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NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Bears RB David Montgomery (ankle) is "optimistic" about playing today against the Vikings. These reports almost always come across as "expected" or "not expected" to play, so the wording here seems to indicate a bit less confidence in Montgomery's status. We wouldn't be surprised if an active Montgomery gets less than his usual workload -- especially with Khalil Herbert running well and the Bears heavy underdogs on the road. If Montgomery is active, this looks like a backfield to try to avoid. We will keep our RB rankings updated throughout the morning.
Update: ESPN's Adam Schefter hears that Montgomery "plans to play against the Vikings barring any pregame setbacks."
Bears RB David Montgomery (ankle) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Vikings. He got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday. HC Matt Eberflus said Friday that everything is "real positive" with Montgomery, so it sounds like he has a shot to return for Sunday’s game. We’ll look for an update on the situation Sunday morning and will get Chicago’s inactives around 11:30 am ET.
Bears RB David Montgomery (ankle) returned to a limited practice on Thursday -- his 1st since going down early in Week 3. It gives Montgomery a chance to play against the Vikings on Sunday. We should have a better idea of his status when we get Chicago's final injury report tomorrow afternoon.
Bears RB David Montgomery (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday. At this point, we're assuming that Montgomery will miss this weekend's game vs. the Vikings. But we'll see if he's able to get back on the practice field tomorrow.
Bears RB David Montgomery (ankle, knee) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Giants. We’ll see if he can make it back for Week 5, but it’ll be the Khalil Herbert Show in Chicago’s backfield this weekend. Herbert averaged 19.5 carries and 2.5 targets in 4 games without Montgomery last year.
Bears RB David Montgomery (ankle, knee) missed practice again on Thursday. We continue to expect Montgomery to miss this weekend's game vs. the Giants, setting up Khalil Herbert as a volume-based RB2.
Bears RB David Montgomery (ankle, knee) did not practice on Wednesday. The team continues to call him "day to day," but we're not expecting Montgomery to play vs. the Giants this weekend. That'd leave RB Khalil Herbert in a high-volume role.
Bears RB Khalil Herbert racked up a 20-157-2 rushing line in Sunday's win over the Texans, taking over after RB David Montgomery left in the 1st quarter with a right-leg injury. HC Matt Eberflus called Montgomery "day to day" afterward, so we'll see about his status for Week 4. This might have been the kind of performance (including 7.9 yards per rush) that commands work for the 2nd-year back even when Montgomery's available. A Week 4 matchup with the Giants holds rushing upside as well, especially for an offense that looks vehemently opposed to throwing the ball: 37 run plays vs. 25 dropbacks in Week 3.
Bears HC Matt Eberflus labeled RB David Montgomery "day to day" after Sunday's win over the Texans. Eberflus added that Montgomery has a “couple things going on” with his lower leg injury but said he’s “good” right now. We'll look for further updates on Montgomery's status. RB Khalil Herbert was awesome in his play vs. Houston, rushing 20 times for 157 yards and 2 TDs.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook injured his left shoulder in the 3rd quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Lions and was quickly ruled out. Cook, of course, has a long history of shoulder injuries. We'll update his status when we know more. RB Alexander Mattison will take over as Minnesota's workhorse.
Bears RB David Montgomery hurt his right leg in the 1st quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Texans. He went to the blue medical tent and then eventually to the locker room. We'll update Montgomery's status when we know more. His absence would leave Khalil Herbert as Chicago's lead back.
Update: Montgomery has a right knee/ankle injury and is doubtful to return, the team announced.
RB David Montgomery was the lone bright spot for Chicago in Week 2, rushing 15 times for 122 yards. The Bears trailed by double digits for most of this one, so fantasy owners should feel fortunate with the outcome. Montgomery ceded only 5 opportunities to Khalil Herbert (4 carries, 1 target) and looked at his best with 8 forced missed tackles (per Pro Football Focus). He’ll look to keep rolling at home against a Texans D that just limited Denver to 16 points.
Bears RB David Montgomery remained the clear #1 back in workload for Sunday's win over the 49ers. He beat Khalil Herbert 17-9 in carries and led the team with 4 targets (among just 17 Justin Fields pass attempts). Montgomery caught 3 of those for 24 yards, while Herbert caught his lone target for a loss of 2. Herbert proved more efficient on the ground, though, tallying 45 yards (5.0 per rush) and the team's lone rushing score vs. just 26 yards (1.5 per rush) for Montgomery. Playing time went a little more than double in Montgomery's favor (66% vs. 29%). We'll see whether that changes going forward. Rookie RB Trestan Ebner got onto the field for just 4 offensive snaps.
Bears RB David Montgomery worked well ahead of RB Khalil Herbert in Saturday's preseason finale. Montgomery was on the field for 20 of QB Justin Fields' 22 snaps, per Pro Football Focus. Herbert played the other 2. Despite buzz that this could be more of a committee backfield under a new coaching staff, it looks like Montgomery will open the season as Chicago's clear lead back. Consider him a low-upside RB2. Herbert is a bench stash.
Bears RB Khalil Herbert is participating in practice on Sunday. He left practice early on Saturday with an unknown injury, but apparently it wasn’t anything of significance. The 2nd-year RB remains an intriguing bench stash.
Bears RB Khalil Herbert left Saturday's practice on a cart, according to multiple reports. We have yet to see any details beyond that but will certainly be watching for more.
Bears RB David Montgomery has been taking reps with the special teams in training camp. “Wherever they need me, I’m going to be ready to be there,” he said. “I’ve never played special teams before. But I’m always down and excited to learn so I can be better.” Per The Athletic, "Montgomery said it was as simple as seeing his name on the depth chart and going to the special teams drills." We're not sure what to make of this. It could be the Bears just toying around with different options early in training camp. Or it could mean that Montgomery's role on offense will be scaled back this season. We'll see if we learn anything on that front in preseason action. RB Khalil Herbert notably beat Montgomery in both Pro Football Focus rushing grade and Elusive Rating last year.
Adam Jahns of The Athletic writes that RB Khalil Herbert “looks poised for a larger role” in year 2. The former 6th round pick wasn’t drafted by new GM Ryan Poles. And he’s learning a different offense under new HC Matt Eberflus and OC Luke Getsy. Still, one look at the Bears’ depth chart says Herbert’s close to a lock for the #2 job behind David Montgomery. At a minimum, it’s encouraging that he handled 18, 19, 18 and 23 carries early in his rookie year with Montgomery sidelined. Ultimately, we don’t anticipate Herbert seeing enough work to gain standalone fantasy value. But one Montgomery injury would likely place the 2nd-year back firmly in RB2+ territory.
Speaking at minicamp, Bears HC Matt Eberflus gave his assessment of 6th-round rookie RB Trestan Ebner. “Just an explosive athlete who can run the whole route tree as you saw today on that great catch he made,” Eberflus said. “He’s been really learning a lot. He’s a mature young man and we like where he is in terms of learning the offense and what kind of man he is.” Ebner’s speed and pass-catching ability make him a name to watch in dynasty leagues. Across 5 years at Baylor, the 206-pounder racked up 127 catches. He’ll battle for the #3 job behind David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert.
Bears RB David Montgomery (knee) has been activated from IR, putting him in line to play vs. the Steelers tonight. It'll be his first action since Week 4. HC Matt Nagy said earlier this week that Montgomery remains the lead back when healthy -- but it's unclear if he's ready to step back into that role tonight. Montgomery and RB Khalil Herbert are risky fantasy plays tonight.
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