Pollard's Titans are 10.5-point underdogs on the road against a good Lions run defense. That's while he'll be low-rostered. The reason I'm playing him anyway is that he's averaging more than 20 touches per game in his last three outings, and he's twice shown six-target upside. Aaron Jones and Ken Walker have both topped 20 Fantasy points against this defense, and Pollard should get enough work to join them.
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Titans' Tony Pollard: Inefficient against Bills
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Pollard rushed the ball 16 times for 61 yards in Sunday's 34-10 loss to the Bills. He added two receptions on six targets for four yards.
As expected, Pollard dominated work out of Tennessee's backfield with Tyjae Spears (hamstring) sidelined, as he accounted for 16 of the 19 carries by running backs. However, he was scripted out of the game in the second half -- he had only three carries across the final two quarters -- and also struggled to get going as a receiver with Mason Rudolph under center. Pollard should continue to get plenty of work in Week 8, but a matchup against Detroit will provide him with another stout defense against the run.
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Titans' Tony Pollard: Contrarian DFS Play
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A top-12 running back at Pollard's price should never be contrarian. But a road running back whose team is an 8.5-point underdog with an implied total of 16.75 should never be chalk. Pollard has been the lone bright spot in this Titans offense, and the Bills defense has been a run funnel, allowing the second-most Fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. Expect 20-plus touches and 100-plus yards. Hope for a touchdown, too.
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Titans' Tony Pollard: Lone bright spot in loss
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Pollard rushed 17 times for 93 yards and a touchdown and brought in all three targets for minus-5 yards in the Titans' 20-17 loss to the Colts on Sunday.
On a day when Will Levis threw for under 100 yards, Pollard's production on the ground against the Colts' notoriously poor defense was the one bright spot for Tennessee. The veteran running back also recorded his third touchdown of the campaign on an impressive 23-yard run in the third quarter, helping Pollard to a new season high in rushing yardage. Pollard will next take aim at the Bills' defense in a Week 7 road matchup.
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Titans' Tony Pollard: Start of the Week
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I nearly made Pollard the Start of the Week in Week 4 when he played at Miami, and he delivered a strong game against the Dolphins with 18.8 PPR points. That was his third game this season in four outings with at least 15.2 PPR points, and he's done a nice job as the lead running back for the Titans. He has at least 19 total touches in three of four games, and he should have another standout performance against the Colts in Week 6. Indianapolis is No. 9 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and three running backs this year have scored at least 15.1 PPR points against the Colts, including Tank Bigsby in Week 5. Tyjae Spears should be considered a sleeper in Week 6, and he scored at least 10.1 PPR points in each of his past two games. But Pollard has top-10 upside, and I'm expecting him to dominate the Colts in this matchup at home.
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Titans' Tony Pollard: Heavy workload in Week 4 win
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Pollard rushed 22 times for 88 yards and a touchdown while catching both of his targets for 20 yards in Monday's 31-12 win over the Dolphins.
Pollard set up the game's first touchdown with a 41-yard run, as Tyjae Spears ran it in from seven yards out on the next play. The former Cowboys running back scored one of his own from four yards out in the final minute, giving Pollard two touchdowns through four games with the Titans. He finished with 22 carries to Spears' 15 as the Titans lost quarterback Will Levis to a shoulder injury early and went run-heavy against the offensively challenged Dolphins. After a Week 5 bye, Pollard should continue to operate as the 1A option in Tennessee's backfield, regardless of whether Levis or Mason Rudolph starts under center against the Colts in Week 6.
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Titans' Tony Pollard: RBs to Start
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The Dolphins are No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, but they have been awful the past two weeks against James Cook (28.5 PPR points) and Zach Charbonnet (25.7 PPR points). Let's hope that continues against Pollard, who scored at least 15.2 PPR points in each of his first two games. He struggled in Week 3 against Green Bay with just 5.9 PPR points, but this matchup in Miami should get him back on track. And you can also consider Tyjae Spears a sleeper this week and use him as a flex in PPR.
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Titans' Tony Pollard: Disappointing Week 3 showing
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Pollard rushed the ball six times for 14 yards in Sunday's 30-14 loss to the Packers. He added three receptions on four targets for 15 yards.
Though the limited volume suggests otherwise, Pollard operated as Tennessee's lead back by accounting for nine of the team's RB's 15 total touches, including six of eight rushing attempts. Game script didn't work in his favor, however, as the Titans never led and were down 10 points by the end of the first quarter and never closed that gap. While this was a disappointing performance for Pollard, he should be in for a bounceback spot against a struggling Dolphins team in Week 4.
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Titans' Tony Pollard: RBs to Start
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Pollard has established himself as the top running back in Tennessee, and he has at least 19 total touches in each of the first two games against the Bears and Jets. He's scored at least 15.2 PPR points in each outing, and he should stay hot against the Packers in Week 3. Saquon Barkley (33.2 PPR points) and Jonathan Taylor (15.5 PPR points) have each excelled against Green Bay, with both running backs rushing for at least 103 yards in both outings. Pollard should be considered a top-15 running back in all leagues for Week 3.
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Titans' Tony Pollard: Another hefty workload Sunday
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Pollard rushed 17 times for 62 yards and secured five of six targets for 40 yards in the Titans' 24-17 loss to the Jets on Sunday.
Pollard once again was the clear lead back for the Titans' ground attack, although the fact backfield mate Tyjae Spears exited the game in the second half with an ankle injury, per Jim Wyatt of the team's official site, certainly helped lock in that standing. Nevertheless, Pollard has been the clear-cut top option through two games when both backs have been healthy, and his involvement as a pass catcher (10 total targets) has been very encouraging. Pollard next takes aim at the Packers' suspect run defense in a Week 3 home matchup.
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Titans' Tony Pollard: Clearly leads TEN backfield
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Pollard rushed the ball 16 times for 82 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Bears. He added three receptions on four targets for 12 yards.
The Titans' coaching staff was adamant that the backfield would be split evenly between Pollard and Tyjae Spears, though Pollard dominated Week 1 work by tallying 19 touches to Spears' eight. Pollard also saw each of the first eight carries, with Spears not tallying his first carry until early in the second quarter. The veteran shined in his debut with Tennessee, highlighted by a 26-yard touchdown scamper late in the first quarter while also supplementing that with gains of 14 and 11 yards.
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Titans' Tony Pollard: Still looking at split backfield
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Pollard is expected to split time evenly with Tyjae Spears to begin the season, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Offensive coordinator Nick Holz said that he expects the backs to split snaps evenly and that each has plays specifically tailored to them in the offense. Pollard suffered through a surprisingly inefficient 2023 season with the Cowboys, but he's now roughly 18 months removed from suffering a fractured leg and showed explosiveness as both a runner and pass catcher during preseason action.
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Titans' Tony Pollard: Scores TD in preseason finale
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Pollard rushed five times for 17 yards and a touchdown while catching both of his targets for 27 yards in Sunday's 30-27 preseason win over the Saints.
Pollard got all six touches in Tennessee's backfield on the opening drive, the last of which was a one-yard touchdown run. Tyjae Spears got the first three carries on the second possession while the rest of the first-team offense remained in the game, but Pollard checked back in to pick up a 14-yard catch on fourth-and-1. Pollard and Spears are set to share backfield duties in the regular season, which begins Sunday, Sept. 8 in Chicago, with the former Cowboys running back likely to have an edge in playing time based on their deployment in Sunday's dress rehearsal.
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Titans' Tony Pollard: Leads backfield in debut with TEN
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Pollard rushed four times for 35 yards and a caught both of his targets for 11 yards in Saturday's 17-13 win over the 49ers.
Pollard was the first back utilized in Saturday's preseason opener and wound up leading the team with six combined touches for 46 yards. Tyjae Spears finished with just four total yards on four touches in the exhibition win, but he scored the only rushing touchdown out of the duo. Pollard showed good burst and acceleration in his brief debut Saturday, and he remains the preferred fantasy target out of Tennessee's backfield as we enter draft season.
