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Should I start Tyjae Spears, Sean Tucker, Kendre Miller for Week 5? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
Probably the most fun thing of all time to do in any line of work is try to predict which backup running backs will have big games when they get more work due to injuries to the RBs ahead of them on their depth charts.
I was joking -- it's actually very difficult. There are some ways we can at least frame their range of outcomes to be more certain of how they might produce in their next game, though.
With Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears returning from injury, Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving (foot) being out with injury, and Saints RB Alvin Kamara potentially losing work to his backup, the running back landscape is interesting this week. So let's dive into three start 'em, sit 'em picks for RB for Week 5!
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Should I Start Tyjae Spears for Fantasy Football?
Spears will be returning to a team that's in absolute shambles offensively. They have one of the NFL's worst passing attacks, and one of its worst rushing attacks as well. It's hard to get excited about anything the Titans are doing or will do this season unless things turn around in a big way.
And it doesn't seem likely they will. The coaching staff has received heavy criticism for its lack of a plan in getting the offense going. Lead Titans back Tony Pollard has been a fantasy bust so far, and hasn't even had much receiving volume to prop up his value.
After some research on @NextGenStats you find out real quick that the Titans simply SUCK right now. Some of these stats are unbelievable.
The offense's stats are the worst in the NFL in EVERY MAJOR CATEGORY! (TDs, Yards, Points)
And the 4.0% deep throw percentage is REDICULOUS! pic.twitter.com/IxM4Jx4dku
— IanM (@IannmNFL) September 30, 2025
Spears has had a few good fantasy games in his career, but a lot of them have come in garbage time, when the opposing team's defense let their foot off the gas and didn't need to play incredibly hard to secure a win or come back from behind.
Spears was consistently outplayed by Pollard last season. It appeared, pretty clearly, that Pollard was the better running back. And yet, through four games, Pollard is the RB29 in PPR fantasy leagues. It's hard to see an upside case for Spears. In most leagues, he's probably not worth rostering.
Should I Start Sean Tucker for Fantasy Football?
Tucker will serve as the backup behind RB Rachaad White in the absence of Irving, the team's lead back. While Tampa Bay has an excellent offense, there's reason to shy away from their backup RB right now. Tucker could struggle against a stout Seattle Seahawks defense in Week 5.
#Seahawks Cliff Avril on the difference between former HC Pete Carroll's defense and our now HC Mike Macdonald defense:
"Our defense was very simple. 80% of the time, you knew what we'd going to line up, where we were going to line up at, you knew what coverage we were going to… pic.twitter.com/Tu1LfkfbCv
— HawkMania (@hawkmania4) October 4, 2025
Seattle has not allowed a rushing touchdown all season. They don't rank as one of the best defenses against running backs for fantasy football simply because they've allowed a league-high 29 receptions by running backs playing against them this year.
But Tucker likely won't be in on passing downs. It should be White, who has experience and skills as a pass-catcher, playing on those plays. Seattle has allowed a league-high 266 receiving yards to opposing running backs, likely because their defense has been excellent against receivers.
I don't think I like starting Sean Tucker this week.
>Seahawks have allowed 3.6 YPC this year, t-5th lowest in NFL
>They allow a lot of receptions/receiving yards to RBs, but Rachaad White should be the passing down back
>Have allowed 0 rushing TDs this year— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) October 4, 2025
So starting Tucker seems like a risky move. You're betting he'll buck the trend of RBs not being able to punch it in the end zone against them. That might be tough for a third-string running back to do. I don't recommend starting Tucker for these reasons.
Should I Start Kendre Miller for Fantasy Football?
Miller is the most interesting player on this list, according to my analysis. He gets an excellent matchup in Week 5 against a weak New York Giants defense. And Miller has performed pretty well given his overall lack of touches -- he's the current league leader in missed tackles forced per attempt.
NFL leaders in missed tackles forced per attempt, min. 25 rushes:
1. Kendre Miller (0.36)
2. Ashton Jeanty (0.32)
3. Trey Benson (0.28)... 🙁
T-4. Jonathan Taylor (0.27)
T-4. Bijan Robinson (0.27)
6. Rhamondre Stevenson (0.26)Miller deserves a bigger role. I'd grab him…
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) October 4, 2025
The Saints played the Buffalo Bills in Week 4, and it was the biggest game of Miller's season. He rushed 11 times for 65 yards and scored a rushing touchdown. While Kamara, the team's lead back, handled 19 touches, he's now 30 years old, and his athletic decline seems to be well under way.
Miller's ability to make defenders miss and power through tackles should help him earn a bigger role in the backfield. He was a third-round pick a few moons ago, and despite the rocky start to his career, the talent remains evident. It seems like it might have only been a matter of time before he took on a much bigger role.
Kendre Miller finds an opening for a Saints TD
NOvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/g1kSJHyVTO
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
If I were forced to start one of these three RBs, I would definitely start Miller. It's not particularly close either.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Tyjae Spears, Sean Tucker, Kendre Miller. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 5. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 5 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Tyjae Spears, Sean Tucker, Kendre Miller. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 5.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 5 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 5 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 5 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 5 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Tyjae Spears, Sean Tucker, Kendre Miller compared to others:
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