As expected, the Dallas Cowboys have officially listed Ezekiel Elliott as inactive for Sunday afternoon's game against the Chicago Bears. This makes Tony Pollard the starting running back, and he should be in for a huge workload.
Let 's take a look at what that means for bettors and fantasy football managers who are counting on Pollard today.
Tony Pollard Fantasy
Long story short: if Pollard is on your fantasy roster you need to start him. FantasyPros' consensus rankings have him as the RB12 for the week.
Pollard is already averaging 10.1 PPR fantasy points per game on the season while playing second-fiddle to Zeke, averaging 12.2 opportunities (9.6 carries plus 2.6 targets) per game to Elliott's 16.7 (15.6 carries plus 1.1 targets).
No other Cowboys RB has even one carry on the season, and Pollard is a near lock for 20-plus opportunities with a great shot to be in the 25-30 range.
There's not a single running back in the NFL who wouldn't be a worthy fantasy starter with that kind of volume, and Pollard's great efficiency (5.6 yards per carry, 5.8 yards per target) suggests he'll have no trouble turning that volume into production.
Tony Pollard Prop Bets
Prop betting markets are a completely different animal from fantasy – the markets have adjusted for Zeke being out so there are no easy slam-dunks like starting Pollard in fantasy. But where can we find betting value in FanDuel Spor tsbook's NFL odds?
As mentioned in the fantasy section, Pollard is already averaging 9.6 rush attempts per game, and Zeke is vacating 15.6. No other Cowboys RB has ran the ball even once this season, so don't look fro Malik Davis of Qadree Ollison to play much of a role. Once we add in the fact that the Cowboys will likely be playing with a solid lead (as 10-point favorites) and Pollard should get all the rushing volume he can handle.
Even if his efficiency falls with the increased volume, 80 yards doesn't exactly take a stellar yards-per-carry average at 20-25 rush attempts.