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Titans' Tony Pollard: Interchangeable with Spears
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Titans coach Brian Callahan said Tuesday he doesn't view either Pollard or Tyjae Spears as the clear-cut starter in the backfield, Jim Wyatt of the team's official website reports.
"The fun part for me is, how are we going to deploy those guys?," Callahan said. "Maybe they both play at the same time, maybe one gets hot and you let him run, maybe we just rotate back and forth. I don't know what that's going to look like yet. But they are both going to play quite a bit of football for us, and I don't view either one of them as a starter or a backup. They are both starting players to me." This sounds like typical coach speak, and Pollard was handpicked by this coaching staff when he was inked to a three-year, $21.75 million deal on the first day of free agency. Callahan also treated Joe Mixon like a workhorse during his time with the Bengals, and Pollard has a three-down skill set. He is coming off an inefficient 2023 season in Dallas, but he's more than a full year removed from a broken fibula and is still just 27 years old with only one season of more than 250 touches on his resume. For fantasy purposes, Pollard should still be viewed as the top back in Tennessee, with Spears handling the same change-of-pace role he had behind Derrick Henry in 2023.
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Titans' Tony Pollard: Set to sign with Tennessee
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Pollard is slated to sign a three-year, $24 million deal with the Titans, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
With the looming move, it appears as though Derrick Henry will be playing elsewhere in 2024, while Dallas will be in the running back market in free agency and/or the draft. Pollard is now slated to join a backfield that also includes 2023 third-rounder Tyjae Spears, a context that figures to result in some form of an RB timeshare in Tennessee this coming season.
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Cowboys' Tony Pollard: Headed for free agency
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The Cowboys aren't expected to use the franchise tag on Pollard and likely will allow him to test free agency, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Schefter is reporting the same thing about Raiders RB Josh Jacobs and Giants RB Saquon Barkley, both of whom received franchise tags last offseason (just like Pollard). Each of the three suffered a statistical decline from 2022 to 2023, especially in terms of yards per carry, though Pollard did better late in the season and ultimately snuck over 1,000 rushing yards for the year. Schefter also reports that RBs Derrick Henry and Austin Ekeler will be allowed to test free agency, with a deep class at the position potentially harming all of them when it comes to salary negotiations.
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Cowboys' Tony Pollard: Big finish to regular season
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Pollard carried the ball 17 times for 70 yards and a touchdown and caught both his targets for 16 yards in Sunday's 38-10 win over the Commanders.
The running back wrapped up the regular season with his best performance in over a month, as Pollard scored his first TD since Week 13 and reached 70 rushing yards for the first time since Week 12. He also collected his second straight season with 1,000 rushing yards, just nosing across the line with 1,005 before hitting the bench in favor of Rico Dowdle in the fourth quarter. Pollard will look to carry his momentum into the wild-card round next weekend when the Cowboys host the Packers.
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Cowboys' Tony Pollard: RBs to Start
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Pollard has been arguably the biggest Fantasy bust this season, and he comes into Week 18 with three games in a row scoring 7.7 PPR points or less. But he'll reward you this week at Washington, and he had his best game of the season against the Commanders in Week 12 with 22.3 PPR points. In that game, Pollard had 13 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown, along with six catches for 24 yards on six targets. Washington has allowed a running back to score at least 14 PPR points in six games in a row, including five over that span with at least 22 PPR points. Pollard should be a top-10 Fantasy running back this week.
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Cowboys' Tony Pollard: Struggles despite improved health
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Pollard rushed 12 times for 38 yards and caught his lone target for five yards in Sunday's 22-20 loss to the Dolphins.
Pollard admitted that he was still recovering from offseason surgery earlier in the season, and that he finally started feeling healthy in recent weeks. However, the results on the field have not fallen in line with the tailback's statements. Pollard's season-long struggles have resulted in a per-carry average more than a full yard below last year's breakout mark of 5.2. Things won't get any easier for Dallas' lead back with a matchup against the fourth-stingiest run defense on tap when the Cowboys host the Lions on Dec. 30.
