Tyjae

Spears

Callahan said he was happy with Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard but that the team might seek “something different” for the backfield in the 2025 draft. Pollard and Spears largely occupied the same role in 2024, prompting questions about why the Titans would sign Pollard in the first place. It’s abundantly clear that the Titans don’t see Spears as a No. 1 back. Tennessee’s backfield could be tough to figure out headed into 2025.

Spears’ season fittingly ends with one final injury, this time as the result of a hard hit late in Tennessee’s Week 17 loss to the Jags. Spears opened the year as a passing-downs complement to free agent addition Tony Pollard. Soft tissue Injuries then piled up, causing him to miss four games plus parts of others over the first 12 weeks. He finally got back on track late in the season, piling up 261 yards and four touchdowns in his final three games, the last of which was a spot-start in the absence of Pollard. The late-season surge saw him finish with 84 carries for 312 yards and four touchdowns on the year. He added 30 receptions for 224 yards and one touchdown through the air. Having shown his explosiveness and his potential to rack up touches in place of Pollard, Spears enters 2025 as a premium ZeroRB target, though his durability remains a concern.

Spears remains in the concussion protocol after missing Wednesday’s practice. The second-year tailback suffered a concussion late in Week 17 against the Jaguars, and it would seem unlikely that Spears will play in Week 18 against the Texans

Spears suffered the concussion late in Tennessee’s Week 17 loss to the Jags. Head coach Brian Callahan initially said he would not play in Week 18 but has since been less defensive. Still, our bet is on him sitting for a meaningless affair with the Texans. Tony Pollard could return from his ankle injury to a workhorse role this week. If he is also out, Julius Chestnut is the next man up.

Interestingly, after the game, Callahan declared that Spears would be out for Week 18 with the concussion. He changed his tune a bit today. We’ll see if that’s gamesmanship or not. Julius Chestnut played 25 offensive snaps against the Jaguars last week and would be next in line at the position if Tony Pollard isn’t able to come back in Week 18. The whole Tennessee running game will be, in Callahan’s words, up in the air for the final game of the season.

The Titans don’t have any reason to play Pollard, so we’ll see if they opt to put him on the field at less than 100 percent in the season finale. Pollard has been nursing an ankle injury for the last several weeks and was officially sidelined with the injury in Week 17’s game against the Jaguars. Playing in a lead role, Tyjae Spears totaled 103 yards from scrimmage on 22 touches and would see a similar role against the Texans if Pollard does play. Although, it was revealed that Spears suffered a concussion in Sunday’s loss and that he’ll need to clear concussion protocol in order to play.

Spears was the workhorse back for the Titans with Tony Pollard (flu) out. He totaled 23 touches for 103 yards through three quarters. Spears had 19 carries to cross 100 rushing yards for the first time in his career, but was dropped for a five-yard loss on the same play that got him sent to the locker room for concussion protocol. The early exit prevented fantasy managers from getting a true league-winning performance from Spears after he scored four touchdowns over his last two games. Julius Chestnut had three carries for 17 yards in relief. If Spears clears protocol for Week 18 against the Texans, he will be a high-end RB2 if Pollard is out and a FLEX play if Pollard is in. Chestnut is an RB3 if both Pollard and Spears are out.

Spears was hit for a five-yard loss in the third quarter and entered the medical tent after the play. He quickly exited the tent and was walked to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion. With Tony Pollard already out today, Julius Chestnut is next man up in the Titans backfield.

Spears saw his most utilization when the Titans were in comeback mode for the second half. With Tony Pollard (ankle) banged up, Spears also saw the Titans’ goal-line carries, scoring on 11-yard and two-yard runs. As long as Pollard remains a question mark, Spears will continue to get touches, especially when the Titans are playing catch-up. A soft Week 17 matchup against the Jaguars is on the horizon and Spears will have FLEX value for fantasy championships.

Pollard did not practice this week as he deals with an ankle injury he suffered a couple of weeks ago. He played through the same injury in Week 15, rushing 17 times for 45 yards. Fantasy managers can expect Pollard to still lead the Titans backfield in carries, but Tyjae Spears will see increased involvement, especially in the passing game after a six-catch, 87-yard outing in Week 15. Pollard is in the low-end RB2 mix while Spears has some standalone FLEX value for Week 16 against the Colts.