As we gear up to the start of the NFL season, Football Absurdity is going to bring you a comprehensive breakdown of every notable player that will be available in fantasy football drafts. Ideally, the Cowboys never have to turn to Tony Pollard this season, but who is the Cowboys’ backup running back, and why are we talking about him with Ezekiel Elliott on the team?
Tony Pollard ADP and AAV:
Standard Scoring ADP: RB46, 136 overall
PPR Scoring ADP: RB48, 134 overall
Average Auction Value: $1
Tony Pollard Statistics:
| Year | 2019 |
| G | 15 |
| GS | 0 |
| Ru Att | 86 |
| Ru Yds | 455 |
| Ru TD | 2 |
| Tgt | 20 |
| Rec | 15 |
| Yards | 107 |
| TD | 1 |
| Touches | 101 |
| Opp | 106 |
| Total Yards | 562 |
| Year | 2019 |
| YPC | 5.29 |
| Ru Att/G | 5.7 |
| Ru Yd/G | 30.3 |
| Tgt/G | 1.33 |
| Rec/G | 1.00 |
| Catch% | 75.0% |
| Yds/Tgt | 5.35 |
| Yds/Rec | 7.13 |
| Touches/G | 6.73 |
| Opp/G | 7.07 |
| Yds/G | 37.47 |
| Year | 2019 |
| Std Pts | 74.2 |
| HPPR Pts | 81.7 |
| PPR Pts | 89.2 |
| Pts/G | 4.95 |
| HPPR Pts/G | 5.45 |
| PPR Pts/G | 5.95 |
| Pts/Touch | 0.73 |
| Pts/Touch (HPPR) | 0.81 |
| Pts/Touch (PPR) | 0.88 |
Tony Pollard Overview:
Why are we worried about Tony Pollard? Well, nobody in the last two decades has three-straight seasons of 300+ carries, and Ezekiel Elliott is sitting hot and pretty with over 300 carries in back-to-back seasons. It’s worth noting that the only reason he didn’t already reach this milestone in all four of his NFL seasons was his 2017 suspension for off-the-field offseason issues. That is why we are talking about Tony Pollard. That, and that Ezekiel Elliott is currently the most fantasy football relevant player to contract COVID-19. He’s reportedly in recovery, but it is a problem that can linger.
So, who is Tony Pollard? Going into last season, he played mostly as a WR/RB hybrid in college. He didn’t seem to excel at either but was proficient enough at both that he merited space on an NFL roster. He proved that he has a position in the NFL: running back. After whiffing for 1.85 yards per carry on thirteen carries in week one, Pollard had double-digit carries three other times. He turned those carries into 100+ yards in two of the three contests. The kid is very good, and the only thing holding him back is air and opportunity and when Zeke gets hurt… *deep sniff* there goes the air.
Tony Pollard Draft Strategy:
Tony Pollard Auction Value: $3
Draft Ranking: Find out for your league settings in a Beersheet! (coming late June)
If you have an extra buck and nobody you really want at the end of an auction, you could do a lot worse than throwing that dollar Pollard’s way. He’s shown that he can handle the load if Zeke goes down, and he can do it well. The worst-case scenario is Zeke chugs along and you end up dropping Pollard for the new hotness. Whoops, I guess I spoiled the end of this article.
Pollard isn’t a priority add for me, but more of a guy I will shrug and go “sure, for a buck, why not?” at. In snake drafts, he’s going in the 130s, meaning he’s a late-round guy. I may not end up with him there because I am probably scooping guys that fell inordinately late because kickers and DSTs went off the board too early.
Best Case Scenario:
Ezekiel Elliott suddenly retires from the NFL to make sure the league never sees him slip in a half-shirt without an eight-pack.
Worst Case Scenario:
You end up with someone else on your roster in week six.
[Statistics are sourced from pro-football-reference.com and airyards.com]
