Texans trade for Lions RB David Montgomery: Fantasy Football outlook, fallout for Woody Marks in 2026
Montgomery's addition will impact Marks' value in 2026 and more

The Texans and Lions agreed to terms on a trade Monday to send David Montgomery to Houston in exchange for a fourth-round pick in this year's draft, a seventh-round pick in 2027 and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs. This is a great move for Fantasy managers.
Montgomery gets the chance to start for the Texans, making him a potential No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues worth drafting as early as Round 6. And Jahmyr Gibbs, for now, is no longer in a timeshare with a prominent running back.
Following this trade, I'm moving Gibbs to No. 1 overall in my rankings. I'm hopeful that whoever replaces Montgomery in Detroit won't impact Gibbs in a negative way.
He was No. 2 in my rankings prior to this move behind Bijan Robinson, but Gibbs has more upside with Montgomery gone. Over the past two seasons, Montgomery has missed six games due to injury, and Gibbs has scored at least 25.4 PPR points in five of them. When Montgomery missed three games in 2024 due to a knee injury, Gibbs averaged 32.6 PPR points over that span.
Where Gibbs is ranked could change following free agency and the NFL Draft. But I love the potential for Gibbs now that Montgomery is gone.
I also like the upside for Montgomery in Houston. While he turns 29 in June and will share touches with Woody Marks, along with playing behind a weak offensive line, this trade gives Montgomery the potential for increased touches. That wasn't going to happen with the Lions.
He had a down season in 2025 with career lows in carries (158), rushing yards (716) and Fantasy points (9.9 PPR points per game), but he still averaged 4.5 yards per carry and scored eight touchdowns. And remember that he averaged 15.9 PPR points per game in 2024 and 14.8 PPR points per game in 2023 with the Lions and scored 33 rushing touchdowns in three seasons.
The touchdown chances won't be great in Houston since the Texans' running backs scored six rushing touchdowns in 2025 and 27 total over the past three seasons under DeMeco Ryans. But Montgomery also had success early in his career with the Bears and averaged at least 15.0 PPR points per game in two of four seasons in Chicago.
He's also underrated as a pass catcher out of the backfield and has four years on his resume with at least 34 receptions, including 54 catches in 15 games in 2020 with the Bears. He could get more chances to catch the ball in Houston depending on how the Texans use him and Marks in tandem.
Marks is obviously the biggest loser in this trade since he'll go from Houston's best running back in 2025 to sharing touches with Montgomery. But I still like the idea of drafting Marks with a late-round pick.
If Montgomery were to miss any time then Marks could be a borderline No. 2 running back or flex in all leagues. He had at least 14 total touches in eight of the Texans' final 11 games, and he averaged 10.3 PPR points in the games where he had an increased workload. He also had a standout playoff performance against Pittsburgh in the Wild-Card round with 19 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Marks got the chance to lead Houston's backfield last season because Nick Chubb struggled and Joe Mixon (foot) was out for the year. Chubb, 30, is a free agent and won't return to the Texans. Mixon, who turns 30 in July, is expected to be released by Houston, and he might not play again after missing the 2025 campaign.














