Titans' Tyjae Spears: Deemed week-to-week by coach
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Spears (hamstring) is considered week-to-week, coach Brian Callahan said Monday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Spears injured his hamstring in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Colts. While the week-to-week label doesn't rule Spears out for Week 7 against the Bills, his chances of suiting up are probably less than 50 percent. Julius Chestnut got the only carry by a Tennessee running back other than Tony Pollard or Spears against the Colts.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Injures hamstring Sunday
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Spears departed Sunday's game against the Colts due to a hamstring injury, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.
Prior to his exit in the third quarter, Spears posted six carries for 27 yards and wasn't targeted. Tony Pollard and Julius Chestnut are the Titans' healthy running backs for the time being.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Week 6 Adds (RB Preview)
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Spears scored double-digit PPR Fantasy points in each of his last two games before the Titans Week 5 bye. In Week 6 they face a Colts defense that has surrendered the fourth-most rushing yards to opposing running backs. View Spears like Bigsby, as a weekly flex with contingent upside if Tony Pollard misses time.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Week 6 Waiver Priority List
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Spears went into the Titans' bye in Week 5, having scored at least 10.1 PPR points in each of his past two games against the Packers and Dolphins, and he scored his first touchdown of the season at Miami in Week 4. He's the No. 2 running back in Tennessee behind Tony Pollard, but he has some flex appeal in PPR in that role. And Spears is a lottery ticket in all formats if Pollard were to miss any time. Spears should be added in all leagues for 5-10 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Questionable for Sunday
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Spears (ankle) is slated to be listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Packers, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Spears didn't practice Wednesday but returned to a limited session a day later, and per Turron Davenport of ESPN.com, coach Brian Callahan expects the running back to be available this weekend. If that ends up being the case, Spears would be in line to continue to work alongside Tony Pollard in the Titans' Week 3 backfield.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Back at practice
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Spears (ankle) returned to practice Thursday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.
Spears didn't practice Wednesday, but his return to the field a day later isn't surprising, given his previous assertion that he'd be available Sunday against the Packers, per John Glennon of NashvillePost.com. That notion would be further solidified if Spears is listed as a full participant in Thursday's session.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Not seen at practice
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Spears (ankle) wasn't spotted on the field during the media-access portion of Wednesday's practice, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Head coach Brian Callahan said earlier this week that Spears was "day-to-day" with an ankle issue that's not believed to be serious, but the running back's absence from the early portion of Wednesday's session makes his status worth monitoring. If Spears is limited or out Sunday against the Packers, Tony Pollard would be in line for a larger portion of the backfield snaps and touches.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Ankle injury seems minor
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Spears (ankle) avoided a major injury during the Titans' 24-17 loss to the Jets on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Spears rushed six times for 20 yards and caught two of his three targets for 11 yards before being forced off the field Sunday. Though Rapoport didn't offer more details about Spears' injury, it's encouraging that the second-year pro had dodged a major ankle issue. Spears will look to get back on the practice field in preparation for Tennessee's matchup against the Packers in Week 3, with the team's first official injury report slated to arrive Wednesday. Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports that head coach Brian Callahan called Spears "day-to-day" on Monday.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Hurts ankle Sunday
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Spears exited Sunday's game against the Jets with an ankle injury, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Prior to being forced out of the contest, Spears carried six times for 20 yards and caught two of his three targets for 11 yards. In his absence, Julius Chestnut is available to handle snaps behind Tony Pollard.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Short end of committee
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Spears rushed the ball four times for 21 yards in Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Bears. He added four receptions on four targets for 11 yards.
The Titans insisted they would run an evenly split backfield between Spears and Tony Pollard to begin the season, but that didn't come to fruition. Pollard got each of the first eight carries for the team, while Spears didn't manage a carry until early in second quarter -- Tennessee's fourth possession. Spears did enter the game in obvious passing situations and as a breather back but ultimately saw 11 fewer touches than Pollard and played 11 fewer offensive snaps, per Turron Davenport of ESPN.com.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Even split coming for Week 1
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Spears is expected to split snaps evenly with Tony Pollard in the Titans' Week 1 matchup against the Bears, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.
The Titans have consistently stated that Spears and Pollard are viewed as interchangeable, and offensive coordinator Nick Holz reiterated that again Wednesday. He did note that both backs have plays specifically installed in the offense for them, with preseason usage suggesting that the team prefers Pollard in short-yardage situations. That could hurt Spears' ability to find the end zone, though he'll likely have the opportunity to make up for that with his playmaking ability as a pass catcher.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Sees four touches to Pollard's six
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Spears rushed three times for two yards and a touchdown and caught his only target for two yards in Saturday's 17-13 preseason win over the Titans.
Tony Pollard was the first back deployed in Saturday's exhibition, but Spears had his touches mixed in with the first-unit offense. The 23-year-old didn't do much with his four touches in comparison to co-starter Pollard (6-46-0), but he was able to cash in a short touchdown run behind a revamped offensive line. Both backs should continue to get plenty of run this preseason as they jockey for position atop Tennessee's depth chart.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Faces new competition in Pollard
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Spears faces a new backfield situation that's set to add Tony Pollard via a three-year, $24 million contract, while Derek Henry remains slated for free agency, Eric Edholm of NFL.com reports.
