My Chris Johnson Blog

The Tennessee Titans came of age in 2008 posting a 13-3 record and claiming the AFC South title knocking the Indianapolis Colts off of their perch. However, the season failed to end the way the Titans hoped as they were defeated 13-10 by the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Playoffs. The end of my fantasy season was far more favorable than the Titans as I claimed my 2nd Super Bowl title in 10 years. One of the big reasons I was celebrating around Christmas time when other owners were crying in their beer is Titans RB Chris Johnson. It all started in August when I saw Johnson break a long TD run during a pre-season game and I was amazed at his speed and I kept that vision in my head when my draft day came rolling around. I managed to steal Johnson in the 14th round of my draft and rode that train along with fellow rookie sensation Matt Forte to a championship and about $1100.00. Will Johnson be able to duplicate his success for 2009? Who are some of the other Titans to keep an eye on for the upcoming season? Let's take a look at the Titans fantasy potential heading into 2009.

Needless to say that Johnson was an integral part of my team last year on a weekly basis. Johnson splashed onto the NFL scene with 1228 yards and 9 TD's and also chipped in with 43 receptions for 260 yds and 1 TD. Amazingly, there could have been so much more but Johnson continuously lost goal line reps and subsequently TD's to Lendale "Cheeseburger" White. Week in and week out I would just sit him and wonder what kind of numbers Johnson would have if White were not around. Cheeseburger himself accounted for 773 yards on the ground but scored an astonishing 15 TD's. As much as fantasy owners hated Head Coach Jeff Fisher for this the bottom line is that the Johnson/White platoon scenario (eloquently nicknamed "smash and dash") proved to be extremely successful for Tennessee and because of that success don't expect much to change this year. Can Johnson repeat his extraordinary rookie campaign? In the mock drafts that I have been doing recently Johnson has been going anywhere from 8th to 16th overall and as I have mentioned in other posts I am not really sold on any of the top rated backs. They all have major questions including Johnson. First, Johnson will not sneak up on the NFL this year as he did in 2008. Furthermore, White will surely continue to steal the majority of goal line touches meaning Johnson will likely have to break a long run to score. If in my draft it comes down to taking him or say Larry Fitzgerald I will be taking Fitz just because it is a safer pick. Regardless, Johnson is a great pick but if you select him know that you will be losing a lot of TD's to White so be prepared for that. As for the Cheeseburger himself, I actually like him more than Johnson this year simply due to the aforementioned reasons.

Bottom line is that you are looking for TD's in fantasy football and White scored 15 of them last year and most likely will post at least 10 more this year. Moreover, White can be had at a far greater value than Johnson as he has been going in the neighborhood of the 5th-6th round in the drafts I have participated in thus far. In summary, both these guys will produce. Tennessee is a run first team and I have not heard anything coming out of Nashville indicating a change is forthcoming even with the acquisition of WR Kenny Britt from Rutgers. Treat Johnson is a number 1 back and White is a low end number 2 or high end number 3 RB.

Historically, when discussing the Titans receiving corps fantasy owners utilized that time to do various family chores such as taking out the trash or reading stories to their children rather than participate in the discussion. Basically what I am trying to say is that Tennessee's WR'shave been non-existent in terms of fantasy production for some time. The Titans are desperately hoping that Britt starts to change all of that. Fisher usually refrains from taking receivers in the first round but even he realized how desperate the situation had become at the position. Britt is an immense talent and is a nice choice in keeper and dynasty leagues however, he will more than likely go undrafted in most traditional formats. Keep an eye on him but keep expectations to a minimum. In terms of the other Titan receivers it is quite simple: Justin Gage may be worth a late round flier but no other Titan receiver including TE Bo Scaife is worth spending any type of draft selection on come August.

The Titans DST was a solid unit in 2008 but suffered a huge off season loss with the departure of DT Albert Haynesworth who signed with the Washington Redskins as a free agent. Keith Bullock still anchors down the defense but anyone who thinks the Titans will not miss Haynesworth is dreaming. Consider the Titans DST a number 1 option but keep expectations realistic without the big man in the middle. That concludes my examination of the AFC South. Next up: The AFC North and I will be starting with the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburg Steelers.

Chris Limburg is the fanatical purveyor of gothicfootball.com: A Oakland Raider and fantasy football blog that provides commentary on everything that is the NFL and fantasy football. Sign up for my free newsletter at: [http://www.gothicfootball.com]

Here is my description of the top ten teams in the NFL. This season looks to be a roller coaster and a lot of teams will have trouble staying on top of this list. This was written after week seven so things may change from now to later in the season.

10. Dallas Cowboys: They are 4-3 in their division, and that is one tough NFC East division. The Redskins and Giants make for tough competition. Plus the Eagles don't just rollover on teams. They have struggled lately, due in part to injuries and suspensions, (cough, cough, Pac Man Jones).

9. New England Patriots: Even without Tom Brady the Patriots are still winning games. Matt Cassel is decent from time to time enough to get things done. The defense has been getting fired up recently as they held the high powered Denver offense to seven points.

8. Carolina Panthers: Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith are back to their old habits; winning. Their offense is clicking on all cylinders. Their defensive backs Ken Lucas and Chris Gamble keep opponents from easily getting to the end zone.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jon Gruden has formed another great offense with this Buccaneers team. It seems they throw on every down. Jeff Garcia is looking to be in his best from this season. Their defense could use work, but is still good enough to slow down opponents.

6. Arizona Cardinals: Kurt Warner is looking good at quarterback this year. He has many targets to throw to in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. At running back Edgerrin James and Tim Hightower combine for a decent combo in the back field. They have some of the better safeties in the league on defense.

5. Washington Redskins: Second in their division the Redskins are showing they can be one of the best in the league. Jason Campbell is proving to everyone that he is for real and is keeping his starting job. Santana Moss has been off and on this season, but puts up big numbers when he is on.

4. Buffalo Bills: Trent Edwards and Lee Evans provide a powerful punch at quarterback and wide receiver. Buffalo is on top of their division and will have to fight off and climbing Patriots team.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers: Don't over look this team, they are undefeated in their division and conference. They are also on a three game winning streak. Good offense with Ben Roethlesberger and Hines Ward. Great defense with Troy Polamalu and Lamarr Woodley.

2. N.Y. Giants: If they didn't have a loss they would be first on this list. It was a hard call as they have a tougher division then the team above them. They are playing as well as ever, maybe dare I say, better than last year.

1. Tennessee Titans: 6-0, the only undefeated team left in the league. That speaks for itself, Jeff Fischer has kept this team together despite losing Vince Young in the beginning. He is going to keep playing Kerry Collins at quarterback until he struggles or loses games. Their rookie running back Chris Johnson has really proved that he can get big gains and touchdowns. Johnson is a decent sleeper pick for rookie of the year.