1 fantasy football footnote for every AFC South team
NFL training camp season has arrived, ladies and gentlemen. Prepare for the onslaught of information, rumors and hype pieces. But fantasy managers shouldn't be wary of the influx of info — Scott Pianowski has you covered with one key nugget to know for every team. Next up is the AFC South.
[NFC fantasy footnotes: South | East | North | West ]
[AFC fantasy footnotes: South | East | North | West ]
Houston Texans
The early Yahoo draft market only has a five-receiver gap from Nico Collins (WR16) to Stefon Diggs (WR21). I'm not sure that's enough spacing. Diggs ended the 2023 season as an unproductive player — including the playoffs, he had a modest 47-422-1 line over his final 10 games. And it's not like he was tied to a bad environment; Diggs was working as the top target in Josh Allen's offense, albeit the scheme became more run-heavy when Joe Brady took over the play-calling in mid-November.
Now, Diggs is changing teams and stepping into his age-31 season — two reasons for caution. I won't rule Diggs out completely; I did select him in a mock draft recently, as he slipped into the sixth round, past market value. However, if I want a receiver in this rising offense, Collins and Tank Dell (WR27) are my proactive targets.
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
 N. Collins | 80 | 1,297 | 8 |
 T. Dell | 47 | 709 | 7 |
 S. Diggs IR | 107 | 1,183 | 8 |
Tennessee Titans
The early Yahoo draft market is cool on Calvin Ridley, and I think that's the right approach. Ridley was drafted as the WR16 last year but returned a small loss, coming in at WR24 (half-point PPR scoring) for the relevant Weeks 1-17. And that grade came despite being a target priority in Jacksonville, tied to a quasi-star quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. Ridley now has to change teams in his age-30 season, and he's working with an unknown commodity in second-year quarterback Will Levis.
Ridley might not lead his receiver room in targets, given the presence of DeAndre Hopkins. And maybe the electric version of Ridley is gone for good; he averaged 9.3 yards per target in his first three Atlanta years, but he earned a modest 7.5 YPT in his one Jacksonville season. I grant you Ridley might seem tempting at a mere Yahoo ADP of WR35, but I'd rather be a year early than a year late with a possible player in decline.
More from Scott Pianowski
Jacksonville Jaguars
It might feel odd to see Travis Etienne Jr. as the RB10 in early Yahoo drafts. After all, Etienne was the third-best running back in cumulative scoring last year (using Yahoo's default scoring, half-point PPR), and he slotted fifth in per-game average.
The catch is that Etienne's production and workload suffered after the midseason bye. Etienne had six top 10 weekly finishes in the opening two months, but just one more after the break. His yards per carry and yards per target dropped in the second half, and his touchdown count also suffered — Etienne had eight spikes before Halloween, just four after that.
Etienne believers and faders will both find ample evidence for their stances. The pro side will note that Jacksonville has thin running back depth behind Etienne; no matter his efficiency, he's likely to play a lot. The detractors will point to a substandard Jacksonville offensive line, and they'll also wonder if Etienne's 5-foot-10, 215-pound frame will continue to hold up through a featured workload.
Most of my fantasy builds will center around one anchor running back, surrounded by plenty of early-receiver depth. I'd prefer to target someone safer than Etienne to be my signature runner.
Indianapolis Colts
Jonathan Taylor has been a mild fantasy disappointment for two years, but last season was mostly about bad luck. A holdout and some PUP time held him back at the start, and he also dealt with a thumb injury during the year. But Taylor was sizzling in the second half of the season, picking up 704 rushing yards and eight touchdowns over the final two months. He put up 188 yards and a score on Houston in the season finale.
Taylor has a setup that could return him to superstardom for his age-25 season. The Colts have a top 10 offensive line, and head coach Shane Steichen is one of the smartest offensive designers around. Sophomore quarterback Anthony Richardson is far from a finished product, but he certainly carries more upside than departed QB Gardner Minshew; the octane of the offense should improve. I'll sign off on Taylor at his current ADP — late-first round in most leagues — and if you can snag him early in the second round, you've committed highway robbery.