Tony Pollard Fantasy Overview

2024 Summary

Production & Fantasy Finishes

Pollard played 16 of 17 games last year, totaling 1,079 rushing yards, 238 receiving yards, and five total TDs. He finished 22nd among RBs in both total PPR points and PPR points per game.

Pollard played six games in which RB Tyjae Spears was out or limited, averaging 14.6 PPR points per game. In 10 games with a healthy Spears, Pollard averaged 11.5 points per game. That ranked just 30th among RBs.

Usage & Role

Pollard ranked 20th among RBs in expected PPR points per game on the season. He ranked 13th in his six games without a healthy Spears but fell to 23rd in the other 10 games.

Here’s how the work was divvied between them across those 10 games:

• Pollard
  • 13.3 carries per game (57.3% share)
  • 3.5 targets per game (11.3% share)
• Spears
  • 5.8 carries per game (25.0% share)
  • 2.9 targets per game (9.4% share)

Efficiency Metrics

Pollard averaged 4.2 yards per carry last year, despite playing behind an offensive line that ranked 31st in Pro Football Focus’ run-blocking grades and 25th in adjusted line yards.

Among 47 RBs with 90+ carries last year, Pollard ranked:

• 27th in NFL Next Gen Stats’ rush yards over expected per attempt
• 9th in yards after contact per attempt
• 41st in missed tackles forced per attempt
• 31st in Pro Football Focus rushing grade

Pollard beat Spears in yards after contact per attempt and PFF rushing grade; Spears held the edge in missed tackles forced per attempt.

Spears also beat Pollard in yards per route and PFF receiving grade. Among 37 RBs league-wide with 30+ targets, Pollard ranked 31st in yards per route and 33rd in receiving grade.

Historical Production & Trends

2024 was a nice bounce back from Pollard after an inefficient 2023 with the Cowboys. He improved his:

• Yards per carry (4.0 to 4.2)
• Rush yards over expected per attempt (-0.16 to 0.05)
• Yards after contact per attempt (2.92 to 3.40)

Last year’s marks still fell short of Pollard’s averages over his first four seasons, when he was handling less rushing volume.

Injury History

Pollard battled through an ankle injury for the final few games of last season but only missed Week 17 with the flu.

He went down in the 2022 NFL playoffs with a broken left fibula and high-ankle sprain that required surgery.

Pollard also missed one game as a rookie in 2019 with an ankle injury.

2025 Expectations

Projected Role & Competition

The Titans added RB Kalel Mullings in the sixth round of this spring’s draft. GM Mike Borgonzi talked up his ability in short-yardage situations, but Mullings is unlikely to be a factor as long as Pollard and Spears are healthy.

HC Brian Callahan said in May that he's looking for a more even distribution of touches this season between Pollard and Spears.

“Hopefully that division of labor gets a little more evenly distributed so [Pollard] doesn't have to take the brunt of it,” Callahan said. “And we can get 17 games out of all those guys at their best.”

Pollard remains the favorite to lead this backfield in touches, but he might cede more work to Spears than he did last year.

Supporting Cast

The Titans hope they’ve found a solution at QB in first overall pick Cam Ward. Although his mechanics and accuracy are inconsistent, Ward has plus arm talent and athleticism. He should be an immediate upgrade over last year’s duo of Will Levis and Mason Rudolph.

Tennessee also made some moves to hopefully bolster the offensive line, adding G Kevin Zeitler and OT Dan Moore in free agency. Zeitler is a reliable vet, while Moore is a bit of a wildcard after an up-and-down four seasons in Pittsburgh. 2023 first-round G Peter Skoronski and 2024 first-round RT J.C. Latham are candidates for leaps forward in 2025.

Coaching & Offensive Scheme

Brian Callahan returns for his second season as Titans HC. The year one results were ugly, with Tennessee ranking 26th in total yards and 27th in points. But Callahan never had much of a chance with a QB room of Will Levis and Mason Rudolph.

His results as Bengals OC from 2019 through 2023 were better. Cincinnati ranked top-16 in points in Callahan’s final three seasons, including seventh-place finishes in 2021 and 2022.

All five of Callahan’s Bengals teams registered pass rates north of 58%, with four of them topping 60%. Last year’s Titans threw on just 56.4% of their offensive plays — 19th in the NFL.

That was likely at least partly due to the poor QB play. If Ward proves to be an upgrade, we’d expect the Titans to throw at least a little more in 2025.

Production & Efficiency Trends

Pollard will play this upcoming season at 28 years old. Our aging-curve research shows that RBs, on average, produce between 75-80% of their peak at age-28. That’s down from 84-85% at 27.

Pollard shouldn’t tumble over the age cliff this season, but his best days are likely behind him.