• Elic Ayomanor was the one bright spot of the Tennessee Titans‘ offense: Ward caught a 35-yard pass from Cam Ward, while the rest of the offense gained five net yards over their first three drives.
• Casey Washington wins the Atlanta Falcons‘ WR gig: Washington is the one skill player who played in the Falcons’ first preseason game who sat out this game.
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PFF’s fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2025.

Titans WR Elic Ayomanor’s usage suggests a regular-season role: Ayomanor was put in motion at a high rate for his second-straight preseason game, which is something the other Titans wide receivers don’t do often.

The Titans completely reworked their wide receiver room from last season, as Calvin Ridley was the only returning player near the top of the depth chart. The Titans added veterans Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson while drafting Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor in the fourth round of the draft.

In the first preseason game, Jefferson was the X receiver and Ridley was the Z, while Lockett played i the slot in three-receiver sets. Ayomanor was the backup Z, taking two snaps from Ridley, while playing both snaps in 13 personnel. Dike was the backup slot, taking one snap from Lockett. The Titans decided to rest both Ridley and Lockett for this game. 

Unsurprisingly, Ayomanor started as the Z receiver, while Dike joined as the slot receiver. The Titans had wide receivers in motion on 254 plays last season, which was the eighth-lowest among teams. Ridley had a 13% motion rate, which was clearly the highest among the Titans’ top wide receivers. Ayomanor went into motion six times last week, while the rest of the wide receivers on the roster combined for five motions. Only one of Ayomanor’s motions was with Ward on the field. This week, Ayomanor was in motion on five of his 10 plays with the starters. It would not be surprising if Ayomanor is in for a package of plays each week where it’s helpful to have a wide receiver in motion. 

Cam Ward left the game after three drives, but all three wide receivers who started this game kept playing. Jefferson and Ayomanor were taken out before the two-minute drill drive, while Dike kept playing. Last week, when Ward stopped playing, Jefferson’s day was also done. The fact that Jefferson was playing at a point when no projected starters were also on the field suggests his starting job might not be secure. Jefferson’s benching would likely mean Ridley would move back to the X receiver spot, which he played in 2023 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Since Dike has played explicitly in the slot in three-receiver sets, it would be Ayomanor who would take a starting spot.

Darnell Mooney’s temporary replacement: Casey Washington is a clear top-five wide receiver on the depth chart after sitting out this game.

Washington was a Falcons sixth-round pick in 2024, playing only nine offensive snaps as a rookie in the fourth quarter of blowout losses. He has been a standout at training camp, and head coach Raheem Morris recently suggested that Washington will replace Mooney in the starting lineup if Mooney misses time in the regular season. Mooney is dealing with a shoulder injury but would not have played even if he were healthy.

Washington started the first preseason game while the top four wide receivers on the depth chart had the night off. In this game, Washington was added to the long list of players with a secure roster spot who didn’t play. Washington would be a sneaky pick-up in deep leagues for anyone who might need a wide receiver in Week 1. The Falcons play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mooney gained nine receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns in the first game against Tampa Bay in addition to four receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown in the second.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Titans running back Tyjae Spears suffered a high ankle sprain during the first week of the preseason and is expected to miss a few weeks.
• Julius Chestnut started at running back for the Titans, while sixth-round rookie Kalel Mullings mixed in on the third play of the first drive. While Chestnut still holds a lead for the third running back spot, Mullings has brought the competition closer together compared to the first week of the preseason.
• The Titans rested a few players on offense after starting them during the first week of the preseason, including running back Tony Pollard and wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett.
• Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo played all 15 snaps with the starters last week. He played seven of eight in the first quarter this week. Once the second quarter started, his day was done before everyone else on the offense.
• Tight end Josh Whyle played 346 offensive snaps for the Titans last season but remains fourth on the depth chart after two preseason games. He will only make the 53-man roster if the Titans choose to keep four tight ends.
• The Falcons, who generally let more players rest in the preseason than any other team, rested quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins, running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, wide receivers Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Ray-Ray McCloud III, KhaDarel Hodge and Casey Washington, and tight ends Kyle Pitts Sr., Charlie Woerner and Teagan Quitoriano.
• Carlos Washington Jr. is dealing with a hamstring injury, which is expected to keep him out for some time. He is expected to be the team’s third running back this season. He also missed the first preseason game.
• Wide receiver Jamal Agnew is dealing with an undisclosed injury, which has cost him the first two preseason games. The unofficial depth chart lists him as a second-string wide receiver, and a first-string kick returner and punt returner. He seems likely to make the roster despite the injury because of special teams.
• David Sills V only played on the first six plays and then his night was done. He similarly only played in the first quarter last season. This likely means he will make the roster, and Atlanta will keep seven wide receivers. That, or the team simply wants to give only younger players playing time in the preseason.
• The Falcons signed D.J. Chark on July 25th, coinciding with the news that Mooney would miss time. The Falcons had six players miss this game, either due to their spot on the depth chart or injury. He also wasn’t one of the four wide receivers on the first drive. This suggests he’s 11th on the depth chart at best, making it very unlikely he makes the 53-man roster.

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Table Notes

• Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.
• Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
• Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.