Tennessee Titans RB Tyjae Spears is poised for an increased role this season. However, he will have to share backfield duties with Tony Pollard. With an uncertain workload split, how should fantasy football managers handle Spears in 2024 Best Ball drafts?
Tyjae Spears’ 2024 Fantasy Outlook
After being drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Spears’ range of outcomes was incredibly large. On the one hand, he had a really impressive final season at Tulane, rushing for 1,581 yards and 21 touchdowns. With an elite burst and a strong receiving profile, Spears looked like a guy who could be a very productive member of a committee.
The counter to that was Spears had some serious health concerns, particularly with his knees. There were questions as to whether he could physically hold up in the NFL.
Expectations were low for Spears as a rookie. After all, he had exactly a 0% chance of taking Derrick Henry’s job. At best, he could carve out a meaningful role as the receiving back.
To Spears’ credit, he did exactly that. In fact, Spears’ snap share was just 1.3% lower than Henry’s. He played far more than anyone could’ve asked him to, which was undoubtedly a credit to his ability.
Spears only averaged 9.0 fantasy points per game, but that’s good enough to justify being on a fantasy roster. There are plenty of times throughout the fantasy season when nine fantasy points is good enough.
Spears also had the Henry injury contingent upside, which can be very valuable in Best Ball. Of course, Henry played all 17 games, so we never really got to see Spears in a lead-back role. However, we did get a glimpse in the one game Henry left early.
In that game, Spears played 67% of the snaps, carrying the ball 16 times for 75 yards. He scored 12.8 fantasy points. Not too shabby.
Where Spears really shined, though, was as a receiver. His 14.7% target share was seventh in the league. He did this in his first season while very clearly not the lead back.
When Spears got the ball in his hand, he was quite effective. He averaged 4.58 yards created per touch, fifth in the league, and had a 26.3% evaded-tackles-per-touch rate (fourth). Despite limited volume, Spears was able to showcase his talent.
Should You Draft Spears in 2024 Best Ball Leagues?
We have reasonable confidence that Spears has high-RB2 upside, even in what should be a mediocre, at best, Titans offense. However, that RB2 upside presumes he’s on the right side of around a 60/40 backfield split.
The Titans easily could have signed a veteran grinder to pair with Spears. Someone like AJ Dillon, Alexander Mattison, or D’Onta Foreman would have been ideal for his fantasy value.
Instead, they went out and got Pollard. Suffice it to say Spears is not going to be the lead back. At best, this is a 50/50 timeshare.
The biggest struggle for fantasy managers is the fact that Spears and Pollard are very similar players. They both operate best as 10-12 carry-a-game guys who serve as the primary passing-down back. They can’t both do that…right?
Actually, that’s exactly how I see this backfield playing out.
There’s no way to predict exactly how the Titans’ coaches decide to deploy their two running backs. The only thing we know for sure is both will play, and it’s safe to assume both will be fantasy-relevant. The question is, how much?
I’m expecting this backfield to look very much like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ over the second half of the 2022 season. That year, Rachaad White and Leonard Fournette alternated drives. Regardless of whose turn it was, that back played on all three downs.
I don’t expect this to be a situation where Spears and Pollard have defined roles. Instead, one guy will play a handful of snaps, and then the other will check in.
Goal-line work will be crucial to Spears’ fantasy value. Will he get it? Pollard is the bigger back at 210 pounds to Spears’ 201. However, Pollard struggled mightily at the goal line last season. If he struggles again, the Titans can easily use Spears. There’s just no way of knowing.
Right now, Spears is a volatile pick in Best Ball drafts. Tennessee’s offense likely won’t be good enough to sustain two fantasy RB2s. One of them will probably be an RB3, and ADP suggests it will be Spears.
KEEP READING: Best Ball Fantasy RB Rankings 2024
With that said, Spears does have injury contingent upside. In fact, they both do. If the other gets hurt, it would boost the healthy one’s fantasy value. That makes both worthwhile targets at the right price.
