Does Tony Pollard Have A Ceiling In Fantasy Football?
The Cowboys clearly miss Ezekiel Elliott and it shows. Tony Pollard hasn’t been the same player without him. Instead of arguing which player is better, maybe we should have spent more time on whether Pollard could carry the bell as a workhorse running back. We’re 15 games through the 2023-24 NFL Season and we have our answer. The answer is a resounding no.
Pollard, 26, is averaging a career-worst 4.0 yards per carry. He’s been brutal and grinding out those dirty short-yardage runs. Even more than that, Pollard has established a ceiling on who he is as a player. A very nice auxiliary piece. Just never going to be THAT guy.
With two weeks to go, Pollard is currently RB18 on the season in fantasy. Keep in mind, he’s been healthy the entire season. It’s not exactly a brutal outcome. It’s definitely a far cry from the guy that was being drafted super high.
So how should you value Pollard in fantasy heading into 2024? That’s the greatest question of all. The former Memphis product will hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent in 2024. Given his performance this year, I highly doubt that Dallas opts for the franchise tag again. Maybe a long term deal can be reached here but it’s far from a guarantee.
More than anything, I think it should just be noted that a ceiling has clearly been set here. Pollard is not a league winner in fantasy. He can certainly help you but the idea that he’s going to lead a backfield to fantasy glory by himself. I’m just not sure it’s in the range of outcomes. We’re all seeing it play out. The lack of rushing touchdowns here is what’s really killing fantasy owners. Five touchdowns with that type of volume just isn’t good enough.
Feel free to comment below. Am I being too harsh? Again, Pollard is still very useful in fantasy. I just don’t think we can ignore what’s happening this year.
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