David Montgomery has scored 11 times in 12 games this season, giving fantasy football managers everything they could have possibly asked for when they drafted him back in August.
With that being said, should he be locked into your lineup with the fantasy championship on the line in a tough matchup against the Dallas Cowboys?
Should You Start David Montgomery in Week 17?
Jahmyr Gibbs’ emergence hasn’t really come at Montgomery’s expense. The veteran RB scored again last week, giving him a career-high 11 touchdowns with two weeks to go. Additionally, he received an impressive 19 touches, a number he has hit on the nose in three of four games this month.
The upside isn’t what it was over the first month of the season, but Montgomery’s floor remains encouraging in an offense we trust combined with a defense that the Lions would rather stay off the field. He has finished each of the past five weeks as an RB2, and I see no reason why this week would be any different against the 21st-ranked red zone defense.
If you’re betting on Montgomery in Week 17, it’s the red-zone usage that you’re hanging your hat on.
For the season, 23.1% of his carries and 81.8% of his touchdowns have come inside the 20-yard line. He can be viewed as a mid-range/low-end RB2.
Trending Start/Sit Searches For Montgomery
Did you know that we have a Start/Sit Optimizer here at Pro Football Network?! It’s completely free to use and it allows you to enter in up to six players to find the best option to plug into your starting lineup.
It also allows us to see the most popular trending searches. We’ve jotted some of them down here to help provide some clarity.
Should You Start Montgomery or Austin Ekeler?
Austin Ekeler gets the nod here for me, but it’s more thanks to a matchup advantage than it is anything that the Los Angeles Chargers star has done on the field recently.
He faces the worst yards per carry run defense in the NFL and, while his production has been underwhelming, his role remains elite.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
Meanwhile, Montgomery has pretty clearly been passed on the depth chart by Jahmyr Gibbs.
Yes, his role near the goal line is still fantasy-friendly, but there is no denying the risk that he carries against a strong Cowboys defense.
Should You Start Montgomery or De’Von Achane?
I have these two ranked back-to-back with the edge in touchdown equity leaning me toward Montgomery.
Achane is fighting an uphill battle in terms of volume and matchup without an elite scoring role — the talent is obvious, but his path to 15 touches is difficult to project.
If I’m benching Montgomery this week, I want it to be for a running back that I’m confident will out-touch the veteran, and that’s simply not the case with Miami’s budding star.
Kyle Soppe’s Week 17 RB Rankings
1) Christian McCaffrey | SF (at WAS)
2) Kyren Williams | LAR (at NYG)
3) Alvin Kamara | NO (at TB)
4) Rachaad White | TB (vs. NO)
5) Jonathan Taylor | IND (vs. LV)
6) James Cook | BUF (vs. NE)
7) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (at DAL)
8) Bijan Robinson | ATL (at CHI)
9) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at BAL)
10) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (vs. CAR)
11) Breece Hall | NYJ (at CLE)
12) Kenneth Walker III | SEA (vs. PIT)
13) Tony Pollard | DAL (vs. DET)
14) D’Andre Swift | PHI (vs. ARI)
15) Joe Mixon | CIN (at KC)
16) Aaron Jones | GB (at MIN)
17) Ezekiel Elliott | NE (at BUF)
18) Saquon Barkley | NYG (vs. LAR)
19) Chuba Hubbard | CAR (at JAX)
20) Derrick Henry | TEN (at HOU)
21) Javonte Williams | DEN (vs. LAC)
22) Austin Ekeler | LAC (at DEN)
23) Ty Chandler | MIN (vs. GB)
24) David Montgomery | DET (at DAL)
25) De’Von Achane | MIA (at BAL)
26) Devin Singletary | HOU (vs. TEN)
27) James Conner | ARI (at PHI)
28) Zamir White | LV (at IND)
29) Josh Jacobs | LV (at IND)
30) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC (vs. CIN)
31) Khalil Herbert | CHI (vs. ATL)
32) Najee Harris | PIT (at SEA)
33) Gus Edwards | BAL (vs. MIA)
34) Jerome Ford | CLE (vs. NYJ)
35) Jaylen Warren | PIT (at SEA)
36) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (vs. SF)
37) Tyjae Spears | TEN (at HOU)
38) Antonio Gibson | WAS (vs. SF)
39) Chase Brown | CIN (at KC)
40) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (at CHI)
41) Roschon Johnson | CHI (vs. ATL)
42) AJ Dillon | GB (at MIN)
43) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (vs. PIT)
44) Justice Hill | BAL (vs. MIA)
45) Dameon Pierce | HOU (vs. TEN)
46) Kareem Hunt | CLE (vs. NYJ)
47) Alexander Mattison | MIN (vs. GB)
48) Jamaal Williams | NO (at TB)
49) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. ARI)
50) Samaje Perine | DEN (vs. LAC)
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