Tony Pollard

Fantasy Upside

2020 Week 15 showed Tony Pollard’s upside - 18 touches, 132 total yards, and one rushing score while playing 89.7% of snaps. Despite never out-snapping an active Ezekiel Elliott, Pollard finished within five fantasy points of Zeke in half-point PPR six times and outscored him once. It is also encouraging to see Pollard receive at least one target in 15 of 16 games and multiple in 11 of 16. The former Memphis Tiger outscored Elliot in points per snap in standard PPR formats.

After starting Week 15, Pollard played nearly 50% of snaps the final two weeks alongside Elliot. He is one of the few backup running backs in the NFL that does not change the offensive game plan based on talent and skills.

Fantasy Downside

Pollard’s value will not peak unless Elliott is hurt or not a Cowboy. That is difficult to see with Zeke’s contract being one of the worst in the NFL. Depending on an injury is a fools’ errand. Pollard also has the same schedule as Elliott which consists of four games against top-five defenses according to 4for4’s Schedule-Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed. The Cowboys also have one more against a top 10 unit. Pollard will see seven defensive units that were top 10 against opposing running backs.

2021 Bottom Line

Pollard is an elite backup running back with RB1 upside if Elliott were to miss any games. That said, he is nothing more than a handcuff that will not see increased snaps without a slew of injuries or skill deterioration from Elliott.

Week 16 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Tony Pollard's Week 16 outlook depends heavily on Ezekiel Elliott's status. Pollard looked awesome posting 132 total yards and two rushing scores last week with Elliott sitting out, but Zeke was back practicing in a limited capacity this week. If Zeke sits out again, it is hard not to consider Pollard a strong RB1 given his projected workload and demonstrated efficiency. As of Saturday, Zeke is listed as questionable and we may not know his status until inactives are released Sunday. If Zeke is inactive again, fire up Pollard as a no-doubt starter. If Zeke plays, both backs would be low-upside options at best.

Week 7 at Washington Football Team
Tony Pollard received extra work last week, but that was mostly due to Dallas getting blown out and Ezekiel Elliott fumbling twice. Pollard was not getting enough volume to warrant fantasy consideration before Dak Prescott's injury, and the offense as a whole is significantly worse without Prescott under center. Pollard remains a bench stash heading into Week 7.