Tony Pollard

Tennessee Titans
Running Back #1
Tennessee Titans
Running Back #1
Tony Pollard Tony Pollard
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Tony Pollard News RotoBaller

Tony Pollard Creeping Into RB1 Territory for Colts Matchup

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard will take on the Indianapolis Colts in a Week 6 divisional matchup this Sunday. The lead back for Tennessee has gotten it done for fantasy managers this season, scoring over 15 PPR points in three-of-four games played. Fellow back Tyjae Spears has not been much of a hindrance to Pollard getting a full workload, as the latter ranks top 20 league-wide for touches at his position. The Colts have been one of the softest run defenses in the NFL, ranking in the bottom-10 for fantasy points allowed, and just let Tank Bigsby go for 101 and two scores on only 13 carries last week. In a game where the Titans are favored at home, it should be a busy day for Pollard, similar to the Week 4 game against Miami in which he saw a season high 24 touches. The former Cowboy should be locked into lineups in all formats this weekend as a fringe RB1.

Oct 11, 2024 8:48 PM EST


Tony Pollard Records 100+ Scrimmage Yards, Touchdown In Win

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard rushed 22 times for 88 yards and a touchdown, adding two receptions for 20 yards in a 31-12 win over Miami. The Titans ground game was stifled early, as Pollard was only able to muster 20 yards from his first ten carries. He broke this open with a 41-yard scamper in the 3rd quarter, almost scoring a touchdown but was eventually brought down at the seven-yard line. Miami's defense was worn down from that point forward, as Pollard enjoyed multiple runs of 10+ yards, capping off his productive night with a TD on a fourth and goal with 24 seconds left. While Tyjae Spears received 17 touches in this game, Pollard remains the workhorse and should be a top-12 option vs. a soft Indianapolis run defense in Week 6 after the Titans bye.

Sep 30, 2024 11:38 PM EST



Tony Pollard Still A Strong Flex Play For Week 4

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard heads to Miami to face the Dolphins in a Week 4 primetime matchup. After two strong weeks to start the season Pollard took a major step back last week with only 4.4 points in half-PPR scoring. The positives were that he still drew four targets, and managed to out-rush his backfield mate Tyjae Spears for the third consecutive week. With Levis' struggles at the helm of this offense, the Titans may opt to lean on their dynamic RB duo more often, and this coming week against a porous rush defense that just let James Cook go hog-wild, Pollard remains a strong play.

Sep 27, 2024 4:28 PM EST


Tony Pollard Bottled Up Against Packers

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard ran six times for fourteen yards, adding three receptions for 15 yards in a loss to Green Bay. It was a putrid fantasy day for the former Cowboy, who was looking like a great value in the later rounds of drafts after being featured heavily in Weeks 1-2. Game script definitely played a huge part in the low volume for Pollard, as the Titans went down very early and were forced to rely on the arm of Will Levis, which did not get them very far. Green Bay had been weak against the run coming into this game, but completely dominated the Titans up front which did not bode well for Pollard. He will look to bounce back in Week 4 vs. Miami.

Sep 22, 2024 4:43 PM EST


Tony Pollard A Strong RB2 Play Against Packers

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard faces the Green Bay Packers in Week 3. While the Titans' coaching staff keeps implying that Tyjae Spears will get more touches, Pollard continues to dominate the backfield work for Tennessee. The former Cowboy has received 25 more touches than Spears through two weeks and has also been more efficient with these opportunities. With Spears potentially sitting out or at the very least limited with an ankle injury this week, Pollard is an absolute smash play that should see a ton of volume against a run defense that has been gashed in both games to start the year. Fantasy managers should start Pollard with confidence this week.

