The surging Detroit Lions have an abundance of offensive talent, including in their new-look backfield.
With both David Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs having been productive with their opportunities early in the season, which back should fantasy managers consider starting in Week 5?
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David Montgomery’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Montgomery has been everything the Lions could have hoped when he came over from the NFC North rival Bears this offseason.
The versatile veteran has proven an excellent fit in coordinator Ben Johnson’s offensive scheme, and unlike some of his predecessors at the position in Detroit, head coach Dan Campbell hasn’t been hesitant to afford Montgomery plenty of runs.
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Montgomery left the Week 2 overtime loss to the Seahawks with a thigh injury and missed Week 3 because of it, yet he’s still amassed 69 carries and recorded three catches across those two-plus games. Montgomery has played over 50 snaps in both of his two full games, recording lead-back workloads of 21 and 32 carries in those contests along the way.
As involved as he’s been, Montgomery’s above-average receiving skills haven’t even been fully utilized yet. Those receptions have come on just three targets, but that sparse usage as a pass catcher could begin changing as soon as this week (more on that further below).
Montgomery came into the season having posted 155 receptions for 1,240 yards and four touchdowns over the first four seasons of his career in Chicago, so the track record to believe he can exponentially expand his production in this area is there.
Montgomery also faces a favorable matchup this week — a Panthers defense that’s surrendered 136.3 rushing yards per game (138 per road game), along with 4.9 yards per carry and six rushing touchdowns to running backs specifically.
Jahmyr Gibbs’ Fantasy Outlook This Week
The first four games of Gibbs’ highly anticipated career have been somewhat of a mixed bag, although not necessarily through any fault of the dynamic rookie running back.
Gibbs has essentially shown flashes of exactly the type of electric playmaker he was believed to be coming out of Alabama. However, fantasy managers and Lions fans in general have been somewhat frustrated by what’s been perceived as a lack of sufficient touches for a player of Gibbs’ caliber.
What Gibbs has done when he’s had the ball in his hands has been impressive.
He’s averaged 4.6 yards per carry on his 39 touches, despite recording just one run of 20+ yards. He’s also gained 70 yards on his 14 receptions.
In the Week 3 game that Montgomery missed, Gibbs also demonstrated an ability to handle an elevated workload effectively, rushing 17 times for 80 yards.
However, when Montgomery has been available, the rookie has played a clear change-of-pace/second-fiddle role. Gibbs logged seven, seven, and eight carries in Weeks 1, 2 and 4, respectively. In that Week 2 game where Montgomery exited early, Gibbs notably still recorded single-digit totes.
The division of labor between the two backs thus far already pointed toward Montgomery being the preferred start option for fantasy purposes, and Gibbs’ addition to the injury report Friday due to a hamstring issue only serves to solidify that assessment.
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A late-week injury tag typically doesn’t bode well for a player’s availability, and given the coaching staff has seemingly been more on the cautious side with Gibbs’ usage thus far, they could well opt to give him at least a week off considering the tricky nature of soft-tissue injuries.
Which of the Lions’ Running Backs Should You Start?
Under normal circumstances, Montgomery would have been the call for me, considering everything already detailed about his heavy usage. It’s only more of a certainty with Gibbs’ shaky injury status now part of the equation.
Moreover, with Gibbs potentially sidelined and star wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown listed as doubtful with an abdominal injury, Montgomery could finally start to see more involvement as a receiver in a favorable matchup.