Fantasy football managers have gotten used to Detroit Lions RB David Montgomery scoring touchdowns when on the field throughout the 2023 NFL season, but he did sustain another injury last week against the Green Bay Packers that could impact his status heading into Week 13.
Let’s take a closer look at the most recent news we have on Montgomery and the potential fantasy impact this injury could have on the Lions’ offense.
Latest Injury Update on David Montgomery
Montgomery has nine rushing touchdowns in eight games played this year, which puts him behind just Christian McCaffrey, Gus Edwards, and Raheem Mostert for most rushing scores amongst running backs this season.
According to a recent report from Mike Payton, Montgomery started the first practice of the week as a limited participant on Wednesday with what was listed as a foot injury on the team’s injury report.
Montgomery’s left ankle got put in an awkward position when he lunged in the end zone for his ninth rushing score of the season on Thanksgiving. He ended up being able to play on the next snap and finished the game.
Will Montgomery Play This Week?
It’s an encouraging sign Montgomery was able to take to the practice field in any capacity to start the week, which certainly puts him in a good position to potentially take the field against the New Orleans Saints in Week 13.
Montgomery sustained the injury in the third quarter of Detroit’s 29-22 loss at the hands of the Packers but saw plenty of work into the fourth quarter, which suggests the injury wasn’t too serious.
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Fantasy managers will still need to monitor Montgomery’s participation in practice throughout the week, but he’s definitely trending in the right direction toward taking the field on Sunday.
What Does This Mean for Jahmyr Gibbs’s Fantasy Ranking?
Montgomery is the leading rusher on the Lions with 648 yards and has done so by maintaining a healthy 4.9 yards per carry this year. While Montgomery isn’t quite as involved in the passing game in comparison to his days as a member of the Chicago Bears, he’s been making up for it with his TD production on the ground.
When you realize he’s done this while trying to fight off a very talented rookie RB in Jahmyr Gibbs, one can only tip the hat to Montgomery. However, the rookie has started to turn up the heat over the last month with some monster fantasy performances.
Gibbs’ best outing came against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 8 when Montgomery was out of the lineup with a rib injury, where he produced 189 total yards and a score on 31 touches. Gibbs also has a huge advantage in the passing game, where he has 41 receptions in comparison to Montgomery’s eight.
The snap count has also started to heavily favor Gibbs, who has seen a minimum of 56% of the offensive snaps over the last three games — when Montgomery returned to the lineup — in comparison to Montgomery, who saw just 27% of the snaps on Thanksgiving against the Packers.
If Montgomery is inactive, Gibbs immediately becomes a top-10 play at the RB position.
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