NFL Network's Tom Pelissero now reports that (via miscommunication) he was incorrect this morning on the status of RB David Montgomery. The Lions RB is expected to return from his thigh injury for Thursday night's game against the Packers. Assuming this proves true, Montgomery should be back in the low-RB2 mix for fantasy football lineups. Rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs, meanwhile, should see a big decrease in his rushing share vs. Sunday's game. Craig Reynolds and Zonovan Knight can go back to being guys we forget are there. Detroit is also expected to get LT Taylor Decker back, which can only help both the run and pass offense.
Update: Pelissero adds that Montgomery will be the "lead back," with "plenty" still in the plan for Gibbs as well. We'll trust that he's not working off miscommunication this time. Check your Team Intel page or the Week 4 rankings before setting your lineup.
Lions RB David Montgomery (thigh) was a limited participant in practice again on Wednesday and is listed as questionable for Thursday night's game vs. the Packers. HC Dan Campbell expressed optimism about Montgomery's status for that one on Tuesday, so we're tentatively expecting him to play. We'll get Detroit's inactives around 7 pm ET tomorrow.
Lions RB David Montgomery (thigh) was listed as a limited participant on Tuesday's injury report. It was just a walkthrough on the short week, but Montgomery said he's hoping to make it back for Thursday night's game vs. the Packers. "We've been doing everything right as far as preparing myself in the training room, mentally being there," Montgomery said. "We are just taking it day by day, but I'm ready for whatever." We'll see how Montgomery is listed on the final injury report tomorrow.
Lions RB David Montgomery (thigh) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Falcons. RBs Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds, and Zonovan Knight are active for Detroit. We’re expecting Gibbs to get at least a slight uptick in rushing volume, with Reynolds soaking up most of the rest of Montgomery’s work. See where the Lions RBs land in the Week 3 Rankings.
Lions RB David Montgomery (thigh) is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game vs. the Falcons. He didn’t practice all week and is obviously a long shot to play. Montgomery’s absence should mean a bigger role for RB Jahmyr Gibbs, although RB Craig Reynolds and potentially RB Zonovan Knight will be in the mix.
Lions RB David Montgomery (thigh) did not practice on Wednesday. HC Dan Campbell isn't ruling Montgomery out just yet for this weekend's game vs. the Falcons, but we're not expecting him to play. We'll see if he gets back on the field tomorrow.
The Lions have promoted RB Zonovan Knight to the active roster. It's an indication that the team expects RB David Montgomery (quad) to at least miss this weekend's game vs. the Falcons. His absence would leave Detroit's backfield to Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds, and Knight.
Lions HC Dan Campbell labeled RB David Montgomery "day to day" with his quad injury, according to Tim Twentyman of the team's official website. It's hard to take that timeline seriously when Montgomery said himself this morning that he'll be out "a couple weeks." We'll keep you updated on his status throughout the week. But fantasy owners should not be counting on Montgomery in Week 3 lineups.
Lions RB David Montgomery told reporters Monday morning that he'll need "a couple weeks" for the quad he injured Sunday to heal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. That means you'll need to plan for Montgomery to miss at least the next two games, and perhaps more beyond that. Jahmyr Gibbs obviously stands as the backfield's top fantasy play in Montgomery's absence. RB Craig Reynolds also got involved for 3 carries and 1 target after Montgomery left the OT loss to Seattle. Reynolds is worth a pickup in deeper fantasy football leagues, ahead of a Week 3 home date with the Falcons.
Lions RB David Montgomery has a thigh bruise, HC Dan Campbell said after the loss to Seattle. Montgomery is scheduled for more testing on Monday. If that's the extent of the injury, Montgomery doesn't figure to be out for long. We should get another update on his status tomorrow.
Lions RB David Montgomery suffered a right knee injury in the second half of Sunday's game vs. the Seahawks. He was eventually carted back to the locker room. Stay tuned for an update on Montgomery's status.
Update: Montgomery is officially questionable to return with a thigh injury.
Lions RB David Montgomery started Thursday night's opener vs. the Chiefs and operated as the lead back throughout. He played 79% of the offensive snaps and out-carried RB Jahmyr Gibbs 21 to 7, totaling 74 yards and a score. Montgomery wasn't targeted but led the backfield with a 56% route rate. There's no doubt that Gibbs is the more explosive back, but Montgomery's no-nonsense running style is clearly valued by HC Dan Campbell and the Lions. Expect Gibbs' role to grow over the course of the season. But, for now, Montgomery looks like a rock-solid RB2. He gets plus matchups the next two weeks at home for the Seahawks and Falcons.
Speaking with NFL Network's Peter Schrager, Lions GM Brad Holmes assessed his new backfield. "When you look at it systematically, I do think we'll be better offensively," Holmes said. "That's no knock on the contributions that those other two guys gave us. [D’Andre] Swift is a dynamic player and Jamaal [Williams] was a great leader for us, and he did so much for us. He had a great season. But I think [David] Montgomery and Jahmyr [Gibbs] are different backs. Montgomery does a little bit more in the passing game. And being able to add Gibbs, he's just so dynamic as a receiver. Look, he's a home run hitter as a running back, that's the easy part. What he does as a receiver -- he runs routes like a receiver." Holmes added that Gibbs is a “special weapon” who reminds him of Christian McCaffrey and Marshall Faulk. See where both Lions sit in our 2023 RB rankings.
The Lions selected Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The former Georgia Tech speedster took a chance on himself in 2022 by transferring to SEC powerhouse Alabama. The gamble paid off as Gibbs led the Crimson Tide with 44 receptions and ranked 4th on the team in receiving yards (444). Oh, and he’s an excellent runner as well. Some will question how much of a rushing workload he’ll be able to manage at the NFL level given his 5’9, 199-pound frame, but don’t count Gibbs out because of his size. He shows excellent vision at the 2nd and 3rd levels of the field, possesses plenty of speed (4.36-second 40-yard dash time), and has a keen sense of timing cuts against potential tacklers. This move makes it likely that the Lions will move on from D’Andre Swift. Gibbs would then enter a clear change-of-pace role behind David Montgomery while handling a healthy receiving role. Current projections have him for 56 receptions.
The Lions and RB David Montgomery reached an agreement on a three-year, $18 million contract (with $11 million guaranteed) late on Tuesday evening. The long-time Bear will be moving across the NFC North and running behind a Lions offensive line that ranked 7th in Football Outsiders' adjusted line yards in 2022. Montgomery is more than capable of shouldering a sizeable workload as well, as he's handled 200+ carries in each of his four professional seasons to date. A logical conclusion to draw from this signing is that free agent RB Jamaal Williams is unlikely to return to the Lions at this point. We'll keep an eye out for news regarding where he lands. Where this situation gets dicey is how it potentially affects RB D'Andre Swift, who posted a career-low in touches (147) in 2022 after battling through yet another season of nagging injuries. Couple this Montgomery contract with a subpar injury history, and we may be looking at a significant dynasty value loss for a former NFL second round pick in Swift. He's already starting to slip down our dynasty RB rankings.
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