- Carnell Tate sees an increased snap share: Tate played 100% of the Tennessee Titans‘ offensive snaps while Cam Ward was on the field.
- Tyjae Spears out-snaps Tony Pollard again: While Pollard has started both preseason games, Spears has seen more playing time with Ward on the field.
- Save on PFF+ for 5 Days Only: Get a full year of PFF+ for just $89.99 before the limited-time offer ends Aug. 25.
PFF's fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2026.
The PFF+ Early Bird Sale is back for five days only, giving you the chance to lock in a full season of PFF+ at a special limited-time price. Through Aug. 25, get a full year of PFF+ for just $89.99.
One subscription gives you everything you need to draft smarter, build winning fantasy rosters, find betting edges and stay ahead all season long. From exclusive player grades and Premium Stats to fantasy tools, betting dashboards and expert analysis, PFF+ is built on the same data and insights trusted by NFL teams.
Seattle Seahawks @ Tennessee Titans
Tyjae Spears out-snaps Tony Pollard with the starters again: Pollard has started both games, but Spears has been on the field more frequently with Cam Ward this preseason.
Pollard and Spears have shared the Titans’ backfield for each of the past two seasons. Pollard has played more in rushing situations, while Spears has played more on passing downs. Pollard led the team in snaps in most games, but Spears occasionally played more when the Titans fell behind early. Now, the Titans have a new coaching staff that could find a different way to rotate the two.
Pollard played the first drive this week, while Spears played the second and third. Last week, Spears rotated in more on the first drive, while Pollard rotated back in on the third drive.
This generally suggests that Pollard is ahead of Spears, but the gap between the two may be smaller than it has been in past years. If Pollard were clearly ahead, he likely wouldn’t have returned for the third drive last week and potentially would have been taken out earlier. The fact that he is playing at all is somewhat surprising, as he is one of only five lead running backs to play this week in the preseason and one of only two to play more than three snaps.
Pollard appears to be a classic dead-zone running back who, on paper, looks capable of producing RB2 numbers but could easily finish outside the top 30 fantasy running backs. There is a decent chance that Spears ends up leading this backfield in fantasy points.
Titans’ wide receiver depth chart appears set: Tennessee stuck with the same three receivers for each of the first three drives.
Tennessee’s top receivers for most of last season were fourth-round rookies Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike. While both players remain on the roster, they have fallen behind Calvin Ridley, who spent most of last season injured, first-round rookie Carnell Tate and free-agent addition Wan’Dale Robinson. Ayomanor and Dike didn’t see significant playing time until the fourth quarter, when the rest of the backups entered the game.
For the first three drives, Ridley played X, Tate played Z and Robinson lined up in the slot. Robinson left the field in 12 personnel, which wasn’t the case when he was the lead receiver for the New York Giants last year. This lowers his fantasy ceiling compared to his time in New York. Ridley took two plays off late in the Titans’ long opening drive, with Ayomanor taking over at X on those plays.
It seems unlikely that Ayomanor will have fantasy value this season unless Ridley suffers another injury or is traded. Ridley is worth a late-round draft pick because he remains one of the top options on the team, but the Titans’ offense will need to improve for him to pay off at his ADP.
Tate played the Z receiver role last week but was subbed out more often with Ward on the field. This week, Tate was consistently on the field, which is a good sign for the rookie. However, as with everyone else in the offense, the Titans will need to play better for Tate to be worth an early pick in fantasy drafts.
Gunnar Helm leads a tight end rotation: While Helm is the lead tight end for the Titans, he is likely a player to avoid in fantasy drafts.
Helm started his rookie season as the second option behind Chig Okonkwo, but his playing time slowly increased as the season progressed. The Titans decided not to re-sign Okonkwo and instead brought in free agent Daniel Bellinger. Bellinger spent the first four seasons of his career with the New York Giants, including time with new Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
Helm played the first four snaps of the opening drive, but Bellinger replaced him on third down and played the rest of the drive. The Titans used some 12 personnel on the second drive with both players on the field, while Helm played more snaps in 11 personnel. On the third drive, both players again saw time in 11 personnel.
While Helm is still expected to be the lead tight end, he will need more playing time to earn a higher target share than he has seen in the past. He will also need the Titans’ offense to improve for him to become a top-12 fantasy tight end. Most other starting receiving tight ends have an easier path to a top-12 finish.
Elijah Arroyo plays into the second quarter: Arroyo caught a highlight-worthy touchdown, but the fact that he played into the second quarter isn’t a great sign for his fantasy value.
Arroyo was a second-round pick by the Seahawks last season but ultimately lost the starting job to AJ Barner. Barner didn’t miss a game last season, and Arroyo averaged a 39.5% snap rate. There is a chance that rate will be even lower this season, as the Seahawks have more wide receivers they can trust.
While there had been talk of Arroyo having a breakout season, this is the second straight game in which Arroyo played while the starters sat. Nearly half of the league’s backup tight ends didn’t play this week, although a few were sidelined by injuries rather than being rested. This indicates Seattle doesn’t plan to make Arroyo as big a part of the offense as the receivers who didn’t play in this game.
Arroyo will be someone to pick up off the waiver wire if Barner suffers an injury, but it’s unlikely that Arroyo has another path to fantasy value this season.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Seattle opted to sit Jadarian Price after he missed time with upper-leg soreness. While he ramped up to padded practices this week, Seattle opted to remain cautious. Emanuel Wilson missed his second straight preseason game with an undisclosed injury.
- Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet remains on the PUP list, so he was not eligible to play and is unlikely to be available for Week 1.
- Seahawks backup wide receiver Jake Bobo was placed on injured reserve yesterday with a knee injury, ending his season. Second-year receiver Tory Horton will be out for “some time” with an undisclosed injury.
- Seattle rested its starters and other key players, including quarterback Sam Darnold, running back George Holani, wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed and Cooper Kupp, and tight end AJ Barner.
Table Notes
- Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, such as offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats exclude these plays.
- Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
- Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.
© 2026 PFF - all rights reserved.