Sep 20, 2024 5:41 PM EST



Tony Pollard Goes Over 100 Scrimmage Yards vs. Jets

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard rushed 17 times for 62 yards, also securing five passes on six targets for 40 yards in a 24-17 loss to New York. For the second straight week, Pollard was the clear lead back for this Titans offense, out-touching Tyjae Spears 22-8 in Week 2. Although Spears left the game late with an ankle injury, Pollard was still dominating the time on the field up to that point and was more effective when given the ball. He was also tied for the team lead in targets with six, proving he still has a role carved out for him in the passing game even with Spears' ability in that department. With how much this coaching staff seems to trust Pollard, he should be locked into lineups moving forward as a mid-tier RB2 with a tinge of upside. Up next is the Packers vulnerable run defense in a Week 3 home matchup.

Sep 15, 2024 8:14 PM EST


Tony Pollard A Borderline RB2 Vs. Jets

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard will face the New York Jets this Sunday for the team's home opener. The former Cowboys was a lone bright spot for the Titans offense against Chicago last week, producing 94 yards from scrimmage and touchdown. He was heavily featured on the ground with sixteen total carries compared to his backfield mate Tyjae Spears' 4, but Titans head coach Brian Callahan did say he would like the split to be "more even" after the game. Even if Spears does see a bit more work, the team clearly views Pollard as the superior runner and the guy who will receive most of the 'between the tackles' rushing. The utilization for these two backs is likely going to come down to game script on a week-to-week basis, but the coaching staff definitely trusts Pollard and so should fantasy managers with their RB2/flex spot headed into a matchup with the Jets and their soft-ish run defense.

Sep 13, 2024 5:47 PM EST


Titans Want More Even Distribution Between Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan said on Monday that the distribution of touches between running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears in the Week 1 season-opening loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday wasn't where the team wanted it to be. Callahan said that Pollard ran the ball well, and in the second half, the Titans had trouble sustaining drives, which hindered opportunities to get Spears involved. In the end, Pollard out-touched Spears 19 to eight, and Spears played only 44 percent of the offensive snaps. Pollard finished with 16 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 12 yards in his Titans debut. Spears had only four carries for 21 yards and caught all four targets for 11 yards. It will be interesting to see how the touches are split in a tough Week 2 matchup at home against the New York Jets. In that one, both Pollard and Spears should be considered RB3/flex options.

Sep 9, 2024 1:54 PM EST


Tony Pollard Shines In First Action As A Titan

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard rushed 16 times for 82 yards and a score, adding three receptions for 12 yards in the loss to Chicago. Pollard started the game as the Titans top back and out-carried Tyjae Spears by a surprisingly large margin, 16-4, right after the Titans coaching staff made a point that the backfield would be split evenly. The actual snap counts were a bit closer with Pollard taking 65% and Spears with 45%, but Pollard getting twice as many touches as Spears was definitely unexpected. Game script could have been part of the story here, with Tennessee attempting to grind the clock with a 17-0 lead going into the second half and utilizing the more punishing runner in Pollard to do so. The former Cowboy looked every bit of the dynamic player he was in Dallas a couple of years ago, highlighted by his 26-yard TD scamper where outraced the second level of the defense and cruised into the end zone untouched. Up next is a tough matchup with the New York Jets coming to town. .

Sep 9, 2024 10:25 AM EST


Tony Pollard Faces Tough Test In Week 1 At Chicago

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard heads to Chicago to face the Bears on NFL opening weekend. Pollard came to Nashville by way of Dallas on a 3-year, $21.75M deal this offseason after an underwhelming year as the Cowboys lead back. He now takes over a Titans backfield that is without superstar workhorse Derrick Henry, but retains the shifty Tyjae Spears who flashed quite a bit last season and should get a sizable workload. Titans Offensive Coordinator Nick Holz recently said the backfield will likely be a 50/50 split which brings Pollard's value down some, but he should still be the 1A to Spears' 1B in the backfield at least to begin the year. Week 1 will be anything but easy traveling to the Chicago and their #1 rushing defense from last year, which should be elite once again in 2024. Consider him a low-end flex for Week 1.

