Lions' David Montgomery: Caps dominant OT with winning TD
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Montgomery rushed 17 times for 91 yards and a touchdown while catching his only target for two yards in Sunday's 26-20 overtime win over the Rams.
After watching Jahmyr Gibbs score a one-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, Montgomery powered in one of his own to win the game in overtime. That touchdown capped a drive on which Montgomery dominated a tired Rams defense, producing 45 yards and the game-winning score on five rushing attempts. Montgomery will look to build on the momentum from his strong finish when the Lions host the Buccaneers in Week 2.
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Lions' David Montgomery: RBs to Start
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Jahmyr Gibbs is fine despite missing time in training camp with a hamstring injury, but Montgomery should still be considered a quality No. 2 running back in all leagues. Last season, Montgomery scored a touchdown in all but two healthy games, and this Rams defense is depleted compared to last year with Aaron Donald and Ernest Jones gone, along with defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. Gibbs and Montgomery should have the chance for a big game at home.
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Lions' David Montgomery: QBs to Start
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Jahmyr Gibbs is fine despite missing time in training camp with a hamstring injury, but Montgomery should still be considered a quality No. 2 running back in all leagues. Last season, Montgomery scored a touchdown in all but two healthy games, and this Rams defense is depleted compared to last year with Aaron Donald and Ernest Jones gone, along with defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. Gibbs and Montgomery should have the chance for a big game at home.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Geared up for Year 2 with Detroit
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Montgomery is entering his second campaign as a primary backfield option for the Lions.
Montgomery signed with Detroit ahead of the 2023 campaign, turning 219 carries into 1,015 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns, while also securing 16 receptions for 117 yards over 14 games with the Lions. The running back operated in the more "traditional" role in the backfield while Jahmyr Gibbs handled more of the receiving work at the position. Although Montgomery had a career low in receptions, his role as the bruiser with Detroit has proven to be a fruitful one over the last two years, with Jamaal Williams scoring 17 touchdowns on the ground for the Lions in 2022. With Gibbs' ADP in the first or second rounds of fantasy drafts, Montgomery's ADP sits around the mid-60s, providing great value to fantasy managers.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Finds end zone against 49ers
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Montgomery rushed the ball 15 times for 93 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 34-31 loss to the 49ers. He added two receptions (on two targets) for 20 yards.
Montgomery accounted for Detroit's second score of the game with a one-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter. He was also efficient with his opportunities throughout the contest, ripping off long runs of 16 and 15 yards and resulting in his highest yardage total since Week 10. Despite missing three games, Montgomery reached 1,000 rushing yards in the regular season for the second time in his career, and he also tallied a career-high 13 touchdowns. He'll likely be back with the Lions in 2024, continuing to form a potent combination with Jahmyr Gibbs out of the backfield.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Takes back seat to Gibbs in win
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Montgomery carried the ball 10 times for 33 yards and caught three of four targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 31-23 divisional-round win over the Buccaneers.
The veteran running back failed to reach 50 scrimmage yards for the second time in three games and saw his four-game TD streak come to an end. Meanwhile, Jahmyr Gibbs topped 100 scrimmage yards and scored a touchdown, and Craig Reynolds also punched in a short score on fourth-and-1 late in the third quarter. Montgomery will likely be more involved in the game plan next weekend against the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Leading rusher in WC win
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Montgomery ran the ball 14 times for 57 yards and a touchdown while catching his only target for 11 yards in Sunday's 24-23 win over the Rams.
Montgomery kicked off the scoring Sunday when he capped off a 10-play, 75-yard opening drive with a one-yard touchdown run. The bruising back would go on to lead Detroit's backfield in both carries and yards while both he and Jahmyr Gibbs scored a first-quarter touchdown. In fact, the backfield mates finished the wild-card win with exactly 68 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown apiece. Detroit figures to employ a similar run-heavy strategy spearheaded by Montgomery in the upcoming NFC divisional round.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Ends regular season with another TD
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Montgomery rushed 10 times for 40 yards with one touchdown during Sunday's 30-20 win over the Vikings.
