Who Should I Start? Samaje Perine or Tony Pollard

Saturday, December 16, 10:54 AM

Denver Broncos running back Samaje Perine (knee) was on the Week 15 injury report but has since been cleared and will play on Saturday evening against the Detroit Lions. Outside of maybe the deepest PPR setups, Perine is probably worth avoiding, especially against a Lions team that has allowed only 48 receptions on the year and zero receiving touchdowns to RBs. But although Perine was passed by rookie Jaleel McLaughlin around the midpoint of the season for the RB2 role in Denver, he has made a comeback and is once again the Broncos' preferred back on passing downs, catching all 15 of his targets for 112 yards (7.47 yards per reception) in the last four games. He's also added 11 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown. If the Broncos find themselves trailing big early, Perine could be more involved in the passing attack.

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.