Spears, a 2023 third-round pick, is coming off a strong rookie season in which he compiled 838 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns, showcasing versatility and explosiveness despite only getting one chance to handle double-digit carries in a game. The Titans' decision to sign Pollard appears to simultaneously signal the end of Henry's era with the team. Spears could have an easier path to genuinely competing for touches with Pollard, whereas Henry was firmly entrenched as a true lead back, and both players profile similarly. Spears and Pollard are each versatile and elusive runners, which will allow Tennessee's offense to swap both players off the field relatively freely. Spears and Pollard look the part of a solid 1-2 punch, though for fantasy purposes it's possible they could both limit each other from attaining a true workhorse workload.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Sleeper RBs
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This is likely Derrick Henry's last game in Tennessee as a member of the Titans, and we'll see how he does to help Tennessee play spoiler against Jacksonville. Depending on how this game unfolds, Spears could also play a prominent role for the Titans -- and Fantasy managers. Spears scored at least 11.7 PPR points in three of his past five games, and he has at least four catches in four of his past five outings. His role in the passing game is relevant since the Jaguars are No. 1 in most receptions allowed to running backs, and 13 running backs have caught at least four passes against Jacksonville this year. Now, Spears -- and Henry -- both struggled at Jacksonville in Week 11, as Henry scored 5.4 PPR points and Spears 4.6. But both should do better at home, and Henry is worth using as a No. 2 running back in all leagues, with Spears a sleeper as a flex.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Sleeper RBs
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I'm expecting Derrick Henry to struggle in Week 17 at Houston. And typically, when Henry struggles it's because the Titans are trailing and throwing the ball to catch up. That's usually where Spears comes into play. He's scored at least 11.7 PPR points in three of his past four games, and he has at least four catches and six targets in three of those outings. Now, the one game where he struggled over that span was Week 15 against Houston when he had nine carries for 30 yards and one catch for 7 yards on one target. But I'm expecting more involvement in the passing game in the rematch, and eight running backs this season have at least four catches against the Texans. I like Spears as a PPR flex option in Week 17.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Earns 14 touches in Week 16
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Spears notched nine carries for 40 yards and five catches (on six targets) for 27 yards during Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Seahawks.
The Titans have incorporated the rookie third-round pick more in the offense in the last three contests, as he has earned at least 10 touches on each occasion. The trend continued Sunday, and the current four-game stretch has yielded 174 yards on the ground and 136 yards through the air on 57 touches. Tennessee's lead runner Derrick Henry got back into a groove Sunday, though, with 20 touches for 99 yards from scrimmage and one rushing TD, so Spears seemingly will be capped in the lower teens in terms of touches down the stretch. In any case, Spears will look to keep it up Sunday, Dec. 31 at Houston.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Held to 37 total yards
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Spears rushed the ball nine times for 30 yards in Sunday's 19-16 loss to Houston. He added one catch on one target for seven yards.
Spears saw his second-highest carry total of the season, though he lacked his typical explosiveness. He was limited to a long gain of only nine yards, and his 37 total yards from scrimmage was his lowest mark since Week 8. Spears should have the chance to bounce back in a Week 16 matchup against a susceptible Seattle rush defense.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Tops 100 total yards again
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Spears rushed the ball seven times for 29 yards in Monday's 28-27 win over Miami. He added six receptions on eight targets for 89 yards.
Spears had only 23 yards from scrimmage in the first half, but he emerged as a favorite target of Will Levis in the final 17 minutes of game time. That began with a 30-yard catch that set up a field goal at the end of the third quarter. Spears then delivered long catches of 21 and 12 yards on a touchdown drive to bring the Titans within one score in the middle of the fourth quarter. Overall, he managed at least 100 yards from scrimmage for the second consecutive game, with Monday's effort being particularly promising, as it came in tandem with Derrick Henry also seeing 18 touches.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Sleeper RBs
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It seems like Derrick Henry (head) will play Monday night at Miami after leaving Week 13 against the Colts, but this feels like a bad game script for him with the Dolphins favored by nearly two touchdowns. Enter Spears, who could see a lot of playing time if the Titans are trailing, and the more touches for Spears, the better. We saw that against Indianapolis with 16 carries for 75 yards and four catches for 13 yards on six targets. He won't get that much work if Henry is healthy, but Spears could still be a flex option in deeper leagues in Week 14.
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Titans' Tyjae Spears: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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It seems like Derrick Henry (head) will play Monday night at Miami after leaving Week 13 against the Colts, but this feels like a bad game script for him with the Dolphins favored by nearly two touchdowns. Enter Spears, who could see a lot of playing time if the Titans are trailing, and the more touches for Spears, the better. We saw that against Indianapolis with 16 carries for 75 yards and four catches for 13 yards on six targets. He won't get that much work if Henry is healthy, but Spears could still be a flex option in deeper leagues in Week 14.
