Who Should I Start? Tony Pollard or Rashid Shaheed

Wednesday, August 6, 1:06 PM

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard is listed as the RB1 on the team's first unofficial preseason depth chart ahead of Tyjae Spears. Meanwhile, Spears is listed as the co-RB2 with rookie Kalel Mullings. Head coach Brian Callahan has envisioned more of an even split in this year's backfield between Pollard and Spears, and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said earlier this week that "people I've talked to in Tennessee believe Spears has positioned himself for an uptick" in opportunities after he averaged 9.5 touches per game last year. Assuming everyone is healthy, Pollard is probably the RB1, but the margin figures to shrink between he and Spears in 2025. It puts Pollard more on the RB2/3 borderline, while Spears is a decent RB4/flex target in PPR leagues or as a handcuff to Pollard. In his first year in Tennessee, Pollard had a career-high 1,079 rushing yards and five TDs on 260 carries.

Wednesday, July 30, 11:10 AM

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed is playing through physical coverage in training camp practices so far, according to Jeff Nowak of Audacy Sports. Nowak notes that this has been a clear area of improvement for the fourth-year receiver since he entered the league in 2022. Once known exclusively as a downfield deep-ball threat, Shaheed was showing signs of becoming a more complete receiver in 2024 before tearing his meniscus in Week 6 and missing the remainder of the season. In the six games he played, Shaheed caught 20 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns, averaging an impressive 2.25 yards-per-route-run. The Saints' question marks at quarterback hold down his fantasy value, but Shaheed is an intriguing late-round dart throw who could be on the verge of a breakout in his age-27 season.