Who Should I Start? J.K. Dobbins or Tyjae Spears

Wednesday, November 26, 7:13 PM

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton isn't ruling out a potential return from running back J.K. Dobbins (foot) later in the year, according to Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. Dobbins was previously ruled out for the rest of the season due to a foot injury, but if the Broncos make a deep postseason run, Dobbins might be able to return. For fantasy football purposes, managers in single-year leagues can dump Dobbins to the waiver wire if they haven't already done so, since he won't be able to help them before the end of the year. Denver will move forward with rookie second-rounder RJ Harvey as their primary backfield option with Dobbins out, but Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie will also be involved in change-of-pace roles. Harvey will have RB2 upside the rest of the way, while McLaughlin and Badie are simply bench stashes in deeper fantasy leagues.

Saturday, December 13, 10:54 AM

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears remains firmly on the fantasy radar as an RB3/flex option in full-PPR leagues ahead of Sunday's Week 15 contest against the San Francisco 49ers. Spears lost key volume to Tony Pollard (25 carries, 161 yards, two touchdowns) last week, but he still maintained a sizable role on passing downs. He has at least three targets in all eight of his games this season, and he's averaging an impressive 4.3 catches per game over the last four weeks. Spears' impressive pass-catching volume has allowed him to rank as the overall RB34 in fantasy points per game since Week 6 (minimum four games played). This week, he takes on a 49ers defense that has struggled against pass-catching backs. Specifically, the Niners have allowed the most catches, eighth-most receiving yards, and eighth-most receiving touchdowns to opposing running backs in 2025. While Pollard has generated most of the buzz after last week's big game, Spears should be the name to get excited about in this backfield, given how often pass-catching backs excel against this 49ers run defense. Spears should be viewed as a strong RB3/flex option in Week 15.