It’s a new era in Tennessee Titans‘ football, with Derrick Henry moved on to the Baltimore Ravens. Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears will be vying for touches with the Titans this season, but which player possesses more value for fantasy football owners?
2024 Fantasy Outlook for Tony Pollard
Pollard is the RB32 in Pro Football Network’s consensus fantasy football rankings as of Aug. 28. Despite coming off a career season in 2023 with the league’s highest-scoring offense, Pollard’s fantasy production was just outside the top 20.
He set career highs in both rush attempts (252) and receptions (55) last season. However, there were some numbers that should be a concern for fantasy managers.
For one, despite the added touches, Pollard’s yards per rush (4.0) and yards per reception (5.7) were both career lows. Naturally, his yards per touch (4.3) was easily the lowest average of his career.
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It should be noted, however, that for his career, Pollard has been a solid runner, averaging nearly five yards a carry (4.8) over his five seasons.
While his 13.1 fantasy points per game last season were a slight decline from 2022 (career-high 15.6), Pollard was able to post at least 220 total fantasy points (222.6) for the second straight season.
2024 Fantasy Outlook for Tyjae Spears
Spears is slightly ahead of Pollard according to PFN’s consensus rankings at RB29.
After a decent rookie season, in which he averaged 4.5 yards per carry and 7.3 yards per reception backing up Henry, Spears should be expecting an increase on the 8.9 touches per game that he averaged last season.
Behind Henry, Spears proved to be a solid change-of-pace back last season, with 52 receptions and an average of 5.5 yards per touch. While Pollard is still considered Tennessee’s starter in the backfield, Spears will likely see more time on the field in Year 2.
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Although he averaged only 9.0 fantasy ppg, Spears’ season requires a slightly deeper look. Over his first 11 games, he averaged just 7.1 points per game, but over his final six games, his average was 12.6.
Furthermore, Spears perhaps gave a glimpse of what to expect in the future when he had a season-high 21.6 points in the season finale vs. the division-rival Jacksonville Jaguars.
Who Should I Draft in 2024?
Most of the snaps for Tennessee running backs this season should be handled by either Pollard or Spears. In terms of which player provides more value for fantasy managers, Spears’ versatility is an element many look for when it comes to fantasy football.
Pollard is also a capable pass catcher out of the backfield, but his production last season after catching the ball dropped off enough that it should be concerning for fantasy managers.
I would prefer a player like Spears in my lineup and wait for him to start seeing additional time as the season progresses.