Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears are approaching pivotal contract years, but Pollard’s consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons and superior durability contrast sharply with Spears’ structural knee issues, including a missing ACL. While Spears logged a modest 8.5 Fantasy Points Per Game last season, Pollard will be 30 years old in 2027, which caps his long-term fantasy value.
SI’s Nick Arvin anticipates Tennessee using “a more balanced committee approach” with the running game this season. Savvy dynasty managers are monitoring training camp, as a rotational backfield opens the door for rookie Nicholas Singleton, whose size and elite 83rd-percentile 4.46 speed makes him a direct threat to assume the primary ball-carrier role by 2027.
Across 17 games in 2025, Tennessee Titans running back Tony...
Across 17 games in 2025, Tennessee Titans running back Tony...
Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard has topped 1,000...
Team reporter Jim Wyatt observed that Nicholas Singleton “has been getting more and more work,” meanwhile Titans HC Robert Saleh said Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears “are the bellcows of this football team.”
Coach quotes are generally more actionable than beat reporter opinions, but in this case, Saleh’s nonsense coachspeak is easily dismissed. More importantly for dynasty league managers, Wyatt has been “impressed” by Nicholas Singleton‘s play at Titans camp as he is the team’s bellcow of the future.
Tony Pollard holds the upper hand in 2026 after out-touching Tyjae Spears 275 to 117 last season. Spears does not actually profile as a workhorse and will hold down the RB2 role on the depth chart early in the season. Most notably, Singleton appears to be fully recovered from a broken fifth metatarsal and will eventually force his way into the backfield rotation. Pollard is a value play in fantasy football seasonal and best ball leagues, Spears is a fade in all formats, and Singleton is a smash in the second round of dynasty league rookie drafts.
The Tennessee Titans just secured a high-pedigree running back at No. 165 by drafting Nick Singleton, a 219-pound specimen who pairs a 116.9 Speed Score (81st-percentile) with the homerun ability to erase pursuit angles instantly. Singleton posted a dominant 11.1% College Target Share (85th-percentile) and a rock-solid 18.0 Breakout Age, proving he possesses the elite three-down frame and high-volume gravity—verified by a massive 55 career touchdowns—to eventually command a primary NFL backfield.
In dynasty formats, it is absolute wheels up for Singleton as an early/mid-round pick, where he may take a red shirt behind Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears, but has the ceiling to break fantasy if he gets a full-time role.
The Titans backfield is taking shape, but not in the way the team hoped for. Third year back, Tyjae Spears is being placed on injured reserve as he still hasn’t recovered from a high ankle sprain.
Fantasy gamers have been hopeful of an ascendance for Spears as he finished the 2025 season with 3 top-12 weeks in fantasy football. While much was made in the offseason about Spears expanding his opportunity share in 2025, Tony Pollard has always been the favorite of the coaching staff.
Tony Pollard is a locked in RB-1 who goes at the end of round 6 on Underdog. Spears can currently be had in late round 14 and has fallen 2 rounds in the last week. Expect Pollard’s ADP to climb into round 5 while Spears becomes an early IR stash in redraft leagues.
Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (@coachretzlaff1)
Every season there are some high ranking handcuff running backs who provide upside at cost. Currently, Titans running back Tyjae Spears presents as one of those values at the 10-11 turn on Underdog. The issue is that Spears has now come down with a high ankle sprain.
This puts a damper on the hype that had been building. Titans coaches have been talking about getting Spears more opportunity share in the Titans backfield. With this injury, it will be tough to find out how serious the Titans staff is about increasing his workload.
Tony Pollard becomes a must click in round 7 on Underdog. Expect a Spears dip in ADP. For best ball drafts, Spears is a safer click due to not having to determine when to start him. For redraft leagues, Spears becomes someone who will likely start the season in the ‘IR’ slot for each respective format. Draft Tony Pollard with utmost confidence as he becomes an excellent zero-RB back to build around.
Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (@coachretzlaff1)
Every offseason, fantasy gamers look for small nuggets for edges in drafts. One source of potential profit is mining value for backup running backs. To that end, Titans head coach Brian Callahan recently spoke to a more even workload for running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears.
Currently on Underdog, Tony Pollard is being drafted in round 7 while Tyjae Spears is being drafted in round 11. This 4 round difference is something that could pay off tremendously should Spears get a more even workload or get the job should Tony Pollard miss time.
A reason for optimism includes Tyjae Spears finishing as the RB3, RB10, and RB12 from weeks 15-17. A reason for pessimism is that Pollard had 260 carries in 2024 to Tyjae Spears’ 84 rush attempts. Pollard was 9th in weighted opportunities while Spears was 44th.
Every type of hype sounds good in July. Drafting an even split of both Pollard and Spears is best practice for risk aversion, however when the play is live, coaches tend to revert to past practices. Until shown otherwise, expect Tony Pollard to get deference as the lead back in the Titans offense.
Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (@coachretzlaff1)
