The Tennessee Titans’ backfield was projected to be a split last season. Instead, Tony Pollard wound up being one of the most heavily used workhorses in the league. With the team looking to divide up the work more evenly, should fantasy football managers be targeting Tyjae Spears in the later rounds of drafts?
Tyjae Spears Fantasy Outlook
After Pollard’s disappointing and inefficient 2023 season, I will be the first to admit I was far more excited about the incumbent than the new guy. Spears was already on the Titans and has shown considerable upside as a rookie playing behind Derrick Henry.
Spears posted 9.1 fantasy points per game as a rookie behind one of the most dominant runners in NFL history on just a 34.8% opportunity share. With Henry gone, Spears was poised to step into a larger role, even with the addition of Pollard. But that is not what happened.
In what was supposed to be a split backfield, Pollard was the clear victor. Spears saw his opportunity share tick up only slightly to 38%. Meanwhile, his snap share dipped to 42.5%. Both of these numbers include the three games at the end of the season where Spears played about 60% of the snaps. In Week 17, he earned 24 opportunities before departing with a concussion.
Spears’ volume wasn’t there, but he remained effective. His 4.11 yards created per touch ranked 11th in the league. His 9.9% target share trailed Pollard’s 12%, but his 1.81 yards per route run bested Pollard’s 1.08 considerably.
Spears wound up averaging 9.5 PPG, a mere 0.4 PPG increase over his rookie year. Fantasy managers drafted a sophomore-year breakout and wound up with the same thing they got the previous year.
Heading into this season, there’s a clear divide between Pollard and Spears. The presumed starter has an RB28 ADP, while the purported backup isn’t going until RB41.
Head coach Brian Callahan indicated he wanted a more even split between Pollard and Spears this year.
#Titans HC Brian Callahan on Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears:
“I think in a perfect world, it’s a healthier division of labor… I like, really, both of those players a lot. I think we can do a better job of managing that load so they both play a little more evenly.”
Callahan has… pic.twitter.com/7zzyaXtxSw
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) May 20, 2025
While we should obviously be skeptical of coaches, I find myself gravitating toward Spears once again. He’s all upside.
Spears is being drafted at his floor. Based on what he’s done over his first two seasons, if nothing changes, fantasy managers will pay for an RB4 and get an RB4. Spears has been a viable desperation Flex play. What I like about Spears most is the multiple paths to providing a positive return on investment.
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The obvious path is an injury to Pollard. We saw Spears play one game without Pollard last season, and he was pacing toward 30 opportunities. At the very least, Spears would be a volume-based RB2 if Pollard misses time.
But Spears doesn’t need a Pollard injury. If the split is merely a moderate amount closer this season, Spears is a strong bet to outperform his ADP expectation. If Spears outplays Pollard, which, admittedly, is unlikely, he could be a weekly RB2/Flex play at a fraction of the cost.
Frank Ammirante’s Tyjae Spears Projection
Tyjae Spears came into the offseason as one of the top handcuffs with standalone value in fantasy football. He was expected to form a committee with Tony Pollard in an improved offense led by Cam Ward.
However, Spears is currently dealing with a high ankle sprain, which makes it likely that he’s going to miss some time during the regular season. That makes Pollard more appealing, as he’s expected to take on a workhorse role.
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While it’s caused Spears’ ADP to dip, it feels a bit risky to buy in at this point. We don’t know how long Spears will be out, plus it may affect his explosiveness when he’s ready to return. Considering how often Spears has been injured throughout his career, it gives me pause on what was once my favorite handcuffs.
With that in mind, I’d rather take a shot on other running backs at Spears’ ADP, such as Jordan Shipley, who is the clear RB2 behind Saquon Barkley.
will shipley?