Fantasy football: The ideal mock draft for the 2019 NFL season
By Chris Wilson
Round 9: WR Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans
We make the decision to pass on tight ends like the Cleveland Browns’ David Njoku, as well as Los Angles Rams quarterback Jared Goff, given the plethora of value available at the two positions later in our ideal fantasy football draft.
Instead, we select another wide receiver, the Tennessee Titans’ No. 1 WR Corey Davis, at pick 9.02. Davis was a target hog during his sophomore season, but his 58-percent catch rate combined with a subpar Titans passing attack that netted under 3,000 passing yards — fourth-worst in the NFL — kept Davis under the century mark in yards-from-scrimmage in 2018.
Davis was hampered by poor quarterback play and the Titans’ lack of additional viable passing options, particularly after tight end Delanie Walker suffered a broken ankle in the opening game of the season.
During research for an article on receiver utilization, Davis stood out as a wide receiver who was utilized in the Titans’ passing attack at an abnormally high rate. Not only was Davis targeted on approximately a quarter of Tennessee’s passing attempts, but he was targeted on over 67 percent more passes than the Titans’ second most-targeted player, running back Dion Lewis:
However, not all targets are created equal. Over the course of the season, Lewis’ average depth of target (aDOT) was behind the line of scrimmage, while Davis finished the year with an aDOT of 10.3. In summary, the Titans had one viable passing option in 2018, and defenses acted accordingly.
Last week, Scott Barrett of PFF noted among all of the NFL’s wide receivers, Davis faced the toughest group of cornerbacks last season:
"Last season, Corey Davis saw 43% of his targets come when lined up against top-25-graded cornerbacks, the highest rate in the league among 94 qualifying WRs. -Scott Barrett"
With the return of Walker and the additions of free-agent wide receiver Adam Humphries and second-round rookie wideout A.J. Brown, opposing defenses will no longer be able to focus on Davis in 2019, allowing the third-round receiver to shine — provided QB Marcus Mariota takes a step forward.