Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears has provided some depth at the position early on this season. But an ankle injury has left his official status for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers uncertain.
Here is an update on Spears’ injury, his status for Week 3, and his fantasy football outlook for Sunday’s game.
Will Tyjae Spears Be Active in Week 3?
An ankle injury kept Spears on the NFL injury report all week, causing him to miss practice on Wednesday. However, he was a limited participant on Thursday and a full participant on Friday.
Though listed as questionable, Spears’ full practice on Friday seems to indicate that he will be available on Sunday against the Packers.
The second-year back has yet to miss a game in his young career, playing in all 19 contests since the start of last season.
Spears’ Fantasy Outlook This Week
Spears has been Tony Pollard’s backup this season, but his time on the field has been inconsistent. He was on the field for 45% of the Titans’ offensive snaps in Week 1 vs. the Chicago Bears but only 33% of the team’s offensive snaps last week vs. the New York Jets.
#Titans HC Brian Callahan on whether he still wants a 50/50 split between Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears:
“I do feel the same way. I feel like I would still like to get more touches for Tyjae… I see Tyjae as a really impactful player and a guy that we have to make sure has his… pic.twitter.com/ySoeJhG4fc
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) September 19, 2024
Despite the lack of usage so far, Titans’ head coach Brian Callahan remained committed to getting Spears more involved in the offense going forward.
“I do feel the same way. I feel like I would still like to get more touches for Tyjae… I see Tyjae as a really impactful player and a guy that we have to make sure has his requisite touches to help our offense.”
From a fantasy standpoint, Spears has hardly been a dominant running back. He has 12.3 total fantasy points this season, and last season he averaged fewer than 10 points a game (9.0).
In fact, according to the Pro Football Network’s Start/Sit Optimizer tool, Spears is projected to finish with only 7.9 fantasy points this week. His projections also include 37 rushing yards, two receptions, and 14 receiving yards.
Spears’ limited time on the field has also meant not too much work. He has had just 16 touches all season and is averaging less than four yards per touch (3.9).
Considering how he ended last season, with at least 10 fantasy points in four of his final six games, and the fact that the Titans saw Derrick Henry leave for the Baltimore Ravens, there were probably high hopes from fantasy managers that Spears would become a sleeper in lineups, one that could provide surprising value.
Although it’s still early, that hope just hasn’t worked out for fantasy managers so far this season.
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If there is any hope for this week for Spears’ fans, it’s the fact that the Packers’ defense has been unimpressive against the pass so far. Green Bay ranks 26th in pass yards per game allowed (232.0), and in its first two games, opposing running backs have combined for 74 receiving yards.
However, healthy or not, it’s difficult to see much value in putting Spears in fantasy lineups this week. Pollard remains the No. 1 RB on this roster, and he’s off to a solid start this season in fantasy, ranking 12th among running backs in scoring (16.8 fantasy points per game).
Stats in this article are from TruMedia unless otherwise stated