Detroit Lions RB David Montgomery is an NFL player that many fantasy football managers are keenly waiting to see the status of this week. The ripple effects of Montgomery’s status impact not only him but the fantasy value of Jahmyr Gibbs in a significant way. Let’s take a look at the latest Montgomery injury update and the fantasy impact of his situation.
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Latest Injury Update on David Montgomery
Editor’s note: Montgomery has missed practice on both Thursday and Friday.
This analysis was last updated at 12:32 p.m. EST on Thursday, October 26.
With the Lions playing on Monday Night Football in Week 8, we have yet to hear from Detroit with regards to Montgomery’s status. The Lions will open practice on Thursday, and we should get some kind of indication on whether we will see Montgomery on the field for Monday.
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The last injury update we got for Montgomery was this past Monday, when head coach Dan Campbell gave the impression that he would not play for a couple of weeks. “He’s probably going to be down for a little bit. I don’t know how long … at his position, that’s not an easy thing to deal with, so we’ll just take it as it comes, but I think there’s a chance we won’t have him for a little bit,” Campbell told reporters.
Montgomery was ruled out for Week 7 due to a rib injury he suffered landing on the ball in Week 6. Montgomery was a non-participant all week on the Lions’ injury report before being ruled out Friday.
Will Montgomery Play This Week?
Based on what we heard from Campbell on Monday, current estimations would put Montgomery as “doubtful” to play on Monday Night Football in Week 8. We cannot definitively say he won’t be able to suit up until we know a little more, but it doesn’t look likely at this stage.
We would want to see Montgomery get back to at least limited participation at practice ahead of Saturday when the Lions make their final decision. In some ways, the best outcome for fantasy managers will be for Montgomery to be ruled out because at least we would have clarity.
MORE: NFL Injuries Week 8
The best-case scenario for Montgomery right now feels like a “questionable” tag, which is arguably the worst-case scenario for fantasy managers. That would force managers to make a decision Sunday as to whether they risk waiting on Montgomery’s status Monday or benching him Sunday in favor of someone with a clearer injury situation and role.
Adding to the complication is that Week 9 is the Lions’ bye week. That might make them more likely to rule Montgomery out for Week 8 — they would be gaining two weeks of recovery time for just one lost game. With Detroit sitting at 5-2 and Week 8 not being a make-or-break game, erring on the side of caution would make a lot of sense.
What Does This Mean for Montgomery’s and Jahmyr Gibbs’ Fantasy Ranking?
If Montgomery was active and a full go on Monday, he would most likely be at least a top-15 RB for fantasy. When he’s healthy, Detroit leans on him as their main back.
It’s hard to imagine the Lions would want to have a less than 100% Montgomery on the field unless they really have to. Right now, he’s unranked in our PFN Consensus Fantasy Rankings, reflecting the feeling that he won’t play this week.
In his place, Gibbs is ranked inside the top 20 at the position at RB16 overall. All four of our analysts have Gibbs inside their top 50, indicating they all believe he should be starting for fantasy managers this week.