Titans' Tyjae Spears: Faces new competition in Pollard
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Spears faces a new backfield situation that's set to add Tony Pollard via a three-year, $24 million contract, while Derek Henry remains slated for free agency, Eric Edholm of NFL.com reports.
Spears, a 2023 third-round pick, is coming off a strong rookie season in which he compiled 838 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns, showcasing versatility and explosiveness despite only getting one chance to handle double-digit carries in a game. The Titans' decision to sign Pollard appears to simultaneously signal the end of Henry's era with the team. Spears could have an easier path to genuinely competing for touches with Pollard, whereas Henry was firmly entrenched as a true lead back, and both players profile similarly. Spears and Pollard are each versatile and elusive runners, which will allow Tennessee's offense to swap both players off the field relatively freely. Spears and Pollard look the part of a solid 1-2 punch, though for fantasy purposes it's possible they could both limit each other from attaining a true workhorse workload.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Two scores to end rookie season
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Spears rushed the ball three times for 25 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 28-20 win over the Jaguars. He added three receptions (on three targets) for 31 yards and another score.
Derrick Henry dominated touches out of the backfield, though Spears showed big-play ability as the change-of-pace option by scoring twice on only six total touches. Spears' first trip to the end zone came on a 28-yard reception, during which he weaved his way through several Jacksonville defenders while balancing himself against the sideline. He followed that up with a more straightforward three-yard run for his second touchdown, though he did show strong balance while shaking off defenders. Spears ends his rookie season with 838 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns. There's a strong chance he blows past those numbers in his sophomore campaign, as it is expected that Henry moves on in free agency, leaving Spears as the potential lead back.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Sleeper RBs
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This is likely Derrick Henry's last game in Tennessee as a member of the Titans, and we'll see how he does to help Tennessee play spoiler against Jacksonville. Depending on how this game unfolds, Spears could also play a prominent role for the Titans -- and Fantasy managers. Spears scored at least 11.7 PPR points in three of his past five games, and he has at least four catches in four of his past five outings. His role in the passing game is relevant since the Jaguars are No. 1 in most receptions allowed to running backs, and 13 running backs have caught at least four passes against Jacksonville this year. Now, Spears -- and Henry -- both struggled at Jacksonville in Week 11, as Henry scored 5.4 PPR points and Spears 4.6. But both should do better at home, and Henry is worth using as a No. 2 running back in all leagues, with Spears a sleeper as a flex.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Struggles on six carries
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Spears ran for zero yards on six carries and caught four passes for 29 yards on six targets in Sunday's 26-3 loss to the Texans.
The Titans were completely overmatched against Houston, and no aspect of the Tennessee offense gained much traction. Spears saw RB3 Jonathan Ward take three carries in this one, but the blowout was probably a factor in that outcome. Spears has no serious competition for the RB2 role alongside Derrick Henry, and Spears should continue to see most passing-down snaps as well as almost all of the non-Henry carries in the Tennessee offense.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Sleeper RBs
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I'm expecting Derrick Henry to struggle in Week 17 at Houston. And typically, when Henry struggles it's because the Titans are trailing and throwing the ball to catch up. That's usually where Spears comes into play. He's scored at least 11.7 PPR points in three of his past four games, and he has at least four catches and six targets in three of those outings. Now, the one game where he struggled over that span was Week 15 against Houston when he had nine carries for 30 yards and one catch for 7 yards on one target. But I'm expecting more involvement in the passing game in the rematch, and eight running backs this season have at least four catches against the Texans. I like Spears as a PPR flex option in Week 17.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Earns 14 touches in Week 16
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Spears notched nine carries for 40 yards and five catches (on six targets) for 27 yards during Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Seahawks.
The Titans have incorporated the rookie third-round pick more in the offense in the last three contests, as he has earned at least 10 touches on each occasion. The trend continued Sunday, and the current four-game stretch has yielded 174 yards on the ground and 136 yards through the air on 57 touches. Tennessee's lead runner Derrick Henry got back into a groove Sunday, though, with 20 touches for 99 yards from scrimmage and one rushing TD, so Spears seemingly will be capped in the lower teens in terms of touches down the stretch. In any case, Spears will look to keep it up Sunday, Dec. 31 at Houston.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Held to 37 total yards
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Spears rushed the ball nine times for 30 yards in Sunday's 19-16 loss to Houston. He added one catch on one target for seven yards.
Spears saw his second-highest carry total of the season, though he lacked his typical explosiveness. He was limited to a long gain of only nine yards, and his 37 total yards from scrimmage was his lowest mark since Week 8. Spears should have the chance to bounce back in a Week 16 matchup against a susceptible Seattle rush defense.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Tops 100 total yards again
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Spears rushed the ball seven times for 29 yards in Monday's 28-27 win over Miami. He added six receptions on eight targets for 89 yards.
