Who Should I Start? Tony Pollard or Rico Dowdle

Sunday, January 5, 11:46 AM

As expected, Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (ankle) is officially active on Sunday in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Houston Texans. After practicing on a limited basis all week, Pollard will return for the final game of the season after he sat out the Week 17 loss to the division-rival Jacksonville Jaguars. Tyjae Spears (concussion) was ruled out, so Pollard could see a near full workload in his return as the Titans close out a disappointing season. The 27-year-old can earn an extra $250,000 if he racks up 83 rushing yards on the year for 1,100 yards on the season. If he scores twice on Sunday, he'd earn an extra $200,000, so Pollard could be busy and has plenty at stake for fantasy managers debating on whether to throw him into their starting lineups. He has clear RB2 upside for Week 18.

Sunday, January 5, 9:23 PM

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle rushed 22 times for 72 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's Week 18 loss to the Washington Commanders. He also caught two of his three targets for an additional 12 yards through the air. Dowdle was quite impressive throughout the 2024 season, supplanting Ezekiel Elliott as the Cowboys' undisputed No. 1 running back. He finished the campaign with 1,079 rushing yards, 249 receiving yards, and five total touchdowns through 16 games, ranking as a low-end RB2 in fantasy football. There has been plenty of speculation that the Cowboys could take an aggressive approach with their pursuit of a running back this offseason, such as drafting Ashton Jeanty. However, there's also a real possibility they feel confident in Dowdle and don't take as big of a swing for a backfield addition within the upcoming months. The 26-year-old currently still has appeal as a mid-range RB3 option heading into the 2025 campaign, and until Dallas brings in competition, this backfield belongs to Dowdle.