Tyjae Spears had a promising rookie season in 2023. He was drafted last year in the by the Tennessee Titans out of Tulane. He had an excellent season for the Titans as a 3rd-round rookie, especially with Derrick Henry ahead of him on the depth chart.
Spears finished the year with exactly 100 rush attempts, going for 453 yards and 2 touchdowns. Perhaps more impressive was his production on the ground. He caught 52 passes for 385 yards and another touchdown. His ability to be a dual-threat running back is the reason he is so dangerous on the football field.
After switching Derrick Henry for Tony Pollard, where does that leave Tyjae Spears in 2024?
Tyjae Spears 2023 Stats and Fantasy Production
Tyjae Spears was able to stay healthy all season last year, so he played in all 17 games, and he even started one game. He accumulated 838 total yards while averaging 4.5 yards per rush attempt and 7.4 yards per reception. Tyjae found the endzone only 3 times, but that isn’t too surprising considering Derrick Henry was the red zone threat on that team.
These stats translated to 153.8 total fantasy points and 9.05 fantasy points per week. He had a strong finish to the year, averaging 12.58 fantasy points per week in his last 6 weeks. He also scored 11+ points in 4 of those 6 games. Spears was the 34th-best running back in 2023 based on total points.
Tyjae Spears 2024 Fantasy Outlook
Fantasy Managers are hoping and expecting Tyjae Spears to take a second-year leap in 2024 after a promising year 1. He is now sharing the backfield with Tony Pollard instead of Henry, and I think this benefits Spears.
According to Fantasy Pros, Tyjae is projected to be the 112th overall pick and the 35th running back off the board in a fantasy draft. In full PPR, his ADP is 110th overall, and he is the 32nd-ranked running back. In half PPR, his ADP is 100th overall and he is the 32nd-ranked running back.
In 2024, I project Tyjae Spears to go for 600-700 rushing yards and 350-450 receiving yards for a combo of 1000-1100 total yards. I expect him to do this with 120-130 rush attempts and 45-55 receptions. I also project 5-7 touchdowns from the running back. Spears is projected to be a 9th-round pick, and anyone who drafts him there will get great value at the running back position.
Final Thoughts
I think that sharing the backfield with Tony Pollard will be much different than sharing it with Derrick Henry. In a run-first offense, both backs will get plenty of touches and I think it will be closer to a 50-50 split than everyone thinks. There will definitely be more touchdown upside for Spears this season.
Tony Pollard is being drafted as the 76th overall player and the running back 26. The value of getting Tyjae Spears as the runningback 32 is amazing considering I expect him and Pollard to have similar seasons. Pollard will have the upside of being a running back 2 this year with the expectation of being a solid running back 3.
About The Author
Caden is a massive sports fan and has been following the professional leagues for as long as he can remember. His main sports are NFL and NBA, but he watches and can talk about all sports.
If you want more great sports insight or are looking for sports betting advice, follow Caden on Twitter @CadenBahry. Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
