Tony Pollard vs Tyjae Spears: Who to draft in fantasy football?

Situation

Head coach Brian Callahan comes to the Titans having spent the previous five seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals under head coach Zac Taylor. The Bengals have ranked in the top five of pass rate each of the past two seasons, even with starting quarterback Joe Burrow missing seven games last year. The Titans ranked bottom ten in the league during that same span, opting to lean more on Derrick Henry and the running game. The Bengals also played at a faster pace than the Titans, running more plays per game each of the past two seasons.

The new head coach will bring a more up-tempo offense with more passing volume than the Titans have seen in prior seasons. ESPN's Mike Clay currently projects the Titans to have the highest pass rate in the league while also seeing a 5% jump in total plays vs the 2023 season, per his 2024 projection guide. This means more target and touchdown opportunities, the two most valuable plays for running backs, for both Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears.

The newly formed duo will see little competition for touches in the backfield outside of blowouts or injury. The battle for the third position on the depth chart is between Hassan Haskins, Julius Chestnut, and Jabari Small- all of whom have a combined 34 career rushing attempts. Even Callahan's latest quote has distinguished Pollard and Spears from the rest of the group stating, "They are both starting players to me."

Workload Split

The Titans have stated that Pollard and Spears will share backfield touches and that they'll work with a "hot hand" approach as they're comfortable with both running backs carrying the ball and catching passes. There are certain tendencies that both of these players have that might reflect the role that they'll have this upcoming season.

Pollard showed last year he could handle a heavy workload and create yards after contact, finishing seventh in the league in rushing attempts and third in yards after contact. Given the Titans struggles in run blocking last season and the uncertainty around their line, particularly the right side, Pollard is the favorite take a majority of the carries out of the backfield as the team looks for him to churn out yards after contact.

Spears showed his burst and efficiency last year in a limited role, one that will grow significantly this season in volume. The Tulane University product had a higher rate of explosive runs (15+ yards), more yards per carry, and yards per reception than his backfield partner. Spears has shown to be more efficient with his touches than Pollard and looks likely to catch more passes given his ability to create explosive plays when out in space.

Both players should get goal line carries throughout the season, particularly if the Titans rotate series between the two backs. Pollard has a 14 pound weight advantage and was only stuffed in short yardage situations at a 24% rate (vs 29% for Spears) last season, per Warren Sharp. While Spears will see goal line carries and have more scoring chances through the air, Pollard projects to lead the team in red zone carries and may end up with a slight edge in total touchdowns between the two.