Fantasy Football: Projecting if Will Levis can come up big again

Will Levis burst onto the NFL scene last week with a four-touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons. He made DeAndre Hopkins fantasy-relevant for the first time this season and his deep ball is a thing of beauty.

If you are a fantasy football player, you are likely wondering if this is the time to fire up the shiny new toy you just grabbed off the waiver wire or if you have him in a dynasty league, and you have been patiently waiting to unleash him, you may be giddy with excitement. Or perhaps you are playing a guy who is starting Levis this week and you are wondering how he will do.

Let's dive into it.

It's understandable to be excited over the ability of Levis. He has incredible arm talent and the way he took command of the Titans (dressed as the old Houston Oilers) last week made it look like Ryan Tannehill may not get his job back.

But is Levis a good starting option this week?

You have to start with the fact that this game is being played on Thursday night. I am rarely a fan of road players in those games because of the fact that they have already had a short week, light on practices and a day of travel. For Levis, his second career start going into Pittsburgh is not an ideal spot.

The numbers suggest it is a great matchup. The Steelers rank 24th in the league in pass defense, allowing 245.4 yards per game. But they are better at home, giving up just 223.5 yards per game through the air and only one QB (Trevor Lawrence last week) has eclipsed 240 yards passing in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers have always been known for having a hard-nosed defense, even if it hasn't been as good in recent years. But any defense that has T.J. Watt is dangerous. However, the fact that safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will miss the game with a hamstring injury is a good sign for Levis.

But for the Titans, the aforementioned Hopkins is dealing with a toe injury and is listed as questionable for the game. He did not practice on Wednesday, which is not a good sign on a short week.

Stat Projections: 205 yards passing, 1 TD, 1 INT, 20 yards rushing

The idea of starting the rookie Levis this week is a fun one, and after he balled out this past Sunday, it's hard not to. But I don't love the matchup here, so unless you have absolutely no other good options, I wouldn't play him on Thursday night. If you are on the fence, keep an eye on Hopkins' game status. Without Hopkins, I wouldn't even consider playing Levis.

Fantasy CPR decision: Leave Levis on the bench in Week 9