Tony

Pollard

“Shoot, Pollard dropped over 100 on us (last season) so I think he’s pretty good ... Spears has tremendous versatility as a three-down back and they both play with a physical mindset. … I’m a believer in our backfield and I think it’s a group that can help our team,” Saleh continued before saying it was one of the better running back rooms in football. We’ve seen plenty of Jeremiyah Love hype for the Titans this offseason, and perhaps this is just a smoke screen, but Saleh appears to be throwing some cold water on the idea. If Pollard can get out of the draft without another high-end back addition, he’ll be a fine Zero-RB stab again in 2026.

The Titans, who have the fourth pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, could be in the running for Love, who impressed at last week’s Scouting Combine. “Anytime you can get a running back like that, especially a three-down running back, that can play in the pass game as well and be able to take over a game, you’ve seen guys in the league now that can do that,” Borgonzi said when being asked about taking a running back in the top five. Titans head coach stressed the importance of a good run game in taking pressure off of second-year QB Cam Ward following Ward’s massive rookie year struggles. The Titans could save around $7 million in cap space if they release Tony Pollard, 29, with a post-June 1 designation. If he lands in Tennessee, Love would likely be the centerpiece of Brian Daboll’s offense, relegating Tyjae Spears to breather back status.

Per usual, Pollard dominated the Titans’ backfield opportunities. Tyjae Spears logged a measly six attempts and caught just two passes. Unlike previous weeks, Pollard didn’t hit 100 yards or find the end zone. It was still a solid game that saw Pollard average 4.5 yards per carry, but fantasy managers might be left wanting more. Pollard will have a hard time getting home versus a motivated Jags squad next week. He will be stuck in the RB2 ranks despite seeing an RB1 workload every week.

The 100-yard rushing effort was Pollard’s third straight. This one was scoreless after a one-yard touchdown late in the fourth was called back by illegal formation. Pollard advanced to the one the next play, but that too was undone by penalty and the Titans had to settle for a field goal. Unfortunate, but Pollard’s hot finish is now a certified trend in a Titans offense that’s been playing better football. That could include for Week 17 against the Saints, though New Orleans is looking like the better version of Tennessee in terms of late 2025 bloomers. Pollard will be in the top 24 for the fantasy finals.

Pollard looked good on the ground again, one week after obliterating the Browns for 161 yards rushing. The Titans were down multiple scores for most of the game, so they weren’t able to rely on the ground game too much, but they kept giving Pollard chances because he was far and away their best offensive player. He also outcarried Tyjae Spears 14-to-3, which is good news for Pollard’s fantasy value since it seemed like Spears had made this close to a 50-50 committee a month ago. The veteran has been playing with some juice lately and is a low-end RB2 option against a deflated Chiefs defense next week.

Although he wasn’t targeted in the passing game, Pollard’s 161 yards on the ground were a new career high by 30. He had touchdowns of 65 and 32 yards to thank, with the 65-yarder featuring all manner of slipped tackles and mild field reversals. For the 32-yarder, he was barely touched after finding the seam. It is not an exaggeration to say Pollard provided the difference in what went down as only the second Titans victory of the season. Cam Ward completed just 14 throws for 117 yards, while Tyjae Spears was limited to 10 touches for 47 scoreless yards. Where this has been all year is anyone’s guess, but Ward’s scattershot passing means it will be unlikely to return for Week 15 against the 49ers. Pollard did at least go a long way toward shoring up his FLEX standing with bye weeks officially over and the fantasy playoffs finally here.

In a blowout loss, Pollard saw one less snap than Tyjae Spears, though he still saw two more touches than Spears. Pollard began the game with three carries for 36 yards, picking up three first downs on the Titans’ opening drive. However, the Titans went down quickly and the run game was abandoned. To rub more salt into the wound, Pollard fumbled on a garbage time possession late in the fourth quarter. Volume in his lead back role keeps Pollard in the fantasy RB3 range for Week 14 against the Browns.

15 touches for 41 yards isn’t a great day in the backfield, though Pollard did out-touch Tyjae Spears 15-7. Spears mustered 25 yards, with only four of them coming on the ground. Pollard is proving more resilient as the Titans’ lead back than we expected following Spears’ Week 5 return, though it is predictably amounting to nothing in this disastrous offensive environment. With all 32 teams active for Week 13, Pollard will be an uninspiring FLEX against the Jaguars.

It was established, though. Pollard added three catches for four yards on his only three targets. He narrowly was outsnapped by Tyjae Spears, 32-28, on the early data. Spears looks shiftier in the open field and the Titans offense is so bad that Pollard hasn’t scored since Week 5, ruining his volume appeal. Pollard is borderline-droppable in shallow leagues and would be a dire FLEX start into Seattle’s defense in Week 12.

With the game surprisingly tight, Pollard played to a standstill with Tyjae Spears, narrowly winning the snaps battle but out-touching his backfield mate just 11-10. He did out-gain him 68-62. Spears’ return from injured reserve has coincided with a loss of RB2 value for Pollard but only limited FLEX relevance for Spears. It’s just not a good fantasy mix right now. That will very much include Week 11 against the Texans’ elite defense when the Titans come off bye.