Tyjae Spears broke into the fantasy football zeitgeist after a standout performance at the 2023 combine. Heading into the final season of his rookie contract, Spears is at a turning point in his NFL career. Despite a decent rookie campaign behind Derrick Henry, he has barely broken 500 rushing and receiving yards combined each season since then. For those fantasy managers hoping Spears finally proves them right, there is a lot that needs to fall into place for him to finally have that breakout season.
Is Tyjae Spears a Breakout or Trap?
The Tennessee Titans Middle Child
The first thing standing in Spears’ way is Tony Pollard. While the talk of the town has been the Titans drafting Nicholas Singleton, the reality is simple. This is still Pollard’s backfield.
The 29-year-old veteran will be fighting the dreaded running back cliff. That said, he is also in a contract year with plenty to prove before likely hitting the free agency market. He is coming off a 270-touch season, over double Spears’ touches, and finished as a back-end RB2 in both half-PPR and full-PPR formats. Barring a trade, Pollard is likely to continue commanding those targets unless Spears begins outperforming him and does so soon.
Things got worse for Spears in the NFL Draft, where the Titans drafted Singleton, albeit in the fifth round. Doing so firmly put Spears in the middle child role. Not only does he have the experienced veteran ahead of him, but now he has to fend off the youth that comes in the form of a 22-year-old running back from Penn State.
Increased competition may be what Spears needs to be pushed into a breakout. Unfortunately, he has something else to contend with.
The New Zack Moss?
Shoutout to those who understand this reference. Zack Moss is not a name I thought I would be mentioning ever again, but there’s only one reason to do so.
His name is Brian Daboll.
Yes, that Brian (not Flores, in the off chance Bill Belichick is reading this article. If you don’t get that reference, Google “Bill Belichick accidental text.”
Daboll is the new offensive coordinator in Tennessee, and he has a history of using multiple running backs in his offense. In New York, it was Tyrone Tracy and Cam Skattebo. Back in the Buffalo days, it was Devin Singletary and Zack Moss. Typically, Daboll implements a 60/40 split between his two running backs. Zack Moss was on the wrong side of that split, hence the reference.
Frankly, a 40% snap share would be an improvement for Spears. Pollard had over three times as many rushing snaps last year. Spears is reportedly off to a good start at OTAs, but the brutal reality is that he will have to work the rest of the offseason to win a clear role.
Be sure to check our fantasy football preview of Tyjae Spears and the 2026 Titans!
2026 Fantasy Football Outlook
The Pathway to More Snaps
The problem that Spears faces is that he lacks a clearly defined role in this offense. While he impressively forced more missed tackles on receptions last season than any running back except for Bijan Robinson (PFF), both Pollard and Singleton are respectable pass-catchers in their own right. Singleton’s biggest selling point is his pass-catching.
On the flip side, Spears has an uphill battle to unseat Pollard as the primary rusher. Spears’ elusive skillset on catches does not translate to rushes. When running, he ranked 40th in yards after contact among running backs with at least 75 touches last season and was outside the Top 50 in missed tackles forced (PFF).
As it stands, Spears needs to take a significant step forward during training camp or for Pollard to no longer be playing football for the Titans to garner the required snaps to be a viable fantasy starter.
This is Actually a Tony Pollard Article
When selecting Tyjae Spears for this article, I did not intend to do a bait and switch, but that is the only honest way to think about this backfield. He frankly has not done anything to warrant being drafted in redraft leagues and is nothing but a late-round dart throw in Best Ball. Maybe he is worth a stash in dynasty formats, but not one I am working hard to keep on my roster.
More than anything, it seems that the presence of Spears and Singleton has depressed Pollard’s ADP. Per FantasyPros, Pollard is currently being drafted as the RB32. In Best Ball formats, he is currently landing just inside the Top 30.
That ADP is a massive value given Pollard’s history. He has not finished outside the Top 24 in fantasy football since 2021, when he was the backup to Ezekiel Elliott, who finished RB6 in half-PPR and RB7 in full-PPR.
With that in mind, if you are thinking about drafting a running back from the Tennessee Titans, go with Tony Pollard. Anyone else will clog up your roster and likely be cut by Week 3.
Looking for your favorite team? This link will take you to the rest of our 2026 Look Inside team previews.
A Look Inside the Tennessee Titans
Editor’s Note: While this article focused on Tyjae Spears in fantasy football, we don’t want to leave you hanging on the rest of the team. Here is a quick look at the other fantasy-relevant Titans from Ryan Weisse.
Cam Ward
Ward certainly didn’t set the world on fire as a rookie, and his second season may not be much better. He finished as the QB22 last season, but the Titans spent the offseason putting weapons around him, namely rookie Carnell Tate and Daboll-favorite Wan’Dale Robinson. These guys will help Ward, but he is still only a consideration in two-QB leagues, though I won’t be surprised if he is a favorite streamer later in the season.
Tony Pollard
Pollard will have first crack at this backfield, and neither of his backups, Spears or Nick Singleton, offers much competition. Pollard was a top-24 back last season and should have similar value at a pretty low draft cost in 2026.
Nick Singleton
The rookie is coming off a foot injury and will spend most of the season as third on the depth chart. Without a trade or injury, he is more of a 2027 play for dynasty managers. Redraft leagues can largely ignore him.
Carnell Tate
This offense has been good for alpha WRs. In 2024, a rookie named Malik Nabers finished as the WR6 in fantasy under Brian Daboll. What’s interesting is that Nabers only averaged 11 yards per catch, which we thought was low for him, but it’s exactly the role I expect for Tate. With Daboll bringing Wan’Dale Robinson over with him, I think Tate can expect a similar role to rookie-year Nabers, and that could make him a tremendous value in fantasy.
Wan’Dale Robinson
Brian Daboll loves Wan’Dale Robinson, and so should fantasy managers. In 2024, Robinson finished with 140 targets and ended up as the WR36 in fantasy, mainly due to a paltry seven yards per catch. In 2025, he saw 140 targets yet again, but saw his YPC increase to 11 and finished as the WR14 in fantasy. Basically, Robinson is a lock for 130-140 targets and has a floor of WR36. He is a value in any fantasy format that rewards points per reception.
Calvin Ridley / Elic Ayomanor / Chimere Dike
The Titans’ WR3 job is wide open, but the targets won’t be enough to create fantasy relevance. If your league awards points for return yards, Dike should be on your radar; otherwise, it’s waiver-wire fodder.
Gunnar Helm / Daniel Bellinger
Helm looked good to end the 2025 season, and Bellinger is more of a blocker. Regardless, the addition of Tate and Robinson, plus the logjam at WR3, limits the available targets for the tight end group. There are far better tight ends, and Helm is more of a streamer than someone you are wasting a draft pick to select.
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You can also see where Tyjae Spears and the rest of the Titans fall in our 2026 Fantasy Rankings here!