In last week’s victory over the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery left the second half with a knee injury. Although he reportedly avoided major injury, according to Ian Rapoport, Montgomery will miss the next 4-5 weeks. What is the current state of the Bears’ backfield in the aftermath, and what does it mean for fantasy football?
Who will start for David Montgomery in Week 5?
With the Bears scheduled for a Week 10 bye, we can reasonably project them to hold Montgomery out through then to give him that extra week of rest and have him ready to go in Week 11. In the meantime, how will the running back snaps be distributed?
Damien Williams is the clear primary running back
Throughout the first four weeks of the season, it’s been very clear that Damien Williams is second on the depth chart in Chicago’s backfield. Whenever Montgomery came out, Williams came in.
Last week, after Montgomery exited, it was all Williams … at least until he suffered a quad injury of his own. The good news is that it was merely a bruise, and he should be fine for Week 5. Even with the thigh injury, