Who Should I Start? Tony Pollard or RJ Harvey

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.

Saturday, August 9, 11:13 PM

Denver Broncos rookie running back RJ Harvey earned the majority of the early down work in the team's first preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night, according to Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. Veteran J.K. Dobbins mixed in with Harvey, but mostly served as the third-down back. Harvey and Dobbins are expected to share the majority of the backfield workload in Denver this season. However, their usage against San Francisco could be a window into how Broncos head coach Sean Payton envisions deploying his running backs when the games start to count. Harvey profiles as a borderline RB2/RB3 in fantasy with clear upside if he can play well enough to dominate playing time in the Denver backfield.