Tony Pollard - Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Fantasy Football Picks for Week 1 (2026)

September 5, 2026

Tony Pollard start 'em, sit 'em fantasy football picks for Week 1 of 2026. Should you start or sit Tony Pollard for fantasy football lineups in Week 1?

BALLER MOVE: Start in 12+ Team Leagues

POSITIONAL VALUE: RB3/FLEX

ANALYSIS: Pollard will be the lead back for the Tennessee Titans for yet another season. There may not be much to get excited about. While the team overhauled its coaching staff in the offseason, quarterback Cam Ward doesn't appear to have made much progress.

It's controversial to criticize rookies for their play, especially when they're on one of the worst offenses in the NFL. Ward didn't have much of a supporting cast. But he was still one of the league's most inaccurate QBs. He was also plagued by several mistakes and struggled to find consistent success at the pro level.

Cam Ward just uncorked one to absolutely nobody.

Preseason is so back. pic.twitter.com/UGfPa3AKbT

— Aggregate (@AggregateSports) August 24, 2026

Ward struggles to hit his receivers, and despite offseason improvements, this is still one of the worst offenses in the league.

Pollard is 29 years old, and he regressed in several key efficiency stats last season, including tackle avoidance. He fumbled four times, losing three in the process, and logged just two games with 15 or more PPR fantasy points on his way to an RB23 overall finish.

Tony Pollard the Titan!

📺: #TENvsCHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/gFFLVKU9pG

— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024

It's frustrating to watch, because he still is a solid player. The Titans' offensive line has underperformed for years, and they haven't been particularly good at run blocking. The Titans are projected to improve with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll calling the plays.

But every season, a lot of the worst teams are projected to improve, and it simply doesn't happen. Ward's preseason was incredibly discouraging, and the selection of rookie WR Carnell Tate might not be enough to lift the team to significantly more red zone opportunities for the former Cowboys RB.

It's reasonable to be skeptical here. Pollard is a decent start in deep leagues, but backup RB Tyjae Spears played a lot in garbage time and handled pass-catching opportunities, leaving Pollard few avenues to be consistently startable. In shallower 12-team leagues, he's better on the bench for now as they begin their season against the Jets.

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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Tony Pollard, Rhamondre Stevenson, Josh Downs, Carnell Tate, Jameson Williams, Rome Odunze, Alec Pierce, D'Andre Swift, Wan'Dale Robinson, Jaylen Waddle. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 1. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.

Week 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Tony Pollard, Rhamondre Stevenson, Josh Downs, Carnell Tate, Jameson Williams, Rome Odunze, Alec Pierce, D'Andre Swift, Wan'Dale Robinson, Jaylen Waddle. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 1.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.

Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.

Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.

Popular Week 1 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 1 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.

Popular Week 1 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons

Below are some popular Week 1 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Tony Pollard, Rhamondre Stevenson, Josh Downs, Carnell Tate, Jameson Williams, Rome Odunze, Alec Pierce, D'Andre Swift, Wan'Dale Robinson, Jaylen Waddle compared to others: