David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs’ Updated Fantasy Outlook After Lions Beat Packers

The Detroit Lions may have benefitted from running back David Montgomery’s performance Thursday night, but most fantasy leagues did not.

Montgomery led the Lions with 32 carries for 121 yards and three touchdowns during the Lions’ 34-20 win over the Green Bay Packers— but only 25 percent of leagues had him starting, according to Yahoo Sports.

Meanwhile, rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs continues to be given only limited opportunities by the Lions despite sky-high expectations heading into the 2023 fantasy season. The first-round pick made eight carries for 40 yards as he continues to lose ground to Montgomery in the race to become the Lions’ RB1.

Despite the thigh contusion that kept him from the field in Week 3, Montgomery appears to be a safer fantasy bet than Gibbs as a starter heading into Week 5.

Gibbs made his first NFL start in Montgomery’s absence Sunday, making 17 carries for 80 yards during the Lions’ 20-6 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Despite that start, the rookie still has yet to make it into the end zone in the NFL. That’s a blow not only for Gibbs’ hopes of eventually getting involved in more touches than Montgomery but for fantasy owners who expected the Lions to lean on Gibbs after their excitement at getting to select him with the No. 12 pick.

That was a surprisingly early selection for Gibbs, who was projected to go near the end of the first round, so fantasy managers assumed the Lions would be giving the Alabama product more carries in the early stretch of the season.

Instead, Detroit appears to be leaning on Montgomery, who made almost as many carries Thursday night (32) as Gibbs has in four weeks (39.)

Fantasy managers might not be able to expect an immediate repeat of Montgomery’s Thursday night performance, as his three touchdowns and 113 yards after contact both marked the highest totals of his five-year career. But it appears he is still on track to establish his position as a weekly RB1 selection, instead of the flex-position role many managers were expecting him to take when the Lions drafted Gibbs.