Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or Tony Pollard

Tuesday, December 24, 2:57 PM

According to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler (concussion) is trending the right way for a potential Week 18 return. The veteran running back has been sidelined since suffering a concussion during their Week 12 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. While he has been on the injured reserve, Brian Robinson Jr. has seen the vast majority of the snaps with Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. operating as change-of-pace options. Before his injury, Ekeler was deployed as the top third down running back and averaged a solid 11.6 PPR points across his first 11 games in the DMV. He saw 3.5 targets per game and found the back of the end zone four times. Fantasy managers should continue to expect Brian Robinson Jr. to operate in his workhorse role during their Week 17 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

Monday, December 30, 7:47 PM

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan said there's a chance that running back Tony Pollard (ankle, illness) could play in Week 18 against the division-rival Houston Texans after missing the Week 17 loss to the division-rival Jacksonville Jaguars. Tyjae Spears (concussion), however, is more uncertain after suffering a concussion against the Jags on Sunday. Callahan hasn't sounded very optimistic about Spears' chances of playing in the regular-season finale. The Titans have nothing to play for this weekend and will prioritize playing time for younger players, so even if the 27-year-old Pollard is feeling well enough to return to action, there's no guarantee he'll be the Titans' featured back all game. If the team rules out both Pollard and Spears by this Friday, Tennessee's backfield would be split by Julius Chestnut and Joshua Kelley to close out the year.