Tony Pollard or Tucker Kraft: Who Should You Start?

Preliminary board

2026 Week 3 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Verdicts sharpen as practice reports land.

Kraft's every-down role beats Pollard's splash-play dependence

Start Tucker Kraft: the projection gap is narrow, but his locked-in role gives it more substance than Pollard's committee workload. Kraft is attached to a heavily favored offense and a soft tight-end matchup, while Pollard's lead-back bio and breakaway speed are undermined by uncertain weekly usage. Kraft's recent near-every-snap workload is encouraging (SI/Packers On SI 2026-09-21), though his return from injury and recent mistakes create the real risk in this call.

What flips it: A verified jump in Pollard's passing-game role.

Sources: SI/Packers On SI · Sep 21, 2026

AI editor

Tony Pollard

Tony Pollard

RB28TENvs NYG

Projected Points

Toss-Up· medium
Tucker Kraft

Tucker Kraft

TE9GBvs ATL

Projected Points

Start· medium

Tony Pollard’s market

ATD
Anytime TD
+165
Anytime Touchdown Props →

Tucker Kraft’s market

REC
O/U 3.5
-159 / +124
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 46.5
-111 / -113
Receiving Yards Props →
ATD
Anytime TD
+170
Anytime Touchdown Props →
TEN@
NYGSun, Sep 27, 1:00 PM ETView the game →
ATL@
GBThu, Sep 24, 8:15 PM ETView the game →

Why Tony Pollard

Toss-Up· medium

RB1 and lead back. One-cut zone runner with breakaway speed and 1,000-yard workload.

RB28 at 9.8 projected with only a 54% snap share and 7% target share — a flex-caliber committee back in a neutral matchup.

  • Pollard's lead-back bio and breakaway speed give him real touchdown and splash-play upside.
  • The committee workload leaves little margin if Pollard does not create a big play.

The call

  • The role is the problem: 54% snap share and a 7% target share over two games means Pollard isn't the every-down hammer, and the PPR floor is thin without receiving volume.
  • Matchup is dead neutral — the Giants grade 16 of 32 in DvP composite, and that's on a two-game sample with 0.00 confidence, so there's no edge to lean on either way.
  • A 20.8 implied team total with a 3.0 spread points to a close, script-dependent game; if this team leads, Pollard's carry share spikes and he clears the RB28 projection.
  • Start him as a flex if your alternative is a backup or low-volume WR3; sit him if you have a back with locked-in goal-line work.

Latest on Pollard

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Why Tucker Kraft

Start· medium

TE1 and primary seam threat. Physical yards-after-catch producer and capable in-line blocker; returning from injury.

TE9 with an 82% snap share and a 27.0-point implied team total against a defense ranked 24 of 32 vs tight ends — locked-in role in a favored offense.

  • Kraft's near-every-down role ties him to a high-scoring offense, giving him a sturdier floor at TE.
  • His injury return, fumble and penalty provide a clearer path to disappointment than the projection shows.

The call

  • Kraft is the every-down tight end: 82% snap share on the season and 58 of 59 offensive snaps in Week 2, so the volume floor is real even on quiet stat lines.
  • Matchup and game environment both help — Atlanta grades 24 of 32 vs the position and Green Bay carries a 27.0 implied total as a 7.5-point favorite.
  • Consensus has him TE9 at 10.3 projected points; at that price in a 12-team PPR league you start him over a replacement tight end.
  • Risk is efficiency, not opportunity: 13% target share and a two-catch, 15-yard Week 2 with a fumble means the ceiling depends on a red-zone look landing.

Latest on Kraft

Role

Kraft played 58 of 59 offensive snaps in Week 2 (all but one), in line with his prior workload, catching two passes for 15 yards while also fumbling and drawing a holding penalty.

SI/Packers On SI · Sep 21, 2026
Contract extension is dream come true for Tucker Kraft

Packers tight end eager to rise to the occasion, win games

packers.com · Sep 18, 2026
Packers sign TE Tucker Kraft to contract extension

General Manager Brian Gutekunst announced the transaction Saturday

packers.com · Sep 12, 2026
Sources: Packers, TE Tucker Kraft agree to 4-year extension

The Packers and tight end Tucker Kraft have reached agreement on a four-year extension worth up to $92 million, sources told ESPN.

ESPN · Sep 12, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Head-to-head stats

MetricTony PollardTucker Kraft
Projected points
Consensus rankRB28TE9
Opponent vs positionNYG · 16 of 322-game sampleATL · 24 of 322-game sample
Rushing Yards25 of 32—
Rushing TDs10 of 32—
Rushing Attempts10 of 32—
Receptions11 of 3222 of 32
Receiving Yards13 of 3222 of 32
Anytime TD25 of 3230 of 32
Receiving TDs—30 of 32
Targets—17 of 32
Target share7%13%
Reception share6%14%
Implied total · spread20.8+3.027.0-7.5
Depth chartRB1TE1
Snap share54%82%
Start/Sit record0–0+3 toss-ups0–2

Recent form

Tony Pollard — last 2 weeks

Week 2vs PHI
Week 1vs NYJ

Tucker Kraft — last 2 weeks

Week 2vs NYJ
Week 1vs MIN

Signal breakdown

  • 9.8 vs 10.3 projected PPR pointsTucker Kraft +
  • Rank 28 vs 9Tucker Kraft +
  • Opponent DvP rank 16 vs 24 (32 = softest)even
  • Implied 20.8 vs 27.0 team pointsTucker Kraft +
  • No injury designationseven
  • 54% vs 82% snap shareTucker Kraft +

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