Tony Pollard or D'Andre Swift: Who should I start in Week 17 Fantasy Football?

Tony Pollard and D'Andre Swift hold similar positional values during the 2023 fantasy football season. They both serve as featured running backs for their NFL teams and profile as RB2's on most fantasy rosters. Each of them have scored five rushing touchdowns this season and get plenty of opportunities at production on two of the best offenses in the NFL.

With the 2023 fantasy football underway, and the championship round taking place in most leagues in Week 17, many managers may be debating whether to plug Pollard or Swift into their starting lineups. The following breakdown will explore which one is the better option this week by looking at their recent performances and weekly matchups, among other things.

Is Tony Pollard a good fantasy pick in Week 17?

Tony Pollard

The Dallas Cowboys shockingly released Ezekiel Elliot during the offseason, opening the door for Tony Pollard to take over as their featured running back for the first time in his career. While he has failed to meet his massive preseason expectations of a potentil top-five fantasy football running back, he has still been a reliable lineup staple on many rosters.

Pollard currently ranks as the overall RB22 in fantasy football this year, but his weekly finishes have been inconsistent. He has finished as the RB16 or better in eight of his 15 games, but has also finished outside of the top 35 running backs four times. He also surprisingly has just one multi-touchdown performance this year, despite the Cowboys' high-scoring offense.

Up next for Pollard is an extremely challenging matchup in Week 17 against the Detroit Lions. While their passing defense has been beatable, they rank among the NFL's best in defending running backs. This includes allowing the fewest fantasy points per game to the position, making Pollard a risky Week 17 lineup option.

Is D'Andre Swift a good fantasy pick in Week 17?

D'Andre Swift

The Philadelphia Eagles moved on from Miles Sanders during the offseason and replaced him with D'Andre Swift as their featured running back. He brings with him an explosive running style and a ton of receiving upside, which have always been his best assetts in fantasy football. He is averaging more than five yards per touch this season and on 17 touches per game.

Following a disastrous debut game with the Eagles when he totaled just three yards on two touches, Swift immediately bounced back to quickly become a consistent contributor. He finished among the top 25 fantasy football running backs in each of his next nine consecutive games in PPR leagues, including four top-ten finishes. He is also coming off of one of his most productive games of the season last week, receiving 20 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown.

Swift has an excellent chance to build off of his strong performance in an ideal Week 17 matchups against the Arizona Cardinals. They have been one of the worst rushing defenses all season long, including allowing the most fantasy points per game to running backs. This makes him one of the most favorable lineup options this week.

Tony Pollard vs. D'Andre Swift: Who should I start in Week 17 fantasy football?

Swift vs Pollard

According to the Start/Sit Optimizer, D'Andre Swift makes for a better running back option than Tony Pollard in Week 17 fantasy football lineups. This valuable tool weighs every possible variable for any player in a given week to generate fantasy projections and lineup suggestions. In this particular scenario, it favors Swift for a higher output.

While Pollard may be projected to turn in more rushing production this week, the Optimizer demonstrates the value of Swift's receiving upside in fantasy football, especially for PPR leagues. His matchup against the Cardinals' terrible rushing defense also contibutes to his higher projections in Week 17,as the Lions present a much stiffer challenge. All of this makes Swift the preferred fantasy lineup option this week.