Jets vs. Titans Fantasy Football Worksheet, Week 1

The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 1 matchup between the Titans and Jets.

Find a breakdown of every Week 1 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.

Trust = spike production for that player

Jets vs. Titans Fantasy Quarterback Preview

Cam Ward

Ward ended his first season 31st in rating (80.2), completing 59.8% of his passes (31st) for 5.9 yards per pass attempt (33rd), 9.8 yards per completion (32nd), and a 2.8% touchdown rate (33rd).

He was sacked 55 times, tied for the most in the league.

13.7% of Ward's throws were inaccurate, which ranked 29th.

Ward made a handful of big-time throws that showcased what made him the No. 1 pick last year.

Now, he needs to find his footing with the changes made within the organization.

Along with new coach Robert Saleh, the Titans have brought in Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator.

Part of Ward's first-year struggles stemmed from a limited arsenal of pass catchers, which forced the team to rely on inexperienced options.

Tennessee wide receivers combined for 9.2 receptions per game (26th), 107.2 yards per game (27th), and 9 touchdowns (28th).

The players with 50-plus targets on the Titans last year were Elic Ayomanor (89), Chig Okonkwo (79), Chimere Dike (74), Gunnar Helm (55), Van Jefferson (52), and Tyjae Spears (50).

Carnell Tate and Wan'Dale Robinson were added this offseason.

The preseason was not flattering for Ward in his initial look in a new offense.

Ward completed 13 of 24 passes (54.2%) for 126 yards (5.3 Y/A) on 26 preseason dropbacks.

He only averaged 5.8 air yards per attempt.

He had 0 turnovers and took only one sack, which is a positive.

The offensive line has several question marks beyond Peter Skoronski, so there is still concern that it is a major problem area for this passing game.

Ward is only in play for 2QB formats in Week 1, but this is a home game against a potential neutral opponent.

The Jets were a brutal defense in 2025, allowing 16.6 passing points per game (30th).

They allowed 7.3 yards per pass attempt (25th), 11.4 yards per completion (24th), and a 6.4% touchdown rate (31st).

They traded their two best defensive players during the season, but that performance spurred a ton of defensive changes.

The Jets have hired Brian Duker as the new defensive coordinator.

Duker comes over from Miami, where he was the secondary coach and defensive pass game coordinator.

The Jets added a slew of new starters in the offseason, including Minkah Fitzpatrick and Dane Belton at safety, Demario Davis at linebacker, and David Onyemata, T'Vondre Sweat, and Joseph Ossai along the defensive front.

They also used their first pick on David Bailey.

They used their second-round pick on cornerback D'Angelo Ponds, but he is expected to be eased into action after dealing with a preseason injury.

Geno Smith

The Jets received anemic quarterback play in 2025.

Their quarterbacks combined to rank 31st in the league in rating (75.0), completing 60.3% of their passes (29th) for 5.6 yards per pass attempt (last), 9.3 yards per completion (last), a 3% touchdown rate (30th), and a 2.6% interception rate (25th).

Justin Fields (9), Tyrod Taylor (4), and Brady Cook (4) started four or more games for them last year.

The Jets reunited with Smith this offseason as a bridge quarterback.

Smith will be 36 in October, coming off a disastrous runout with the Raiders last season.

Smith was still viable in completing 67.4% of his passes, 11th among qualifiers for the league's passer rating.

Still, he only managed 6.8 yards per attempt (24th), 10.0 yards per completion (29th), a 4.2% touchdown rate (26th), and a 3.8% interception rate (31st) while taking a sack on a league-high 10.9% of his dropbacks.

That is an improvement in many areas over what the Jets received in 2025.

Smith's largest ongoing issue for his career (even during his best run with Seattle) is that he has some of the starkest splits when pressured.

That held again in 2025.

When pressured last year, Smith completed 49.6% of his passes (17th) for 5.3 Y/A (27th) with a 4.7% interception rate (32nd).

Over the past four years, Smith has averaged 6.0 Y/A (26th) with a 4.3% interception rate (35th) under pressure.

From a clean pocket over that stretch, Smith averages 7.9 Y/A (12th) with only a 1.6% interception rate (18th).

The Jets have a much better offensive line in place than the one Smith played behind last season in Las Vegas, which should insulate him in that regard.

The Titans were 36.3% in pressure rate (19th) in 2025 and 26th in blitz rate (20.8%).

Tennessee has added three new starters around centerpiece Jeffery Simmons on the defensive line, acquiring Jermaine Johnson, John Franklin-Myers, and Jacob Martin.

They also selected Keldric Faulk and Anthony Hill in the opening two rounds this spring.

Saleh is not a blitz-heavy defensive play caller, so that is expected to remain in place.

The Titans added Alontae Taylor and Cor'Dale Flott at cornerback to a pass defense that allowed 8.2 yards per pass attempt (30th), 12.0 yards per completion (30th), and a 5.6% touchdown rate (26th) to opposing passers.

Expecting growing pains even if they do improve, this defense looked rough in the preseason.

Smith does draw appeal here as a matchup-based QB2 in 2QB leagues.

Weird things happen in Week 1, and could this be the gross game of the week to give Smith enough juice to dabble with in large-field DFS?

Jets vs. Titans Fantasy Running Back Preview

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