What to do with Tony Pollard? Projections and trade options explored for Cowboys RB in Week 11

Tony Pollard has been a source of great concern for his fantasy football owners in the 2023 NFL season. Being the starting running back for the Dallas Cowboys should mean a plethora of high-scoring weeks, but Pollard has largely underwhelmed in fantasy football.

Having not scored a touchdown since Week 1's 2 TD performance against the New York Giants, Pollard has only broken the 15-point barrier once since then (HPPR leagues). Having recorded three very disappointing scores in the last three weeks (6.00, 7.80 & 5.50), a lot of fantasy managers are wondering whether they can risk starting the Cowboys RB in Week 11.

Realistically, Pollard is far too good to bench. He narrowly avoided a TD against the Giants on multiple occasions, being stopped on the one-yard line twice on the same drive. A touchdown can mask a bad showing and Pollard has been the victim of being on the winning side of multiple blowouts against much weaker opposition.

Looking at Dallas' Week 11 opposition you should start Tony Pollard. If you aren't going to start Pollard against the Carolina Panthers, you have lost the faith (understandably) and should probably trade him for another option.

Tony Pollard's Week 11 fantasy outlook

The Panthers have given up the third-most points to RBs in the 2023 NFL season and this game script feels like a dominant Cowboys win. While that has not worked for Tony Pollard in multiple games (due to Dallas not wanting to risk him unless they have to) you have to trust that he will break his TD drought.

After coming so close to a TD last week on multiple occasions, there is a feeling that the Cowboys will ensure he gets into the end zone on Sunday. If the game is competitive, that spells a good day for Pollard, as he will see more of the ball and volume means points in fantasy football.

Using Sportskeeda's Start/Sit tool, we analyzed Tony Pollard's projections in Week 11 alongside some similar performing running backs. Gone are the days of the preseason, where Pollard's name was said in the same conversation as Christian McCaffrey's, but that doesn't mean he isn't a good option.

Tony Pollard's Week 11 Fantasy Outlook (HPPR Leagues)

Along with a lot of high-profile running backs underperforming in fantasy football, Tony Pollard is TD-dependant in Week 11. As the below breakdown displays, he has about a coin toss chance of a touchdown here, but if that happens, another could follow against a suspect Panthers defense.

Simply put, unless you have multiple top-tier RBs (Raheem Mostert, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Christian McCaffrey), you need to start Tony Pollard in Week 11.

Tony Pollard's Week 11 Fantasy Outlook (HPPR Leagues)

Fantasy football can be an emotional rollercoaster and sometimes you just lose faith in a player. As such, given Pollard's lack of touchdowns, you might be wondering what you can get in return for the Cowboys RB.

Potential trade targets for Tony Pollard

Saquon Barkley is a potential swap for Tony Pollard

While everyone dreams of winning a trade spectacularly, you're not going to be able to prise Christian McCaffrey from whoever drafted him. So that leaves a couple of different ways in which you can move on from Tony Pollard.

If you need depth in multiple positions, Pollard should be easy to trade for two decent options, but that could be at the expense of your lineup. Given his star power and the team he plays for, you could talk someone into giving you two boom-or-bust players.

Let's take a look at an example using Sportskeeda's trade analyzer:

Potential trade targets for Tony Pollard (HPPR)

Other players that could be targeted in such a trade package include:

• Calvin Ridley
• Ty Chandler (bye in Week 13)
• Zach Charbonnet
• Isiah Pacheco
• Jerome Ford
• Kareem Hunt
• Terry McLaurin
• Christian Kirk
• Courtland Sutton
• DK Metcalf
• Amari Cooper

There are many others who you could look at in this type of trade, but realistically, these might not improve your lineup. Improving your lineup is more important than improving your bench at this stage of the season, so let's take a look at some players that could give you a boost in a straight swap.

A clever trick is to target a Cowboys fan in your league for a trade. In fantasy football, you have to use any advantage you can get and fans love to have one of their own in their lineup. As such, you might get a better deal from a Cowboys fan for Pollard.

If you want a change at RB, here are some names to consider, though some of them would be tricky to land and you may have to offer a bench player on top to seal the deal:

• Saquon Barkley (bye in Week 13)
• Brian Robinson
• Kenneth Walker III
• Joe Mixon
• Rachaad White
• Jamhyr Gibbs
• Breece Hall

Receivers you might be able to target include:

• D.J. Moore (bye in Week 13)
• Michael Pittman (bye Week 11)
• Davante Adams (bye in Week 13)
• Jakobi Meyers (bye in Week 13)

Players on bye weeks or short-term injuries as trade targets

Trading for an unavailable player is a big risk this late in the season, but if you are in a position where you can lose a game, the below players could give you a push in the playoffs:

Straight swap

• Justin Jefferson (returning from IR & bye in Week 13)
• Alvin Kamara (bye week)
• Kyren Williams (returning from IR)
• Bijan Robinson (bye)

2-for-Tony Pollard

• Chris Olave (bye week)
• Drake London (bye week)
• Rhamondre Stevenson (bye week)
• Josh Downs (bye week)

Justin Jefferson is the key name here, but landing him will be difficult. If he is unable to play in Week 11, he has limited games left this season so may be on the trade block for the right price.

Other than Jefferson, Alvin Kamara would be a very good target for now, as he is on a bye week so is easier to land.