The Tennessee Titans are hoping to have Marcus Mariota back to start in Week 8 and if can't return for the team, Zach Mettenberger will get the starting nod against the Texans. The Titans have Kendall Wright, Bishop Sankey, Dexter McCluster and Delanie Walker as solid fantasy football start options with the struggling Texans next on the schedule.
Mariota was injured against the Miami Dolphins in Week 6 and he was ruled out for the Week 7 game against the Atlanta Falcons. Mariota will get the chance to test his knee this week and according to Terry McCormick or TitanInsider.com, Ken Whisenhunt said that Mariota will "go out on the field" for practice on Tuesday to see if he can handle some work early in the week. The team is going to "gauge" how the knee is before making a decision on who will start.
NFL.com reporter Ian Rapoport wrote on Sunday that Mariota is "expected" to be back for Week 8 for the Titans. Zach Mettenberger got the start last week and Rapoport writes that the Titans could look at shopping him at the trade deadline depending on how Mariota recovers from his knee injury. Mariota has been off to a solid start for the Titans as a rookie this season, passing for 1236 yards and nine touchdowns to go along with five interceptions while completing over 63 percent of his passes.
Mettenberger came in and threw for 187 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions while starting in place of Mariota. The Titans offense has some playmakers that have been solid for fantasy owners this season and heading into Week 8, players like Kendall Wright, Delanie Walker and Antonio Andrews could be the best options to start. Mariota coming back will help the receivers and Andrews comes in after having a solid game last week against the Falcons.
Wright has been solid this season with 24 catches for 322 yards and three touchdowns and he could be a WR3 or Flex option this week. Wright had four catches for 46 yards and a TD against the Falcons, while Walker comes in after a mince performance with seven catches for 55 yards. Walker was targeted nine times in the game to lead the team and this season he has 29 catches in five games and is worth starting as a TE2 or low range TE1 for this week.
Heading into Week 8 the running back situation has Bishop Sankey and Antonio Andrews as the best options, but things could change into Week 9. The team still has Dexter McCluster and Terrance West and reports have David Cobb set to return for the next game. Once Cobb comes back the carries could get split even more and that could make for some tough decisions for fantasy owners. Whisenhunt said that Andrews "deserves" more touches after playing well in recent weeks and he is worth starting after leading the team in rushing last week. Sankey remains an option, but right now he is on the low end after having just two snaps against the Falcons and he did not register a carry.