him a decent backup quarterback, at best. Heading into the ’08 season, Young should be considered in the same class as
Jon Kitna,
Matt Schaub, and
Alex Smith. Even though the recent addition of tight end
Alge Crumpler should help the Titans offense, it’s unlikely Young will put up solid enough numbers to consistently help fantasy teams.
NFL CAREER
2006: In his rookie season with the Titans, Young completed 184 passes for 2,199 yards and 12 scores. In addition to his contributions in the passing game, Young ran for 552 yards on the ground and found the end zone seven times.
2007: Young started 15 games in his sophomore season and completed 238 passing attempts for 2,546 yards and nine touchdowns. On the ground, Young ran for 395 yards and three scores.
TEAM SCENARIO
The Tennessee Titans finished the 2007 season with a 10-6 record and clinched an AFC Wild Card spot in the playoffs. Tennessee’s first playoff appearance since ’03 was short lived, as the Titans bowed out of the playoffs with a first-round lost to the San Diego Chargers. The Titans' hopes of returning to playoff form in ’08 could prove to be quite challenging. Entering this season, the team has one of the more difficult schedules in the NFL and plays in the most competitive AFC division. They play division rival Jacksonville in Week 1 and the dangerous Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. In Weeks 8 and 9, the Titans host the Indianapolis Colts (’07 AFC South Division winner), and the Green Bay Packers (’07 NFC North Division winner). Following this two-game home stand, the Titans go on the road and face the Bears in Chicago in Week 10 and the Jaguars in Jacksonville in Week 11. The Titans finish the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers (’07 AFC North Division winner) at home in Week 16 and on the road in Indianapolis against the Colts in Week 17.
With the offseason departure of backup running back
Chris Brown, the Titans wasted little time adding depth to the running attack by drafting East Carolina’s
Chris Johnson with the 24th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Johnson, who enters the season as backup to
LenDale White, has been compared to the likes of
Reggie Bush and is a dangerous weapon in the open field. Not only are the Titans going to use Johnson at the running back spot, but are planning on using him in the slot, as well, making him a nice option in PPR leagues.
In hopes of boosting a receiving core that lacks big play potential, the Titans signed
Alge Crumpler in March. Crumpler, who was released by the Falcons after seven seasons, finished last season with 42 receptions for 444 yards and five touchdowns. Crumpler’s veteran experience is sure to help a relatively young receiving group and should be a nice addition to
Vince Young’s arsenal in Tennessee. The starting wideouts in Nashville this season will be sixth-year player
Justin Gage and newcomer
Justin McCareins.
Biren Ealy,
Brandon Jones, and
Roydell Williams will likely compete for the third receiving spot in the lineup.
2008 UPSIDE
Even though Young’s passing numbers alone aren’t impressive, he more than makes up for it on the ground. Unlike
Jon Kitna or
Matt Schaub, Young’s ability to run the ball into the end zone makes him a threat. In ’06, Young finished with 12 passing scores and seven TDs on the ground. Even though his numbers were down last season, one has to expect bigger and better things in his third season.
The acquisition of rookie
Chris Johnson should spell good things for Young and the passing game. Johnson's speed in the slot position adds another option for Young to exploit, and his skills at running back should command attention from defenses. The Titans run-first offense should find more success on first down with the help of Johnson, possibly allowing Young to air it out more on second down.
2008 DOWNSIDE
Look at 2007. Okay, so it may not be that simple, but
Vince Young’s inconsistency when it comes to getting the ball into the end zone definitely hinders his fantasy value. In the 15 games that Young played last season, he failed to put the ball in the end zone in nine of them. Finishing the regular season as a starting quarterback in the NFL with only nine passing touchdowns is depressing and tragic for fantasy owners. Not only did Young throw just nine touchdown passes, but his passing yards left a lot to be desired, too. Young threw for more than 200 yards on just four separate occasions and finished the season with 169.7 YPG.
Besides facing a pretty tough ’08 schedule, Young also has to make due with a relatively young and mediocre receiving squad.
Justin Gage, the Titans No.1 receiver, has recorded only six touchdown grabs in his five seasons in the NFL. The team's No.2 receiver,
Justin McCareins, recorded only 19 receptions in 16 games for the New York Jets in 2007.
OVERALL FANTASY IMPACT
It’s hard to expect a whole lot out of Young and the Titans passing game. His numbers aren’t solid enough to be considered as a starting fantasy signal caller, and his inconsistency can be a fantasy owner’s nightmare. Factors like the strength of the Titans' schedule and lack of big-play potential in the receiving core seemed to be going against Young in ’08. Simply put, relying solely on the arm of Young to lead a fantasy team is extremely dangerous. The potential reward isn't worth the risk. He's best suited as a backup or bye-week fill-in.