Spears had only 23 yards from scrimmage in the first half, but he emerged as a favorite target of Will Levis in the final 17 minutes of game time. That began with a 30-yard catch that set up a field goal at the end of the third quarter. Spears then delivered long catches of 21 and 12 yards on a touchdown drive to bring the Titans within one score in the middle of the fourth quarter. Overall, he managed at least 100 yards from scrimmage for the second consecutive game, with Monday's effort being particularly promising, as it came in tandem with Derrick Henry also seeing 18 touches.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Sleeper RBs
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It seems like Derrick Henry (head) will play Monday night at Miami after leaving Week 13 against the Colts, but this feels like a bad game script for him with the Dolphins favored by nearly two touchdowns. Enter Spears, who could see a lot of playing time if the Titans are trailing, and the more touches for Spears, the better. We saw that against Indianapolis with 16 carries for 75 yards and four catches for 13 yards on six targets. He won't get that much work if Henry is healthy, but Spears could still be a flex option in deeper leagues in Week 14.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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It seems like Derrick Henry (head) will play Monday night at Miami after leaving Week 13 against the Colts, but this feels like a bad game script for him with the Dolphins favored by nearly two touchdowns. Enter Spears, who could see a lot of playing time if the Titans are trailing, and the more touches for Spears, the better. We saw that against Indianapolis with 16 carries for 75 yards and four catches for 13 yards on six targets. He won't get that much work if Henry is healthy, but Spears could still be a flex option in deeper leagues in Week 14.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Minimal opportunity in Week 12
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Spears rushed the ball two times for six yards in Sunday's 17-10 win over the Panthers. He added one reception on three targets for one yard.
Spears saw his lowest touch total of the season, and he's now been held under 20 rushing yards in four consecutive games. He's shown explosive ability at various points in his rookie campaign, but with such limited opportunity, his contributions on a weekly basis are unreliable.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Totals 60 scrimmage yards in loss
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Spears rushed five times for 18 yards and brought in four of five targets for 42 yards in the Titans' 20-6 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Spears duplicated his modest rushing line from a Week 9 loss to the Steelers and gained all but three of his yards on one carry, but he made much more of an impact through the air. The rookie finished with a team-high reception total and was second only to Kyle Philips in receiving yards with a total that qualified as his best single-game figure yet. Spears has now played 77 snaps from scrimmage over the last two games, and it remains to be seen if he'll begin commanding a larger share of the rushing workload at the expense of Derrick Henry in a Week 11 road matchup against the Jaguars.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Nine total touches
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Spears rushed the ball five times for 18 yards in Thursday's 20-16 loss to the Titans. He added four receptions on six targets for four yards.
Spears put up his lowest yardage total since Week 3, though he was on the field for his highest snap rate (60 percent) and also saw the highest target total of his young career. That said, while his overall production is underwhelming, his usage was encouraging. He could continue to see growing usage if the Titans continue to lose and fall out of playoff contention.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Limited by ankle issue
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Spears was listed as limited on Monday's estimated practice report due to an ankle injury, John Glennon of NashvillePost.com reports.
Like Titans starting running back Derrick Henry, Spears had a cap on his reps at Monday's walkthrough due to an ankle concern. With the health of the team's top two backfield options in some flux, it'll be key to keep an eye on the pair Tuesday and Wednesday to see if either player may be in danger of sitting out Thursday at Pittsburgh.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Sleeper RBs
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I hope we're not at the point where Derrick Henry is starting to slow down, but he's struggling of late, while Spears is starting to gain momentum. Spears has outscored Henry in PPR points in two of the past three games, and Spears has already played more snaps then Henry in two of five games this season. Spears also has one less rushing touchdown than Henry (2-1). I don't think that's a sign of Henry losing his job by any stretch, but it's clear the Titans want to get Spears on the field. In Week 6, if the Titans are trailing against the Ravens, we could see Spears once again play more than Henry, which puts Spears in play as a flex option in PPR.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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I hope we're not at the point where Derrick Henry is starting to slow down, but he's struggling of late, while Spears is starting to gain momentum. Spears has outscored Henry in PPR points in two of the past three games, and Spears has already played more snaps then Henry in two of five games this season. Spears also has one less rushing touchdown than Henry (2-1). I don't think that's a sign of Henry losing his job by any stretch, but it's clear the Titans want to get Spears on the field. In Week 6, if the Titans are trailing against the Ravens, we could see Spears once again play more than Henry, which puts Spears in play as a flex option in PPR.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Best all-around performance
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Spears recorded 40 yards on five carries in Sunday's 27-3 win over the Bengals. He added three receptions for 18 yards.
Spears tied for a career high with 33 offensive snaps in the Titans' blowout win. That helped him to his most productive performance as a pro and marked the second time he topped 50 total yards across four contests. Derrick Henry continues to lead the backfield, but Spears has shown the ability to be productive and has consistently seen between eight and 10 touches per game.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Struggles in tough matchup
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Spears carried the ball four times for six yards in Sunday's 27-3 loss to the Browns. He added four receptions for three yards.
Spears became the latest victim of the Browns' stifling defense early this season, as he narrowly managed more yards from scrimmage than touches in the game. There were some positives to take away from his role, however, as he was the back on the field for the entirety of a Titans drive just before halftime. The team continues to find ways to work Spears onto the field, though he is still clearly working behind Derrick Henry in the backfield.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Stashes (RB Preview)
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Spears has looked electric and is already playing more than anyone expected. Derrick Henry is a future Hall of Famer, but he's also 29 years old with 1,922 career touches. If Henry breaks down Spears would have top-12 upside.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Works efficiently again
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Spears rushed the ball eight times for 49 yards in Sunday's 27-24 overtime win over the Chargers. He added two receptions (on two targets) for six yards.
Spears saw his relative role in the Titans offense shrink as compared to Week 1, as he managed 10 total touches to Derrick Henry's 28. He showed some explosiveness with his opportunity by tallying long gains of 14 and 11 yards. While clearly the second back on the depth chart, Spears has a role in the offense and should see high single-digit touches on a weekly basis.
