NFL Fantasy Football Week 9: Who is Jeremy McNichols and why he should be in your team
Jeremy McNichols fantasy prospects for Week 9
Jeremy McNichols, the journeyman running back for the Tennessee Titans, will take center stage for the rest of the fantasy football season due to RB Derrick Henry’s foot injury. The injury to backup RB Darrynton Evans opened the door for McNichols to receive the majority of carries behind the line of scrimmage. The Titans, however, quickly signed RB Adrian Peterson to the squad to form a committee with Jeremy McNichols to fill the big shoes left by Henry’s injury.
Jeremy McNichols on first impressions of Adrian Peterson: https://t.co/Q586Z2yILw
For fantasy purposes, team managers should have Jeremy McNichols on their radar because the 5th-year running back brings pass-catching potential to complement Adrian Peterson’s between-the-tackles ground work. Especially in PPR leagues, fantasy managers will find McNichols useful as a flex option to fill in for players on bye.
For DFS purposes, Jeremy McNichols will be a cheap fantasy option to take a flier on, and if he scores a pass-catching touchdown, it will only be icing on the cake. The Tennessee Titans are pushing for the playoffs and the AFC South division title, so QB Ryan Tannehill and the offense will adjust without Derrick Henry. This adjustment potentially means more short passes to McNichols on passing down, and getting more usage out of WRs A.J. Brown and Julio Jones.
This season, Jeremy McNichols has carried the ball 7 times for 28 yards and caught 21 passes for 203 yards with 1 TD. His yards per reception is 9.67 so there is plenty to like about McNichols as the passing down back for the Titans. His only game of having more than 4 touches was Week 4 against the New York Jets, when he caught 8 out of 12 targets for 74 yards and one rush attempt for 11 yards.
Jeremy McNichols says he's willing to do whatever to takes to help the #Titans. If it means carrying the workload, he's fine with that. https://t.co/R4Z8hP7DWX
The Titans’ remaining schedule is difficult, with matchups against the Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the San Francisco 49ers. Tennessee sits at 6-2 and will continue to push towards a playoff berth. Against these teams, they will face several negative game scripts, which will bode well for a pass-catching specialist like Jeremy Nichols.
While Adrian Peterson will most likely garner the goal line carries, Jeremy McNichols will still have fantasy relevance, and fantasy managers should consider grabbing him as a FA in their leagues