Who Should I Start? Tony Pollard or Najee Harris

Saturday, December 13, 10:33 AM

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard had been an underwhelming fantasy contributor ever since Tyjae Spears returned from injured reserve, but that all changed last week as Pollard exploded for 161 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the Titans' Week 14 win over the Cleveland Browns. The 28-year-old will look to carry the momentum from last weekend into this Sunday's Week 15 contest against the San Francisco 49ers. Tennessee seems to be riding the hot hand at running back, so Pollard will likely get the first crack at handling the every-down role this week. If he starts strong, he could have a shot at replicating last week's huge game. If Pollard can excel against a strong Browns run defense, he's capable of finding similar success against the Niners, who rank near the middle of the league in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs this year. With that being said, we can't guarantee that Pollard will explode just because of one big, unexpected performance. There's still some risk here, making Pollard a low-floor, high-ceiling option for Week 15. He ranks as the overall RB34 in this week's RotoBaller fantasy rankings and can be deployed as a flex in most formats.

Wednesday, September 24, 6:15 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers announced on Wednesday that they placed running back Najee Harris (Achilles) on Injured Reserve, according to Fernando Ramirez of the Sporting Tribune. Harris' season is over after he tore his Achilles in the Week 3 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. It's a disappointing end to his first year with the Bolts after signing with them in free agency in the offseason. The 27-year-old will end his streak of four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons to begin his career. In his three games this year, Harris carried the ball 15 times for 61 yards and no touchdowns, adding three receptions for 25 yards through the air. The Chargers will be forced to lean more on rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton as their lead back going forward, making him a must-start each week. Hassan Haskins will be elevated to the RB2 role, with Kimani Vidal the next man up at No. 2 in the backfield.