Start Rhamondre Stevenson or Tony Pollard? Week 8

Updated Oct 27, 8:01 AM ET. Locks at kickoff, graded after. Week 9 answer posts Tuesday.

Start Rhamondre Stevenson over Tony Pollard

Start

Rhamondre Stevenson

RB · NE · at MIA

Market projects: 12.6; recent weeks avg
MIA D vs RB: 26.4; 4th most to RBs (2026)
Upside: High; 85 of 100 at RB
Snap share: 64%; Through Week 7
Target share: 11%; Through Week 7

Sit

Tony Pollard

RB · TEN · at CIN

Market projects: 11.3; recent weeks avg
CIN D vs RB: 17.9; 4th fewest to RBs (2026)
Upside: High; 95 of 100 at RB
Snap share: 58%; Through Week 7
Target share: 8%; Through Week 7

Should I drop Tony Pollard for Rhamondre Stevenson?

Yes, on the rest of the season. Rhamondre Stevenson projects 96 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (10.7 a game over 9 games), Tony Pollard 89 (9.9 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts Rhamondre Stevenson over Tony Pollard.

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Our Week 8 call

Start Rhamondre Stevenson over Tony Pollard in Week 8.

Market-based projections have Rhamondre Stevenson at 12.6 points and Tony Pollard at 11.3, a gap of 1.3. That is inside the noise of a single catch, so treat it as close to a coin flip. No player market is posted for Rhamondre Stevenson this week yet, so his 12.6 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 5, 6 and 7 (11.2, 14.1 and 12.4); the call is rebuilt when his market posts. No player market is posted for Tony Pollard this week yet, so his 11.3 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 5, 6 and 7 (10.2, 11.1 and 12.5); the call is rebuilt when his market posts. Drafters take Rhamondre Stevenson at ADP 61 and Tony Pollard at 68.

What the market projects

No Week 8 player market is posted for Rhamondre Stevenson yet. His market-based projections were 11.2, 14.1 and 12.5 points in Weeks 5, 6 and 7, an average of 12.6, which stands in until his Week 8 market posts.

The market-based projection for Rhamondre Stevenson is 0.8 touchdowns (7 market sources).

No Week 8 player market is posted for Tony Pollard yet. His market-based projections were 10.2, 11.1 and 12.5 points in Weeks 5, 6 and 7, an average of 11.3, which stands in until his Week 8 market posts.

The market-based projection for Tony Pollard is 0.6 touchdowns (7 market sources).

That puts Rhamondre Stevenson 1.3 points ahead of Tony Pollard on these projections.

Week 8 matchups

Rhamondre Stevenson and NE visit MIA on Sunday at 4:25 PM ET.

MIA allowed 26.4 fantasy points a game to RBs this season over 6 games, the 4th most in the league.

Running backs ran for 103 yards and 0-1 touchdowns a game against MIA and caught passes for 46 more yards.

Tony Pollard and TEN visit CIN on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

CIN allowed 17.9 fantasy points a game to RBs this season over 6 games, the 4th fewest in the league.

Running backs ran for 81 yards and 0-1 touchdowns a game against CIN and caught passes for 32 more yards.

By points allowed to the position, Rhamondre Stevenson has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Rhamondre Stevenson is not on the injury report.

Tony Pollard is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 8

Through Week 7, Rhamondre Stevenson played 64 percent of NE snaps, took 39 percent of the carries, drew 11 percent of the targets and had 19 percent of the red zone chances.

Rhamondre Stevenson, Week 4 against BUF: 50 of 76 snaps, 13 carries for 47 yards, 5 targets and 3 catches for 27 yards, 1 touchdown.

Rhamondre Stevenson, Week 5 against LV: 53 of 75 snaps, 13 carries for 64 yards, 3 targets and 3 catches for 21 yards, 1 touchdown.

Rhamondre Stevenson, Week 6 against NYJ: 41 of 68 snaps, 14 carries for 36 yards, 0 targets and 0 catches for 0 yards.

Rhamondre Stevenson, Week 7 against CHI: 37 of 54 snaps, 6 carries for 22 yards, 5 targets and 5 catches for 93 yards, 1 touchdown.

Through Week 7, Tony Pollard played 58 percent of TEN snaps, took 70 percent of the carries, drew 8 percent of the targets and had 41 percent of the red zone chances.

Tony Pollard, Week 4 against BAL: 34 of 64 snaps, 16 carries for 48 yards, 4 targets and 2 catches for 2 yards, 1 touchdown.

Tony Pollard, Week 5 against HOU: 30 of 63 snaps, 14 carries for 52 yards, 1 target and 0 catches for 0 yards.

Tony Pollard, Week 6 against IND: 35 of 46 snaps, 19 carries for 76 yards, 1 target and 0 catches for 0 yards.

Tony Pollard, Week 7 against CLE: 47 of 63 snaps, 25 carries for 129 yards, 3 targets and 3 catches for 26 yards, 3 touchdowns.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Rhamondre Stevenson played 14 games for NE and scored 178.8 PPR points, 12.8 a game, finishing RB25.

He ran 130 times for 603 yards and 7 touchdowns, and caught 32 of 37 targets for 345 yards.

He was on the field for 60 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

In 2025, Tony Pollard played 17 games for TEN and scored 185.8 PPR points, 10.9 a game, finishing RB23.

He ran 242 times for 1082 yards and 5 touchdowns, and caught 33 of 41 targets for 206 yards.

He was on the field for 62 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Their other Week 8 calls

Locks at kickoff, graded after. When the start/sit engine grades week 8, the call and the result appear on the public record, wrong ones included.

Drop or keep

Should I drop Tony Pollard for Rhamondre Stevenson?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Rhamondre Stevenson projects 96 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (10.7 a game over 9 games), Tony Pollard 89 (9.9 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts Rhamondre Stevenson over Tony Pollard.
Should I drop Rhamondre Stevenson for Tony Pollard?
No. Keep Rhamondre Stevenson: he projects 96 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (10.7 a game over 9 games), Tony Pollard 89 (9.9 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts Rhamondre Stevenson over Tony Pollard.

Should I drop Tony Pollard?