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With Derrick Henry no longer in Nashville, the Tennessee Titans will be starting a new era at the running back position with Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard now at the helm.
Spears was drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft and showed plenty of flashes of being an explosive rusher and pass-catcher after tallying over 800 yards from scrimmage. Unfortunately, he was most certainly hindered by a terrible offensive line.
Pollard got his first opportunity to be a lead back in 2023 with the Dallas Cowboys and managed to break the 1,000-yard mark, but when you consider he tallied two more yards the previous campaign with nearly 60 less carries, 2023 was a down campaign for the veteran back.
However, context is important and Pollard was coming back from a broken fibula, so he might not have been himself.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: 2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
The Titans are going to utilize both backs plenty, as head coach Brian Callahan said earlier this offseason. But we don’t really have any insight into who will lead the backfield and it’s possible this situation is as close to a 50/50 split as possible.
“The fun part for me is: How are we going to deploy those guys?,” Callahan said. “Maybe they both play at the same time, maybe one gets hot and you let him run, maybe we just rotate back and forth. I don’t know what that’s going to look like yet. But they are both going to play quite a bit of football for us, and I don’t view either one of them as a starter or a backup. They are both starting players to me.”
With uncertainty abound, let’s dive a bit deeper and try to figure out who the better bet is in fantasy football.
Fantasy Football Outlook for Tennessee Titans RBs
Tony Pollard fantasy football outlook
Pollard and Spears are very similar backs in that they are shifty, explosive runners who can make a big impact in the passing game. But Pollard has a slightly bigger build and more physical running style to handle a bigger workload on the ground.
In 2023, Pollard ran tough, tallying 819 yards after contact, which ranked third in the NFL behind only the San Francisco 49ers‘ Christian McCaffrey and former Titans back Derrick Henry.
Tony Pollard gained 819 yards after contact in 2023, 3rd-most in the NFL.
Pollard joins a Titans team that saw their running backs contacted behind the line of scrimmage on 46.7% of their carries last season, the 6th-highest rate in the NFL.#Titans https://t.co/9hgeUDILpd pic.twitter.com/Tca9RtPGAb
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 11, 2024
If we had to take a guess about who will get the majority of early-down and goal-line work, we’d guess Pollard, who isn’t making over $7 million a year to be a 50/50 back.
2024 PPR RANKINGS
Top 250 Overall | QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF/ST | K
Tyjae Spears fantasy football outlook
Much like Pollard, the Titans are going to utilize Spears in several different ways, including out of the backfield as a rusher and receiver, and even out of the slot on some occasions.
That gives him a plethora of ways to impact a game and Pollard being on the field doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t see Spears, also. But, as previously mentioned, it’s unlikely he’s going to be the lead back in terms of carries.
2024 FANTASY SLEEPERS
QB | RB | WR | TE
Knowing that, Spears probably won’t be as consistent as Pollard, but being the explosive playmaker he is, Spears doesn’t need a ton of touches to have a good fantasy performance.
The verdict: Which Titans RB should you draft in fantasy football?
When taking everything into account, Pollard is the back you want from this duo, although targeting Spears late in drafts as a handcuff is recommended.
Pollard is someone you should be targeting in the middle rounds as high-end flex option with RB2 upside, while Spears is a boom-or-bust flex option and handcuff that will have standalone value some weeks.
2024 STANDARD, NON-PPR RANKINGS
Top 250 Overall | QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST | K
Pollard projection: High-end flex with RB2 upside
Spears projection: Boom-or-bust flex and handcuff