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Is Tony Pollard or Tyjae Spears the starting running back for the Tennessee Titans? Which running back provides the best value in fantasy football? Andrew Ball takes a look at the Tennessee backfield.
Small frames, running gap schemes, pass-catching abilities... Is Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears the real-life version of the Spider-Man meme?
The Tennessee backfield will be difficult for fantasy managers to navigate before and during the 2024 NFL season. Pollard and Spears are built from the same cloth and coaches are eager to deploy them similarly.
Below, we dive into which Titans' running back will provide the most value for fantasy football in 2024.
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Tony Pollard 2023 Season Review
We can't fault Tony Pollard for securing the bag and returning to the state where he grew up. You can fault the Tennessee Titans' management for ponying up $24 million for a 27-year-old running back who struggled with efficiency in his sole season as a starter.
Every football fan understands the plan. The Titans want to surround quarterback Will Levis with proven talent to determine if he's the face of the franchise. That's also why Tennessee brought in wide receiver Calvin Ridley to pair with DeAndre Hopkins. The Titans also had to replace Derrick Henry, who rushed for 9,502 yards in his Tennessee tenure. The King, now in his 30's, moved on to Baltimore in a mutual parting of ways.
Although there was a change in offensive philosophy from Pollard's breakout 2022 campaign, a lower leg injury is largely being blamed for his lack of explosiveness in 2023. Pollard’s 17 breakaway runs (1.1 per game) in 2022 ranked third in the league (8.8% of his runs). The former Memphis Tiger broke away on just 4.4% of his runs last season.
Pollard said he was fully recovered from his fractured fibula in Week 11 against the Panthers. He topped five yards per carry in Carolina and followed that up with 6.08 yards per carry against Washington. But the engines sputtered again as he only topped four yards per attempt twice in the final seven games (their playoff loss to Green Bay included). He may have felt better but the numbers didn't reflect it.
Tyjae Spears 2023 Season Review
For a third-round running back without an ACL in one knee, Tyjae Spears was a perfect compliment running back for the Titans last season. Spears averaged 4.53 yards per carry on 100 attempts and added 52 catches for 385 yards. While he wasn't utilized enough to be trusted for fantasy football lineups, managers were alerted to his promising future.
The rook Tyjae Spears takes the end around into the end zone 🙌
📺: #TENvsIND on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/LxW25sxi72 pic.twitter.com/ItXqWcUvpb— NFL (@NFL) October 8, 2023
For a brief moment this offseason, it appeared that Spears could be atop the depth chart come September. Dreams were dashed when Pollard signed on the dotted line. It may have been for the best for Spears. There are doubts that his frame (and knee) could hold up through the rigors of being a starting NFL running back.
Regardless, Spears proved that he deserves his fair share of touches in Tennessee. It appears that the 22-year-old will get them, especially in the passing game, when the 2024 season rolls around.
Which Running Back Has The Best Fantasy Football Value?
The pair are similar players, most effective in space, agile, and a weapon through the air. That appears to be the strategy for the new coaching staff in Tennessee. Offensive coordinator Nick Holz views them as interchangeable, to not tip off opposing defenses to tendencies.
Titans OC Nick Holz on Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears:
“We see it 1A, 1B, and they’re both just gonna play a ton, get a lot of carries and let ‘em roll.”
(via @CoachspeakIndex)
pic.twitter.com/iNfShG09Pk— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) April 10, 2024
Pollard and Spears will cannibalize each other, and that's if the offense is above average, which could be a big ask. If coaches are telling the truth and there's a true 50-50 or 55-45 split, both backs are cemented in the flex range.
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