RADIO
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota returns to action today against the New Orleans Saints after a knee injury that caused him to miss two straight games. Mariota was injured on a controversial play by Miami Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon. The rookie quarterback was believed to have had a grade two MCL sprain, but a two-week hiatus allowed enough healing time for him to return for today's game.
Tight end Delanie Walker looks to benefit from Mariota's return after just 13 catches for 117 yards and zero touchdowns with backup quarterback Zach Mettenberger starting. With Mariota under center, Walker is averaging 11.3 yards per reception, compared to just 8.9 yards per reception from Mettenberger. Walker is one of Mariota's most reliable pass-catchers and should be targeted heavily on Sunday. Mariota will likely want to ease back into things after missing two weeks and should look for Walker early on. Titans wide receiver Kendall Wright is out for Sunday's game with an MCL injury, so that should help Walker's volume of targets as well.
Mariota and Walker square off against a Saints defense that looked vulnerable against the Giants last week, surrendering 350 passing yards and six touchdowns to quarterback Eli Manning. The Saints defense is ranked 30th in the league in total defense this season, allowing approximately 282 passing yards and 29 points per game. They're also allowing just 124 rushing yards per game, so that stat should bode well for getting the passing game going.
If you own Mariota and Walker in fantasy, they make for great bye week fill-in plays this week. Walker is always a top-10 play at tight end, so if you have him you're probably playing him every week. Mariota isn't viewed as a must-start for me this week, but I believe he's a top-15 play. Look for Mariota and Walker to put up decent point totals against a Saints defense that ranks nearly last in multiple defensive categories. I'm predicting 225 yards passing, two passing touchdowns and 30 yards rushing from Mariota and nine catches for 95 yards and a touchdown for Walker.
