Tyjae Spears

Spears' rookie season might not have drawn headlines but was a clear success overall. He was as good of a runner as expected (453 yards and two touchdowns on 100 carries) and finished third on the team in both catches (52) and targets (70). The 2023 third-round pick was phenomenal at Tulane, where he ran for 1,581 yards and 19 touchdowns on just 229 carries (6.9 YPC) his senior season, hinting at reason to expect more than 450 yards on his next 100 carries in the NFL. Spears already showed the ability to shine through when the Titans offense struggled in 2023, so he won't necessarily be ruined if the new-look offense built around QB Will Levis and head coach Brian Callahan doesn't pan out. Tony Pollard is the bigger limiting factor for Spears' fantasy projection, with Tennessee adding the former Dallas running back on a three-year, $21.75 million deal. It's not clear how the Titans intend to split the workload between their two talented backs, but it's probably fair to say neither is built to last as a true workhorse. Both are comfortable catching passes and explosive running in space, but they're also thin by RB standards, with Pollard listed at 6-0, 209, and Spears at 5-10, 200. The split could be something close to 50-50, with Spears perhaps trading some of last year's targets for carries now that he's sharing a backfield with Pollard instead of Derrick Henry.

No one questions the running skill of Spears, who routinely made defenders look foolish as he raced to 2,910 yards and 31 touchdowns (6.8 YPC) in his 33-game career at Tulane. The question is whether Spears has the athletic tools necessary for his skill to manifest at the pro level. A 2023 third-round pick, Spears is not fast (4.54 pro day 40) despite a light frame (5-11, 201), so he might find in the NFL that his methods don't work as well as they did at the collegiate level. Not just that, but Spears is reportedly missing the ACL and cartilage entirely in one of his knees. At his size, Spears' body might hold him back. If he survives, though, he should win the backup role behind Derrick Henry, competing mostly with 2022 fourth-round pick Hassan Haskins.