RB Tony Pollard - Dallas Cowboys

6-0, 210

Born: 4-30-1997

College: Memphis

Drafted: Round 4, pick 2019

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News you need to know

From the upgrade/downgrade report (Mon Nov 18): Pollard had standalone value in Week 11 and could be a bigger part of the offense going forward. If Ezekiel Elliott goes down, he could be a league winner.

Week 12: at New England Patriots

All RB vs NE

FBG says: Good matchup. The inconsistency struggles continue for the Cowboys rushing offense and Ezekiel Elliott as he was shut down in what should have been a fairly easy matchup for the Cowboys this past week as Elliott was held to just 45 yards and 2.8 yards-per-carry. This is the second straight game that Elliott has been held to under 3 yards-per-carry and under 50 yards total. While it is a down-year for Elliott, for most running backs it would still qualify as an outstanding year as he is on pace to rush for 1332 yards and 11 touchdowns and finish as a top-five running back this season. However, the team is not the same elite running game that we have become accustomed to. Part of this blame is on Elliott and potentially could be attributed to the lack of pre-season for the running back, but part of it has to do with the offensive line. Travis Frederick is not playing at the elite level that we are used to pre-illness that kept him out all last season, Zach Martin while still elite has been dealing with a variety of injuries, left guard Connor Williams had knee surgery eight days ago although they may somehow get him back this week, and now La'el Collins is questionable for this game. The Patriots run defense looked better last week against the Eagles, but this week will be a telling week to determine whether coming off the bye whether they have fixed their run defense. Before the bye, the Patriots sputtered by allowing 115 yards to Mark Ingram on just 15 carries, and 131 yards to Nick Chubb. The problems with the Patriots have primarily been against downhill straight forward running backs (Frank Gore also ran for over 100 yards), which is the problem when running the Dime defense as your base defense as the Patriots do. This is a defense that is built with speed to stop the pass and stop lateral runs with the intent that the interior defensive lineman such as Danny Shelton and Lawrence Guy will clog the middle up. The problem is that Guy is not playing as well as he was earlier this season and not nearly as well as he was last year where he was dominating the interior. This is a defense that on the season has allowed 4.6 yards-per-carry which is 23rd in the NFL. This should be an exploitable matchup for the Cowboys this week.

Recent Stats and Projections

WEEK	OPP		oSNAP	RSH	YD	TD	TARG	REC	YD	TD	FumL	Pts
9	at NYG		15	3	21	0	3	1.0	9	0	0	3
10	vs MIN		3	1	-4	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	-0.4
11	at DET		13	2	12	0	4	4.0	44	1	0	11.6
12	at NE	PROJ-Dodds	*	3	*	*		1.1	*	*	*	*
12	at NE	PROJ-Tremblay	*	4	*	*		0.9	*	*	*	*
12	at NE	PROJ-Bloom	*	3	*	*		2.0	*	*	*	*

Weekly Performance vs RB 1, RB 12, RB 24, RB 36

Percentile ranks

Tony Pollard's percentile rank in each category, among RB with more than 50 fantasy points.

Recent Game Summaries

2019 Week 11 vs DET (2 / 12 / 0 rush, 4 / 4 / 44 / 1 rec)

Pollard flashed with big plays for the first time since his Week 3 explosion for 128 yards. Pollard showed his speed for more than 10 yards on a jet sweep and a nice cutback on another run. Pollard came wide open on a reception, breaking a tackle on his way for a chunk touchdown. Pollard also added a two-point conversion and quality kickoff return against the Lions to round out his contributions. Pollard has massive upside if pressed into the starting role in Ezekiel Elliott should miss time.

2019 Week 9 vs NYG (3 / 21 / 0 rush, 3 / 1 / 9 / 0 rec)

Pollard had an up-and-down game as he spelled Ezekiel Elliott against the Giants. Pollard was fueled by good blocking on his biggest run of the game up the middle and exhibited a strong stiff arm to the perimeter on another occasion. Dallas set up a potential big play with a Pollard screen, but the rookie had an ugly drop to thwart the opportunity. Outside of the Week 8 Miami game, Pollard has seen low volume as the ancillary back in Dallas.

2019 Week 3 vs MIA (13 / 103 / 1 rush, 3 / 3 / 25 / 0 rec)

Pollard had a career day against Miami as Dallas coasted to the comfortable win in the second half. Pollard eased the workload of Ezekiel Elliott in the process, who still received more than 20 touches, as Pollard collected 128 total yards and 16 touches. Pollard, like Elliott, benefitted from a Dallas offensive line which manhandled Miami's defensive front in the run game for much of the contest. Pollard's production mostly came in the second half, including a featured drive which culminated with a Pollard touchdown, the first of his young career. Pollard's best features are his burst and full speed cuts, on display with three of his best touches, all going for more than 10 yards. Pollard was an elite receiver in college, but has yet to be featured much for Dallas with four targets in three games.

2019 Week 2 vs WAS (4 / 22 / 0 rush, 1 / 1 / 3 / 0 rec)

Pollard did not see an offensive touch against Washington until the second half as starter Ezekiel Elliott was up to his typical workload in Week 2. Pollard's highlight run, showing nice burst down to the goal line and then plunging in for a short-range score, was called back by penalty. Pollard is the clear backup to Elliott and could be poised for a decent workload in Week 3 against the struggling Dolphins.

2019 Week 1 vs NYG (13 / 24 / 0 rush, 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec)

Pollard saw extended work in his NFL debut with Ezekiel Elliot on a managed workload (and not needed much) in the win over the Giants. Pollard saw minimal success on the ground, looking far more pedestrian than his preseason flashes over the past month. Pollard was not targeted in the passing game, a forte of his by the college profile, as Dak Prescott diced the Giants to wide receivers and tight ends. On the positive side, Pollard was the clear (as expected) backup to Ezekiel Elliott. There could be mop-up duty again in Week 2 against Washington for Pollard to see double-digit touches.