Fantasy Football Managers Should Bench Tony Pollard In Week 8 and Beyond

Tony Pollard’s early-season shine has completely faded, as declining usage, the rise of Tyjae Spears, and a tough upcoming schedule make him a risky fantasy football start in Week 8 and beyond.

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (20) runs the ball during the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard was pleasant surprise early in the season. Things played out perfectly for him with a rookie quarterback who needed to lean on his rushing attack, and his backfield teammate Tyjae Spears landed on injured reserve to start the season. Things were good for the first five weeks of the season, but since Spears returned, the writing has been on the wall over the past two weeks that things are going south in a hurry. 

Tony Pollard's Value Dips Following Tyjae Spears' Return

Through the first five games of the season, he was averaging 16.4 carries per game. That number has quickly dropped to eight over the past two weeks. In those two games he has rushed for just 34 and 18 yards. He did catch six passes for 43 yards in Week 7, but that seems like more of an anomaly being that Spears is actually the better pass-catcher and as the full-time starter, he hadn't seen more than four targets all season. He has just 122 receiving yards on the season. 

Spears returned in Week 5, but saw a big bump in snaps in Week 6. Over the past two games, he has seen 10 carries, eight targets, and 59 snaps. In those same two games, Pollard has seen 16 carries, eight targets, and 56 snaps. In the first four games of the season, he never fell below an 86% snap share, in Week 5 he had a 73% snap share, and over the past two games, he's played less than 50% of the snaps. It's clear that his usage is plummeting, which is also tanking his production, due to the emergence of Spears off of the injured reserve. 

Cam Ward And the Passing Attack Begin To Show Signs of Life

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) passes the ball against the New England Patriots during the second half at Nissan Stadium. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Rookie quarterback Cam Ward is also throwing more and becoming more productive as well. In the first four games of the season, he averaged 16 completions and 153.5 yards per game. Over the past three games he's completing 24 passes per game for 247.3 yards per game. As Ward continues to get better and they lean on him more, Pollard's carries will inevitably go down. So, Pollard is dealing with the ascension of both Ward and Spears right now. 

Tony Pollard's Daunting Schedule in Week 8 and Beyond

To make matters worse, the schedule doesn't look great for Pollard either. His next three games are against the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, and Houston Texans. The Chargers are a decent matchup, however, the Colts are allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to running backs and the Texans the eighth fewest.

It just seems like everything is working against Pollard right now, and it's hard to see him getting back to where he was early in the season as long as Spears is healthy. Spears was a star in training camp, and the Titans are set on getting him on the field.