Who Should I Start? Tyjae Spears or Jonathon Brooks


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
8.8 25.2 0.2 2.8 17.9 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.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
9.9 43.5 0.3 1.9 13.8 0.1

Jonathon Brooks News

Jonathon Brooks Expected to Play Against Chicago

Wednesday, September 9, 11:51 AM

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks is expected to play in Sunday's season opener against Chicago. Brooks was back in uniform and pads at Wednesday's practice after spending recent sessions working off to the side with trainers because of general soreness. After practice, head coach Dave Canales said he is "very confident" Brooks will play, according to Joe Person. That's a significant step forward after Canales was taking Brooks' status day by day earlier in the week. The third-year back missed all of 2025 following his second right ACL tear but returned this summer and played in two preseason games. Carolina has never connected the recent soreness to a specific body part. With Brooks back in pads and Canales sounding confident afterward, he appears set to join Chuba Hubbard in the Panthers' backfield against the Bears.


Tyjae Spears vs. Jonathon Brooks

Still trying to decide between Spears and Brooks? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Tyjae Spears is projected to score 8.8 points this week while Jonathon Brooks is projected to score 9.9 points.