Standard Running Back Projection: 26th
PPR Running Back Projection: 24th
PPR Average Draft Position: 5.11 (RB28)
Dion Lewis finished as the RB15 in PPR leagues last year, and while his ceiling drops a bit with the move away from New England, he's still in line to be a productive fantasy back.
Lewis has the build of a pass-game specialist, but he's much better on the ground than he gets credit for. In fact, he's never caught more than 36 passes in a season, a number which pales in comparison to some of the other backs on this list. That's not to say he can't excel in a third-down role; it's just not how the Patriots used him, opting to hand Lewis the ball 180 times in 2017.
With the Titans, Lewis will be competing for touches with Derrick Henry, who has a mere 24 total catches through his first two pro campaigns. Tennessee could divvy up Lewis and Henry into more traditional roles, with Lewis as the pass-game weapon and the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry the early-down thumper, but both guys should get a good amount of work.
We don't need to be too worried about Henry taking over the backfield and making Lewis irrelevant. In 2017, with a struggling DeMarco Murray as his competition, Henry logged a snap rate greater than 44% just twice through the first 15 games, failing to earn a big role until Murray got dinged up. Then Tennessee went out and gave Lewis the seventh-richest contract for a running back, going by total cash.
We project Lewis to see a good chunk of volume, forecasting him for 124 rushing attempts and 43 receptions. The Titans' offense is due for some positive regression, and Lewis is a solid mid-round pick in PPR leagues.