Who Should I Start? Tyjae Spears or Trey Benson

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.

Wednesday, December 10, 12:00 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (knee) will not be activated off Injured Reserve for the team's Week 15 matchup against the Houston Texans, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Since Benson will not return within his 21-day activation window, he will revert to season-ending IR and will not be eligible to return in 2025. Benson suffered a knee injury in Week 4 that was serious enough to land him on IR, but was not thought at the time to be season-ending. It's unclear whether the 23-year-old suffered a setback once his activation window was opened, or if the 3-10 Cardinals are simply choosing to be cautious with their potential running back of the future. Either way, Benson should now be completely off the radar of redraft fantasy managers for the remainder of 2025. His absence ups the value of Cardinals running backs Bam Knight and Michael Carter, who should continue to see the majority of the team's backfield snaps. Emari Demercado (ankle) could play a role in Arizona as well once he returns from the ankle injury that has sidelined him since Week 11.