Who Should I Start? Tony Pollard or Tyjae Spears

Wednesday, August 6, 1:06 PM

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard is listed as the RB1 on the team's first unofficial preseason depth chart ahead of Tyjae Spears. Meanwhile, Spears is listed as the co-RB2 with rookie Kalel Mullings. Head coach Brian Callahan has envisioned more of an even split in this year's backfield between Pollard and Spears, and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said earlier this week that "people I've talked to in Tennessee believe Spears has positioned himself for an uptick" in opportunities after he averaged 9.5 touches per game last year. Assuming everyone is healthy, Pollard is probably the RB1, but the margin figures to shrink between he and Spears in 2025. It puts Pollard more on the RB2/3 borderline, while Spears is a decent RB4/flex target in PPR leagues or as a handcuff to Pollard. In his first year in Tennessee, Pollard had a career-high 1,079 rushing yards and five TDs on 260 carries.

Sunday, August 10, 1:05 PM

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan said that running back Tyjae Spears (ankle) will miss a couple of weeks at least after he suffered a high-ankle sprain in Saturday's preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had to be carted off the field. This means that Spears should be considered questionable to play in the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sept. 7 against the Denver Broncos. The 24-year-old was set to take on a bigger role in the Titans' backfield to take some of the burden off of Tony Pollard, but that might have to wait for now. With Spears out of action for at least a couple of weeks, it will create more change-of-pace opportunities for both Julius Chestnut and rookie Kalel Mullings behind Pollard. With the injury, Spears is now ranked as the RB46 in fantasy at RotoBaller.