While Montgomery drew the start and played into the fourth quarter with the rest of the Lions starters, he saw less work than Jahmyr Gibbs, who rushed 13 times for 30 yards and a touchdown of his own. However, the production was enough for the Iowa State product to end his first season in Detroit with more than 1,000 yards rushing (1,015) in 13 games while averaging one rushing touchdown per contest. With each of Sam LaPorta (knee), Jameson Williams (ankle) and Kalif Raymond (knee) banged up, the Lions could lean heavily on the run game in a matchup with the Rams in the NFC wild-card round.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Paces backfield in loss
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Montgomery rushed 14 times for 65 yards and a touchdown and failed to bring in his only target in the Lions' 20-19 loss to the Cowboys on Saturday night.
Montgomery's rushing yardage total led the Lions on the night, and he notably outpaced backfield mate Jahmyr Gibbs by 22 yards despite seeing one less carry. Montgomery also was the only one of the pair to get into the end zone, recording a three-yard scoring run in the third quarter for his 12th touchdown of the campaign. The veteran did fail to log a receiving stat for the first time in Week 12, but with six trips to the end zone in the last six games, he heads into the Week 18 finale against the Vikings on Jan. 7 with plenty of momentum.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Finds end zone in Week 16 win
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Montgomery rushed 17 times for 55 yards and a touchdown and caught both his targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 30-24 win over Minnesota.
Montgomery logged eight carries on Detroit's first offensive drive, ending the 14-play march with a one-yard touchdown run. Jahmyr Gibbs largely took over in the Lions' backfield from there and finished with the better overall rushing line (15-80-2), though the potent duo ended with an equal number of total touches (19). Gibbs has proven to be an explosive force for Detroit in his rookie campaign, and he's gained at least 60 yards on the ground in four straight contests while scoring five times over that span, but Montgomery hasn't exactly faded away -- he's averaging 65.5 rushing yards with two TDs over the same four-game span. While a split backfield isn't typically an ideal situation for fantasy purposes, both Montgomery and Gibbs are performing well enough to be viable options in all formats. The pair will look to remain productive next Saturday in a road contest versus Dallas.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Totals 82 yards
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Montgomery carried the ball 17 times for 85 yards in Saturday's 42-17 win over the Broncos. He added two receptions on three targets for minus-3 yards.
Montgomery saw 19 touches compared to 13 for Jahmyr Gibbs, though Gibbs out-gained him and also found the end zone twice. The latter factor is particularly concerning, as Gibbs' second score of the game came with the Lions up 35-10 and from the 12-yard line. Despite remaining relatively efficient, Montgomery has now failed to score in consecutive games after tallying 10 rushing touchdowns in his first nine contests of the campaign.
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Lions' David Montgomery: RBs to Start
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The Lions should lean heavily on their running backs in Week 15 against Denver, and Jahmyr Gibbs and Montgomery should get plenty of touches. The Broncos pass defense is tough, but their run defense has been an issue all season. Gibbs has a higher ceiling than Montgomery, but we know Montgomery is the safer bet to find the end zone since he's scored a touchdown in all but one game that he's been able to finish this season, which was last week at Chicago. He still scored 11.5 PPR points against the Bears, and the Broncos have allowed 10 running backs to score at least 14 PPR points this season.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Racks up 85 total yards
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Montgomery rushed the ball 10 times for 66 yards in Sunday's 28-13 loss to the Bears. He added three receptions on three targets for 19 yards.
The Lions were forced out of their typical run-heavy offensive attack, as they played from behind for nearly the entire game. As a result, Montgomery lost out on volume and split both touches and production almost exactly evenly with Jahmyr Gibbs. Since topping 100 rushing yards in his return from injury Week 10, Montgomery has since failed to top 76 yards on the ground in his last four contests, though he had found the end zone in every game in that span before Sunday's loss.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Finds end zone in Week 13 win
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Montgomery rushed 18 times for 56 yards and a touchdown and brought in one of two targets for minus-1 yard in the Lions' 33-28 win over the Saints on Sunday.
