Derrick Henry showed last week he is not done with the season just yet, but youngster Tyjae Spears keeps showing he deserves more touches before this season is over for the Tennessee Titans.
So, which player is the right choice for fantasy football managers to start in lineups this week?
Should You Start Derrick Henry or Tyjae Spears This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, our Consensus Rankings say Henry is the player to start. His projected 11.1 points include 51 rushing yards and one reception for 17 receiving yards. That projected stat line outperforms Spears’ 7.8 points.
My ranking for these running backs aligns with the consensus. Even though his team is out of the playoff race, I think Henry will continue to get work and be more productive than Spears. However, it’s clear the rookie is on the cusp of becoming the featured back for Tennessee with just a couple of games left.
Fantasy Outlook for Henry This Week
Henry continues to give out signs he wants to play this season all the way through. In last week’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Henry carried the ball 19 times for 88 yards and a touchdown. And, for what it’s worth, he threw his second touchdown pass of the season last week.
Henry needs 28 rushing yards to reach 1,000 for the season, and I’m assuming that is a definite goal of his to finish the year. It would be his fifth career season with 1,000 or more rushing yards.
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Along with his pursuit of another 1,000-yard season, Henry would probably like to redeem himself from his disastrous performance two weeks ago against the Houston Texans, Tennessee’s opponent this week.
Henry carried the ball 16 times in that game for just nine yards. It was the fewest rushing yards Henry has ever had in a game in which he carried the ball at least 10 times.
Fantasy Outlook for Spears This Week
Spears has proven that as long as he stays healthy, he will be on the field a lot over these final two games. He has played on at least 50% of the Titans’ offensive snaps in each of the last four games.
His rushing numbers won’t knock anyone’s socks off, but they’re not expected to, especially when you have a future Hall of Famer like Derrick Henry ahead of you.
Spears is still averaging nearly five yards a carry for the season (4.7) with just 91 carries. Where he has the potential to separate himself from other running backs in fantasy football is his skills as a receiver.
Spears has 45 receptions on the season, with at least four catches in seven of the team’s 15 games. Last week, he had five catches for 27 yards, giving him 67 scrimmage yards on only 14 touches.
The PFN Start/Sit Optimizer projects Spears to finish with 34 rushing yards and one reception for 16 receiving yards.
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