Sep 6, 2024 1:54 PM EST


Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears Could Have 50-50 Split In Backfield

Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz said during a press conference on Thursday that the team thinks it will be a near 50-50 split in the backfield between running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears this year. Holz goes on to say that the Titans have some plays earmarked specifically for Pollard or Spears, but the rest of them are interchangeable. We'll get a better look at Tennessee's new backfield combination on Sunday in Week 1 at Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears, but it sounds as though the Titans feel that Pollard and Spears are interchangeable and are basically co-starters to begin the 2024 season. Pollard failed to impress in a lead-back role in Dallas in 2023, and it doesn't look like he's going to have a leg up on backfield touches over Spears in his first year in Tennessee. To open the regular season, both RBs should be considered more of RB3/flex plays.

Sep 5, 2024 1:43 PM EST


Tony Pollard Finds The End Zone Against Saints

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard got into the end zone for his first score of the preseason in the final game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The veteran back finished the game with five carries for 17 yards and a touchdown while collecting 27 yards through the air on two receptions. He may not have the most efficient game to end the preseason, but getting the goalline carry is a good sign. Tyjae Spears is likely to steal at least a handful of snaps every game, but Pollard seems to have at least established a sizeable chunk in the offense. Right now, he's ranked as the 26th running back in half-PPR leagues in the RotoBaller rankings. If he can regain the passing work he once received in Dallas, he may be in for a better year, but it's hard to rely on that heading into the start of the season.

Aug 26, 2024 9:42 AM EST


Tony Pollard Efficient In Titans' Preseason Opener

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard rushed four times for 35 yards during Saturday's preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. He also hauled in both of his targets for an additional 11 yards through the air. Ultimately, Pollard finished as the Titans' most productive running back despite registering just a few carries. Saturday's preseason matchup doesn't compare to the opponents he'll face in the regular season, but this was a promising sign nonetheless. Pollard is a firm RB2 option heading into the 2024 fantasy football season.

Aug 10, 2024 10:00 PM EST


Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears Listed As Co-Starters

The Tennessee Titans have running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears listed as co-starters at the position on their first unofficial depth chart of training camp that was released on Monday. We always caution fantasy managers not to read too much into unofficial depth charts in the preseason, but this doesn't come as a surprise after head coach Brian Callahan said that Pollard and Spears are basically interchangeable in the team's 2024 backfield. Tennessee doesn't have a clear-cut starter at RB heading into their first preseason game, and it could be a pretty near-even timeshare. The 27-year-old Pollard does have a three-down skill set, but he averaged a career-low 4.0 yards per carry as Dallas' RB1 last year in his first opportunity as a true lead back. Pollard should be viewed as the team's lead back for fantasy purposes and is worth drafting as a low-end RB2/high-end RB3, while Spears has RB3 utility in point-per-reception leagues.

Aug 5, 2024 6:42 PM EST


Tyjae Spears, Tony Pollard To Split Titans Backfield In 2024

Tennessee Titans running backs Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard appear poised to split reps in 2024. While discussing a potential starter at running back, new head coach Brian Callahan indicated that both players could be interchangeable and may even share the field simultaneously. It affirms what many of us suspected heading into training camp, which is that this backfield will likely be roughly a 50/50 split. Both players have similar skill sets and are electric to watch when they get hot. Their speed will be a necessity given that the Titans enter the season with the 30th-ranked offensive line, according to PFF. Both players will leech each other's fantasy value in 2024. If second-year quarterback Will Levis can take a solid step forward, the dump-off opportunities could be there for both players if the running lanes are clogged. Each player is drafted outside the top-24 running backs in fantasy drafts, which is in line with RotoBaller's running back rankings that have Pollard as the RB25 while Spears is RB30.

