Who Should I Start? Tony Pollard or Jalen McMillan

Thursday, July 10, 1:06 PM

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan is hoping for a more balanced approach to the running game in 2025 between running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears, writes ESPN's Turron Davenport. Pollard had a career-high 260 carries -- more than twice as many as Spears -- and gained 1,079 yards on the ground in 2024. "In a perfect world, it's a healthier division of labor [between Pollard and Spears]," Callahan said. Spears was expected to contribute much more alongside Pollard last year, but he missed five games due to a concussion, ankle sprain and hamstring injury. Some of the Titans' distribution in the backfield in 2025 will include either Julius Chestnut or rookie Kalel Mullings. Pollard has never been more efficient than when he shared the load with Ezekiel Elliott in Dallas, but an inevitable drop in workload this year means fantasy managers need to target him as an RB2 and not as an RB1.

Friday, July 18, 3:26 PM

When asked to pick an offensive player who needs to step up in 2025, Tampa Bay Buccaneers new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard named wide receiver Jalen McMillan on The Ronde Barber Show. McMillan came on strong to close out the 2024 season with Chris Godwin (ankle) injured, but he'll have plenty of competition for playing time with Mike Evans, Godwin and rookie first-rounder Emeka Egbuka in the receivers room. The 23-year-old finished his second NFL season with 37 catches for 461 yards and eight touchdowns. In the final five games, he had 24 receptions, 316 yards and seven touchdowns. "I think that where (McMillan) left last season and the progress he showed on and off the field, and you could see that carry over into the spring with not having Chris out there and bringing Emeka along and him showing Emeka the ropes," Grizzard said.