Who Should I Start? Royce Freeman or Tony Pollard

Tuesday, April 16, 9:08 PM

The Dallas Cowboys signed free-agent running back Royce Freeman to an undisclosed one-year deal on Tuesday, according to a source. The former third-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2018 out of Oregon spent last year with the Los Angeles Rams and had 77 carries for 319 yards and two rushing touchdowns in 14 regular-season games (zero starts) while adding a 13-yard catch on two targets. Even with Tony Pollard departing via Tennessee in free agency this offseason, it might be tough for Freeman to make a huge impact in Dallas' backfield in 2024 alongside the likes of Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis. The Cowboys could also add more competition at the position via the upcoming draft. At best, Freeman could be a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex option in fantasy in 2024.

Wednesday, April 10, 11:05 PM

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.