Jul 23, 2024 6:43 PM EST


Titans High On Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears As Receivers

Tennessee Titans running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears figure to share the backfield in 2024 under new head coach Brian Callahan, and the Titans are high on both players as receiving threats. "Anytime we can find ways to match those guys up in the passing game on linebackers is a huge benefit to us. They are hard to cover. They can run routes like receivers, which is unique," Callahan said. "I have not seen guys like them very often and we have two of them...they catch naturally which is exciting." Pollard, who spent the last five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, was often used as a receiver out of the backfield as a change-of-pace complement to Ezekiel Elliott. Meanwhile, Spears played 52.9% of Tennessee's offensive snaps last year -- primarily on passing downs. It's going to be a challenge to project each back's workload in the new-look Titans' offense, but given the predicted identity shift to a pass-first approach, both could have flex value in PPR formats. Pollard is being drafted as a low-end RB2 in early fantasy drafts, while Spears is going off the board around the low-end RB3 range.

May 29, 2024 4:41 PM EST


Titans Calling Tyjae Spears, Tony Pollard 1A And 1B

Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz sees running backs Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard as 1A and 1B in some combination at the RB position for the team heading into the 2024 season. Holz said both backs will get a lot of touches. It's clearly bad news for Pollard's fantasy value after he served as the lead back for the Dallas Cowboys in 2023, recording his second straight 1,000-yard rushing season with six touchdowns but a career-low 4.0 yards per carry in 17 regular-season starts. Expecting a third straight 1,000-yard season in his first year in Tennessee would be unwise. If both Spears -- who had 453 rushing yards and 385 receiving yards with three total TDs as a rookies last year, -- and Pollard split the backfield work evenly, they'd both be more of RB3/flex plays in fantasy on a weekly basis in an offense that could be transitioning to more of a balanced attack rather than run-heavy.

Apr 10, 2024 11:05 PM EST


Titans Giving Tony Pollard A Three-Year Deal

Updating a previous report, the Tennessee Titans are set to give free-agent running back Tony Pollard a three-year deal worth $24 million, according to a source. The deal won't become official until Wednesday, but this officially signals that the Titans are moving on from Derrick Henry, which was expected all along. Pollard brings a completely different dynamic than King Henry in the backfield. While Pollard should be expected to see most of the backfield touches in Tennessee, second-year back Tyjae Spears should also be heavily involved, which will hurt Pollard's overall fantasy ceiling. The 26-year-old has gone over 1,000 yards rushing in each of the last two seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, but he averaged a career-low 4.0 yards per carry in 2023 and is moving to a much less explosive offense in Tennessee with an unproven second-year QB in Will Levis.

Mar 11, 2024 12:54 PM EST


Titans Expected To Sign Tony Pollard

The Tennessee Titans are expected to sign free-agent running back Tony Pollard, according to a league source. Nothing is official and teams cannot announce free-agent signings until Wednesday, but it looks like Pollard is going to leave the Dallas Cowboys for the Titans to replace Derrick Henry in Tennessee. The 26-year-old should be in line for lead-back duties in Tennessee, although second-year back Tyjae Spears earned more playing time after an impressive rookie campaign in 2023. Even though Pollard eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing for the second straight season in 2024 with Dallas, he averaged a career-low 4.0 yards per carry and didn't look the same after suffering a serious leg injury the previous postseason. He could be more efficient another year removed from the injury, but the move to the Titans is a big offensive downgrade behind an offensive line with plenty of question marks.

Mar 11, 2024 12:49 PM EST


Cowboys Not Expected To Use Franchise Tag On Tony Pollard

The Dallas Cowboys are not expected to use the franchise tag on impending free-agent running back Tony Pollard this year at a cost of $12.109 million, according to sources. The Cowboys gave Pollard lead-back duties in 2023, and he responded with 1,005 rushing yards on 252 attempts (career-low 4.0 yards per carry) with six touchdowns while adding a career-high 55 receptions for 311 yards and no TDs through the air in 17 regular-season contests. Pollard looked better late in the season and wasn't really himself for most of the year after recovering from a significant leg injury in 2022. The 26-year-old's fantasy value for the 2024 season will depend on where he's playing, but Pollard didn't do much to show other clubs that he can be trusted as a workhorse back.

Feb 26, 2024 6:52 PM EST