Is Tyjae Spears or Hassan Haskins the Titans RB2 behind Derrick Henry? Fantasy Football Outlook

Titans superstar running back Derrick Henry isn't getting any younger and entering his age 29 season, it's time to value his backup or "handcuff" running back in fantasy football.

While the King has been mostly durable throughout his career, his total career touches are beginning to pile up. That said, injury and regression risk is higher than ever. This means either Tyjae Spears or Hassan Haskins could be thrust into a significant role for at least a game or two next season.

Is Spears or Haskins the top backup to Henry in 2o23? Let's dive in.

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The Case for Hassan Haskins

Haskins, a 2022 fourth-round pick has been with the team for one year longer, which can only help give him an edge on the competition. As a rookie, Haskins rushed just 25 times for 93 yards last season, but he caught 11 of his 12 targets for 57 yards. Ultimately, he showed he can handle some passing game work -- which is one of Henry's weaknesses.

The former 1,000-yard rusher at Michigan beat out Zach Charbonnet and Blake Corum during his collegiate career, so he's no slouch.

The Case for Tyjae Spears

Spears has third-round draft capital compared to Haskins' fourth-round draft capital and was selected by Titans new general manager Ran Carthon instead of the past regime. The Tulane alum racked up over 2,800 yards of offense and scored 30 touchdowns in his final two seasons for the Green Wave, making him a day-two RB prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Ultimately, the Titans spent a valuable pick on him when the team arguably had bigger holes on the roster elsewhere, so we can assume he's going to get a shot to produce right away.

Which Titans' Running Back Should I Draft?

Since Spears was drafted higher and is the "shiny new rookie" for Tennessee, he should be fully expected to serve as the primary backup to Derrick Henry. Spears has 48 college receptions and is dynamic in space, setting him up to be a quality change of pace back for the workhorse Henry.

It'll be interesting to see if Tennessee lightens Henry's workload, but even if not, Spears will have fantasy value as at least a handcuff RB in 2023. If Henry misses any time with injury, Spears will immediately be a top waiver add in shallow leagues. In deep leagues, he's worth rostering over mediocre WRs who are third or fourth options on bad offenses.

Haskins will enter the fantasy radar if Henry can't stay healthy, too, but he may serve as the mere breather back to Spears.

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