Montgomery opened the scoring on the afternoon with a two-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter, but the rest of his afternoon was largely a struggle. The workhorse back has now scored in four consecutive contests, and his carry count Sunday was his highest since Week 5. Montgomery now gets a second crack at his old Bears teammates in a Week 14 road divisional clash.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Puts in full practice
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Montgomery (foot) was a full practice participant Thursday.
Montgomery was a limited participant Wednesday in the Lions' first Week 13 practice, but his ability to take every rep a day later clears up any concern about his availability for Sunday's game in New Orleans. Since overcoming a rib injury following the Lions' Week 9 bye, the fifth-year running back is averaging 13.7 touches and 95.0 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring a touchdown in each of Detroit's last three contests.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Dealing with foot injury
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Montgomery was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to a foot injury.
Montgomery has missed three games this season on account of thigh (Week 3) and rib injuries (Weeks 7 and 8), but it's unclear if his current foot issue is something that may threaten his availability for Sunday's game in New Orleans. In three appearances since returning to action Week 10, Montgomery has totaled 41 touches for 285 yards from scrimmage and three rushing scores, while rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs has accrued 46 touches for 280 total yards and three rushing touchdowns himself during that stretch. Montgomery's status will be monitored as the week goes along to see how the Lions backfield could break down Sunday.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Scores another touchdown
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Montgomery rushed 15 times for 71 yards with one touchdown and a two-point conversion during Thursday's 29-22 loss to the Packers.
After Jahmyr Gibbs seemed to eat into Montgomery's between-the-tackles role coming out of Detroit's Week 9 bye, Montgomery has seen four more carries than Gibbs in each of the two games since then. He also got the nod on a number of goal-line rushing attempts after Gibbs handled four of them over the past couple of weeks, and Montgomery took full advantage of the opportunity to remain the only running back outside of Raheem Mostert to average more than one rushing touchdown per game in 2023. However, Montgomery's role in the passing game was again overshadowed by Gibbs, who logged eight targets Thursday, compared to Montgomery's one. While both running backs will prevent the other from handling a workhorse role, all indications suggest that the Lions offense should continue to support two highly-fantasy-relevant running backs heading into a Week 13 matchup with New Orleans.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Makes impact in return
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Montgomery carried the ball 12 times for 116 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 41-38 win over the Chargers.
Seeing his first action since Week 6 after missing Detroit's last two games due to a rib injury, Montgomery didn't skip a beat, recording his third 100-yard performance of the season and scoring his seventh rushing TD on a 75-yard gallop in the second quarter. However, the fifth-year back didn't see the same kind of workload he had prior to his absence, as Jahmyr Gibbs racked up 112 yards from scrimmage and two rushing scores on 17 touches. Even in a timeshare with Gibbs, Montgomery still should be productive, and the duo gets another potentially juicy matchup Week 11 against the Bears.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Logs full practice Thursday
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Montgomery (ribs) practiced in full Thursday.
The Lions didn't get in any on-field work Wednesday, when they listed Montgomery as a full participant. One day later, he again received the same listing, only this time the team practiced. Montgomery thus is poised to see his first game action since Week 6 on Sunday at the Chargers, putting an end to a two-game absence. The biggest question mark in Detroit's backfield moving forward is the breakdown of snaps between Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, the latter of whom tallied 51 touches for 315 yards from scrimmage and two rushing TDs while the former was sidelined.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Could return after bye
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Montgomery (ribs) is expected to return to the lineup for Sunday's game against the Chargers, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Montgomery will have had a full four weeks to recover from his rib cartilage injury before the matchup in Los Angeles, and Detroit seemingly signaled their confidence in his availability by parting ways with No. 4 running back Devine Ozigbo last Thursday. While it's not clear how the Lions will divvy up the rushing workload after rookie Jahmyr Gibbs excelled in Montgomery's absence, the veteran seems likely to reclaim a significant amount of touches after averaging 22 carries in his first four games of the season.
