Who Should I Start? Tony Pollard or Tyjae Spears


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
11.7 62.5 0.4 1.9 11.9 0.0

Tony Pollard News

Tony Pollard a High-Floor Flex Option in Favorable Week 1 Matchup

Saturday, September 12, 5:35 AM

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard has been a consistent and durable rusher in recent years, recording at least 1,000 rushing yards and 1,250 scrimmage yards in four consecutive seasons. Entering 2026, Pollard once again profiles as the lead back in Tennessee. He's scored just 10 touchdowns over his first 33 games with the Titans, but the team should field its best offense in recent memory in quarterback Cam Ward's second year as the starter. In Week 1, Pollard and the Titans will host the New York Jets. New York struggled to defend the run in 2025, allowing the fourth-most rushing yards (2,371) in the NFL. Given that neither team projects to have a particularly explosive passing game, Tennessee could choose to lean heavily on the run game and give Pollard plenty of work on Sunday. It's hard to bank on Pollard providing high-end production given the questions that remain in the Titans' overall offensive attack, but he profiles as a high-floor flex option for fantasy managers in Week 1.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
9.0 25.9 0.2 2.9 18.8 0.1

Tyjae Spears News

Similar Year Incoming for Tyjae Spears?

Thursday, August 27, 9:02 PM

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears could be headed for more of the same in 2026. He remains the No. 2 option on the depth chart behind Tony Pollard, putting him in line to handle receiving work without a very sizable role on early downs. Across 13 games last year, Spears logged a career-low 283 rushing yards, but he did catch 45 passes for 264 receiving yards. Tennessee's offense may look a little different with Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll coaching the team and Wan'Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate added to the offense, but from a backfield perspective, not much has changed. We expect to see Tony Pollard go for another 1,000+ rushing yards and 6-8 touchdowns, leaving Spears to catch passes. The big concern is that Spears will be tough to trust week over week. Sure, he'll have some big games -- especially in PPR -- but his inconsistency will make it tough to know which weeks he's worth starting. As a result, he has a modest ranking as the RB44 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football draft rankings. At that spot, he's not quite a weekly RB3/flex, but he could certainly jump into that tier if he's playing a weaker defense or has been getting more involved in recent weeks.


Tony Pollard vs. Tyjae Spears

Still trying to decide between Pollard and Spears? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Tony Pollard is projected to score 11.7 points this week while Tyjae Spears is projected to score 9.0 points.