The Tennessee Titans will face the New England Patriots in Week 9. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Tony Pollard.
Is Tony Pollard Playing in Week 9?
Tony Pollard did not practice all week while battling a foot injury, but the Tennessee Titans are still listing him as questionable for Week 9.
This is a new issue for Pollard, who has not been listed on the Titans’ injury report this entire season.
With fellow RB Tyjae Spears sidelined in Weeks 7 and 8, Pollard hit an 80% snap share in both games. He’s been fantasy’s RB20 or better in five of seven games in 2024.
Fellow Titans RB Tony Pollard (foot) is questionable to play on Sunday after sitting out of practice all week. If neither Tennessee back can play in Week 9, Julius Chestnut — a 2022 UDFA with 24 career touches — will start against the Patriots. New England is allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs and ranks 21st in rushing success rate.
We’ll continue to monitor the Titans’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Tony Pollard in Week 9?
Pollard isn’t exciting, but his usage lands him as an RB2 in my rankings every week, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. He’s carried the ball at least 16 times in six of seven games and brought in multiple passes in every game this season, versatility that makes him immune to variable game scripts.
The Patriots own the second-worst goal-to-go defense and the fourth-highest RB rush touchdown rate — flaws that give Pollard enough of a ceiling to play him with confidence this weekend.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 9 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Tony Pollard’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 9
Pollard is projected to score 6 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 5.6 rushing attempts for 26.2 yards and 0.2 touchdowns. It also includes 1.3 receptions for 8.8 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insights: New England Patriots Defense
The New England Patriots have not had a lot to be positive about this season. Their special teams are their one bright spot because their offense and defense have been in a race for the bottom of the rankings this year. The offense just got there first before they made the change to Drake Maye, but the defense is not far behind.
Normally, we would try to highlight what a team is “good” at, but with the Patriots, it is about what they are least bad at. They are 19th in success rate against the run and 20th in red-zone efficiency, which are hardly great numbers to make a fuss about.
Given that Jerod Mayo is a defensive-minded head coach, the performance of this defense is arguably a bigger concern than an offense we always knew could struggle.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Tony Pollard’s Week 9 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 10:30 AM ET on Sunday, December 1. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 13 RB PPR Rankings
1) De'Von Achane | MIA (at GB)
2) Saquon Barkley | PHI (at BAL)
3) Joe Mixon | HOU (at JAX)
4) Christian McCaffrey | SF (at BUF)
5) Bijan Robinson | ATL (vs. LAC)
6) Derrick Henry | BAL (vs. PHI)
7) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (vs. CHI)
8) Jonathan Taylor | IND (at NE)
9) Kyren Williams | LAR (at NO)
10) Breece Hall | NYJ (vs. SEA)
11) James Conner | ARI (at MIN)
12) Josh Jacobs | GB (vs. MIA)
13) David Montgomery | DET (vs. CHI)
14) Kenneth Walker III | SEA (at NYJ)
15) James Cook | BUF (vs. SF)
16) Alvin Kamara | NO (vs. LAR)
17) Chase Brown | CIN (vs. PIT)
18) Aaron Jones | MIN (vs. ARI)
19) Bucky Irving | TB (at CAR)
20) Najee Harris | PIT (at CIN)
21) Chuba Hubbard | CAR (vs. TB)
22) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (at DAL)
23) Tony Pollard | TEN (at WAS)
24) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (vs. TEN)
25) Rico Dowdle | DAL (vs. NYG)
26) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. LV)
27) D'Andre Swift | CHI (at DET)
28) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. IND)
29) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (vs. HOU)
30) Gus Edwards | LAC (at ATL)
31) Rachaad White | TB (at CAR)
32) Nick Chubb | CLE (at DEN)
33) Tank Bigsby | JAX (vs. HOU)
34) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (vs. TEN)
35) Jaylen Warren | PIT (at CIN)
36) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. LV)
37) Javonte Williams | DEN (vs. CLE)
38) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (vs. LAC)
