Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry has been a fantasy football superstar at the RB position over the last four seasons, but has been losing some work to a highly efficient rookie running back through the first six games of the 2023 NFL season. Is now the perfect time to target Tyjae Spears on the waiver wire in your fantasy football league?
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Should Tyjae Spears Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 8?
What if I told you that King Henry has a legitimate threat to the throne in his own backfield? Some may scoff at the thought of that narrative, but this rookie running back from Tulane is off to a great start to his young NFL career.
Need proof? From 2019 to 2022, Henry had three games where he saw fewer than 15 carries in a game. Well, through the first six games of this season, Henry has seen fewer than 15 carries in three games.
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There are multiple contributing factors to Henry’s dip in usage — a struggling offense, bad game scripts, and a drop in efficiency. But one other factor is the quality of play from Spears in a complementary role. Spears has totaled 282 yards and a score on just 46 touches.
Spears is averaging 5.5 yards per carry in comparison to Henry’s 4.3 this season. And while Henry has seen 67 more carries than Spears through the first six games, Spears has seen more targets and receptions than Henry this season.
While most would consider Spears simply a high-upside handcuff to Henry from a fantasy perspective, his four games with 7+ fantasy points in PPR formats suggest he does have some stand-alone value in deeper fantasy leagues.
Another thing trending in the right direction for Spears’ fantasy value is his snap count. Spears has been on the field for more than 50% of the team’s offensive snaps in five games this season. He’s a highly efficient player who is getting on the football field regularly behind one of the best backs in the league.
Sure, the Titans’ offense isn’t exciting or productive at the moment, but if Spears continues to see this type of role, he could be a useful fantasy option for the rest of the season.
If Henry were to suffer an injury, Spears would immediately become an RB2 option with RB1 upside. He is well worth a stash on your fantasy roster at the moment.