Do you need a running back? Well, that brings us to the waiver wire. Two of the hottest names on the market are Bam Knight of the Cardinals and Tyjae Spears of the Titans. Both players have been elevated recently and are now key pieces in a snap-split. Streamers are always about opportunity and upside. That is what we will evaluate today so that you may make the best waiver wire decision.
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 9 Ranking: RB23
This backfield has been a bit of musical chairs over the past few weeks. It appears that Knight has become the winner. The Cardinals cut Michael Carter the other day and that now makes Knight the clear lead back.
Emari Demercado missed week 7 due to his ankle injury, and Trey Benson won’t be able to return until at least week 10 off of IR.
Bam Knight is the only truly healthy RB on the roster.
Trade incoming? https://t.co/6v7gCHwp2y
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) October 27, 2025
Trey Benson may be off of the IR, but not until after Week 9. bThis running back room should be a split between Knight-Demercado-D’Ernest Johnson.
Demercado has plummeted since his brutal fumble just a few weeks back. He has essentially been blacklisted and does not expect to be a threat. If anything, Johnson dips into the workload of Knight. We expect Knight to own the backfield. He should see 50-65% of team rushes.
It is important to know that Benson will be back sooner than later. Once that happens, Knight takes a backseat. He has been viable, but he is not an NFL starter. Benson is the guy and will be the majority back. Knight lacks much value at that point. He is startable for just one more week.
Knight is averaging 3.5 Yards per Carry on 29 Rushes. He has scored twice. The upside is very limited given his efficiency, but he should be a start against the Cowboys in Week 9.
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 9 Ranking: RB30
The Titans are in shambles, but one player is trending up. That player is Tyjae Spears. He has been back with the team for four games and has outsnapped Tony Pollard in two of them. If we review the trends of where this backfield will end up, it will be a close split that should favor Spears in the long run. In a best case scenario, Spears could run away with a snap-share up to 70%, although unlikely.
We have a new coach heading this team in Mike McCoy, but the brass is much of the same that was in place in 2024. For that reason, we can review the 2024 offense to help project this backfield.
In 2024, Spears and Pollard did split work, but it varied from game-to-game. Some weeks, Spears had 40% of rushes and some weeks, he had up to 65%. We can truly consider this backfield to be a 50/50 split until proven otherwise.
Spears is playing great football thus far. He has 23 Carries for 126 Yards (5.5 Yards per Carry) and 1 Touchdown. Pollard is less efficient with 104 Carries, 424 Yards (3.9 Yards per Carry), and 2 Touchdowns.
Tyjae Spears has JUICE 🧃 pic.twitter.com/spdyYjZUu5
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) October 26, 2025
It is quite clear that Spears is the better back so he has higher upside. This team is bad, so he can only go so far, but a good player is a good player.
This debate depends on what you need. If you need a one week fill-in, you will go with Knight. He is more than likely going to be the majority back for the Cardinals that faces an abysmal Cowboys defense. Knight truly has top five running back upside in Week 9.
If you are looking for a long-term solution, it is all Spears. As Knight is going to tail off soon, Spears will be viable all year long. He is in a split with Pollard, but he is better and could realistically pull ahead into a favorable split. The Titans lack much to be desired in regards to scoring, but volume is volume. Spears has more to offer than most other running backs in.
Claim Tyjae Spears for the best long-term solution.
