Tyjae

Spears

“The thing I love about them is they can catch the football,” Jordan gushed. “They can turn a check down into a big play.” Jordan’s answer was in response to a question about how he might divvy up touches between his top-two backs. Although it doesn’t really clear things up from a fantasy perspective, Jordan is not wrong. It also hints the Titans and new coach/ex-Bengals assistant Brian Callahan will very much carry over the Bengals’ penchant for involving the running back in the passing game. Pollard is currently the RB25 on Underdog, with Spears checking in as the RB38. Spears is probably the more appealing option at that ADP since the Titans might be sincere about treating the backs as interchangeable, especially on some of the most important fantasy downs.

He added that the team views it as a 1A/1B situation in which both backs get “a ton of carries.” Though it sounds like a nightmare for fantasy purposes, the lack of defined roles makes sense from a strategic perspective. Holz noted that he doesn’t want to tip his hand in play-calling by limiting his backs to subsets of the overall playbook. Given how much Pollard struggled as the Cowboys’ starter in 2023, early fantasy drafters may want to take Spears at a discount if neither back is projected to dominate the work in Tennessee.

Drafted in the third round, Spears was immediately thrust into a prominent role for the Titans. In what would be a consistent theme for the rookie, he earned more snaps than Derrick Henry in his Week 1 debut. He was strictly a backup when measured by carries but was electric on a per-touch basis. Spears rushed 100 times for 453 yards and two touchdowns while adding 52 catches for 385 yards and a touchdown through the air. Henry is a free agent this offseason and gave a farewell speech after the Titans’ Week 18 win, so it’s safe to assume he will not be returning to Tennessee in 2024. His departure will make Spears one of the biggest fantasy risers in the offseason, though he will need to survive the draft before fantasy managers can get too excited.

With the Titans playing from behind once again, Spears saw plenty of snaps and was even targeted six times. Still, 6.9 PPR points don’t move the needle for fantasy managers. Spears remains the backup in Tennessee, though his role through the air gives him an RB4 floor without much ceiling. He will sit on the RB3/4 border for his Week 18 matchup with the Jags.

Any thought of Spears getting a bigger workload with the Titans eliminated from playoff contention was thrown out the window today. He usage appeared similar to what we’ve seen all season, operating as the clear pass-catching back and mixing in with Derrick Henry, who more than doubled Spears’ workload. The Titans figure to be in another tough game with the Texans next week, which could keep Spears’ volume in check.

Neither Spears nor Derrick Henry (16 carries for nine yards) could get anything going on the ground against a Houston defense selling out to shut down the rush. While Spears ran 18 routes to Henry’s 13, it was Henry who led in running back targets, four to one. Spears profiles as a desperation flex in Week 16 against Seattle, one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL.

In what was surely a blow to Henry drafters entering the fantasy playoffs, the Big Dog was completely shut down by a Houston defense committed to stopping the run at any cost. Titans running backs totaled 34 yards on 25 carries against the Texans. Henry missed out on a goal line rush in the first half when Will Levis kept the ball on a read option. Without short touchdowns, Henry is barely a RB3. He’ll have a plush matchup next week against a Seahawks defense that has bled fantasy points to enemy backs over the past month.

Spears didn’t do much on the ground but sparked multiple scoring drives with long receptions. His first big catch of the night came on an over-the-shoulder shot from Will Levis. Spears reeled in the pass but quickly had the ball popped out of his hands by a defender. Luckily, the ball bounced harmlessly out of bounds, resulting in a big gain for the Titans. He then racked up another three catches for 41 yards on the Titans’ penultimate scoring drive of the night. A high-scoring affair was the perfect opportunity for Spears to get home from a fantasy perspective and he did just that. If a hobbled Texans roster can hang a few points on the Titans next week, Spears will have a shot at returning RB3 value for the first round of the fantasy playoffs.

Henry took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Zaire Franklin in Sunday’s loss to the Colts and didn’t return to the field. The veteran running back finished the day with 21 carries for 102 yards and two touchdowns, but his status for Week 14 is officially in question. Henry and the Titans will face the Dolphins on Monday night, giving him an extra day to clear protocol. If he’s unable to play, rookie Tyjae Spears would be in line for a busy day as Tennessee’s lead back.

Derrick Henry left the game with a concussion in the fourth quarter, paving the way for Spears to see all of the work for the remainder of the game as the Titans only had two running backs active. With the contest making it to overtime, Spears totaled 13 touches over the Titans’ final four drives. If Henry is forced to miss time because of the concussion, Spears would be in line for a massive workload. Sans Henry, Spears would rank as a fringe RB1 for the Titans’ Week 13 game against the Dolphins.