The Showboats will be under the guidance of their third different head coach in as many years after the team and 2024 HC John DeFilippo parted ways in the offseason. Ken Whisenhunt takes over in 2025 and will also serve as offensive coordinator. Whisenhunt is a decorated NFL head coach who owns a 52-73 overall record, one NFC Conference Championship, and two NFC West division titles, most commonly remembered for his six-year stint with the Arizona Cardinals. Following his time as HC in Arizona and later Tennessee, Whisenhunt served as the Chargers’ OC for four seasons before heading to the college ranks, where he helped Penn State as an offensive analyst and Alabama as a special assistant to the head coach. Now back in the professional ranks, we can look back to Whisenhunt’s most recent play-calling venture with the Chargers to get a sense of what kind of offense he may implement in Memphis. During his final two seasons in L.A., Whisenhunt ranked eighth in situation-neutral pass rate (60%) and 31st in situation-neutral pace (30.1 seconds/snap). His play-calling tendencies weren’t overly dictated by game script, with a pass rate that climbed to 69% when trailing, dropping to 52% when playing with a lead. I suspect we’ll see fairly balanced run/pass splits from the Showboats, trending in the pass-centric direction at times.
Whisenhunt will have a trio of quarterbacks to choose from after 2024 QB1 Case Cookus landed as a backup with the Birmingham Stallions, leaving former Michigan Panthers QB1 E.J. Perry and 2024 Showboats backup Troy Williams to battle it out for the starting job. Williams struggled last season as a passer — though it’s hard to get a strong evaluation on any QB from Memphis’ 2024 season given the status of their offensive line — completing just 54.7% of his passes for 5.6 YPA and a 1:1 TD:INT ratio, while being pressured on an absurd 57.2% of his dropbacks. He did flash some upside with his legs in a limited sample, racking up a 12/74/1 rushing line on a 17.0% rush share. And while this is a new system for every QB on the team, Williams presumably has a slight edge over offseason acquisitions given his rapport with a receiving corps that returns mostly intact. While much of Williams’ — or Perry’s — fantasy success is going to hinge on the OL improving from a league-worst standing a year ago, I think there is going to be early-season upside in banking on some offensive improvement in Memphis.
One Showboat who isn’t likely to fly under the fantasy radar is 2024 All-UFL WR Daewood Davis, who will return to his rightful spot as the team’s WR1 regardless of who is under center for Memphis. Even as the offensive unit struggled as a whole, Davis separated as one of the league’s best fantasy receivers, running a route on 83.7% of dropbacks for a 21.9% target share and team-high 30.3% Air Yards share on an 11.8-yard aDOT. Offensive line improvements should only serve to free up more downfield opportunities for Davis, who will look to improve on his 41/446/5 receiving line in 2025. Jonathan Adams is back for his second season as a Showboat and also figures to be a fixture on the perimeter once again. He was in a route for 87.7% of dropbacks, 94.5% of which came lined up out wide, where he posted an 18.3% target share and 22.9% Air Yards share.
Memphis will have to fill the slot role vacated by Vinny Papale, who ran a route on 76.1% of 2024 dropbacks, 89.6% of which came lined up in the slot. But they brought in a handful of offseason acquisitions who should be able to do just that. A 5-foot-7, 160-pound receiver, Isiah Hennie is a prototypical fit between Adams and Davis out of the slot, where he ran 87.2% of his routes in 2023 as a Pittsburgh Mauler en route to a 46/473/3 receiving line and All-USFL honors. Hennie spent the 2024 season buried on the Houston Roughnecks’ depth chart, but he should get an opportunity in Whisenhunt’s offense. An NFL Preseason darling, Kwame Lassiter should also have an opportunity to fill this vacated role as a 5-foot-11, 185-pound receiver who ran 75.5% of his 2024 routes out of the slot and flashed target-earning upside in August with the Cincinnati Bengals. We’ll be keeping a close eye on Week 1 depth charts to see who earns starting honors, but if price and ownership are right, I’ll have immediate DFS interest in whichever one comes out on top.
Offseason departures of Darius Victor, Titus Swen, and Cyrus Habibi-Likio gutted Memphis’ backfield, vacating 99.2% (!!) of their 2024 rushing production. The Showboats will look to retool with what is — at least on paper — one of the league’s most intriguing backfields, featuring a RB who garnered interest from NFL dynasty and best ball fanatics at various points of his short career: Deneric Prince. Prince is a 2023 UDFA who racked up 316/1,749/14 rushing at Tulsa before posting a 98th-percentile speed score at the NFL Combine. As a 6-foot, 216-pound back, he’s big enough to handle a full-time workload with enough burst to routinely rip off big plays at this level. However, Prince is not a prolific pass catcher, posting just a 17/162/1 receiving line in 27 collegiate games. Fortunately, neither are Jacob Kibodi or Jalen Jackson, who figure to serve as the backups behind him. Given that Week 1 will be the first time we’ll see how Whisenhunt will deploy his trio of backs, I don’t mind taking a wait-and-see approach on Prince, but I have to acknowledge there is slate-winning upside if he is indeed the team’s featured RB.