39) Audric Estimé | DEN (vs. CLE)
40) Roschon Johnson | CHI (at DET)
41) Justice Hill | BAL (vs. PHI)
42) Ray Davis | BUF (vs. SF)
43) Jaylen Wright | MIA (at GB)
44) Jerome Ford | CLE (at DEN)
45) Ameer Abdullah | LV (at KC)
46) Cam Akers | HOU (at JAX)
47) Trey Benson | ARI (at MIN)
48) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at GB)
49) Devin Singletary | NYG (at DAL)
50) Braelon Allen | NYJ (vs. SEA)
51) Emanuel Wilson | GB (vs. MIA)
52) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at NYJ)
53) Jonathon Brooks | CAR (vs. TB)
54) Jordan Mason | SF (at BUF)
55) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. LV)
56) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (vs. CLE)
57) Tyjae Spears | TEN (at WAS)
58) Blake Corum | LAR (at NO)
59) Antonio Gibson | NE (vs. IND)
60) Keaton Mitchell | BAL (vs. PHI)
61) Dylan Laube | LV (at KC)
62) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (at BAL)
63) Sean Tucker | TB (at CAR)
64) Khalil Herbert | CIN (vs. PIT)
65) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (at JAX)
66) Ezekiel Elliott | DAL (vs. NYG)
67) JaMycal Hasty | NE (vs. IND)
68) Jamaal Williams | NO (vs. LAR)
69) Isaac Guerendo | SF (at BUF)
70) Will Shipley | PHI (at BAL)
71) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (at BUF)
72) Chris Brooks | GB (vs. MIA)
73) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (at CIN)
74) Ty Chandler | MIN (vs. ARI)
75) Trey Sermon | IND (at NE)
76) Emari Demercado | ARI (at MIN)
77) Carson Steele | KC (vs. LV)
78) Dameon Pierce | HOU (at JAX)
79) Hassan Haskins | LAC (at ATL)
80) Tyler Goodson | IND (at NE)
81) Patrick Ricard | BAL (vs. PHI)
82) Hunter Luepke | DAL (vs. NYG)
83) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (at DEN)
84) Julius Chestnut | TEN (at WAS)
85) Craig Reynolds | DET (vs. CHI)
86) Dalvin Cook | DAL (vs. NYG)
87) J.J. Taylor | HOU (at JAX)
88) Michael Burton | DEN (vs. CLE)
89) Sione Vaki | DET (vs. CHI)
90) C.J. Ham | MIN (vs. ARI)
91) Ronnie Rivers | LAR (at NO)
92) Travis Homer | CHI (at DET)
93) Kenny McIntosh | SEA (at NYJ)
94) Blake Watson | DEN (vs. CLE)
95) Eric Gray | NYG (at DAL)
96) Tyreik McAllister | LV (at KC)
97) Joshua Kelley | NYG (at DAL)
98) Alec Ingold | MIA (at GB)
99) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (at MIN)
New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans Insights
New England Patriots
Team: The Patriots beat the Jets on Sunday with 247 yards of offense. Surprisingly, that was the eighth time in eight weeks a team has won with under 250 yards of offense (the Broncos also did it to the Jets in Week 4).
QB: Jacoby Brissett has yet to clear 5.5 yards per attempt in a game this season and has two touchdown passes on 159 attempts (Will Levis thinks that’s a low rate; he has five on 125 attempts this season).
Offense: The Patriots have converted six of seven red zone trips into touchdowns over the past three weeks (Weeks 1-5: 4-of-13).
Defense: New England’s defensive game plan adjusts as much week over week as any. They blitzed 17.2% of the time on Sunday – they’ve been at 25%, the lowest in four games, but also at 40% or the highest in three games, including Weeks 6-7).
Fantasy: Rhamondre Stevenson scored a pair of touchdowns on Sunday, but his 27 carries over the past two weeks have gained just 66 yards, and if Drake Maye misses time, even more running lanes are likely to close.
Betting: The Patriots are 1-3 ATS on the road this season – they’ve had plenty of issues since Tom Brady left town, but they’ve yet to have a losing ATS road record since his departure.
Tennessee Titans
Team: The Titans have been blown out in back-to-back weeks by Super Bowl contenders, but they own a +9 point differential this season in three games that are sub-.500 this season.
QB: Mason Rudolph averaged 15.6 yards per pass in the first quarter on Sunday and 3.9 the rest of the way.
Offense: The Titans converted 46.2% of their third downs in 2020. That number dipped to 43.6% in 2021, 36.5% in 2022, and 33.5% in 2023. Through eight weeks this season? The trend continues: 30.6%.
Defense: The Titans have failed to force a turnover in five of seven games this season.
Fantasy: Calvin Ridley had 118 first-quarter receiving yards, the 10th most in a first quarter since the start of 2015. He entered the game with 56 receiving yards in his four games prior.
Betting: The Titans have failed to cover all three home games this season and are just 1-5-1 ATS over their past seven in front of their fans.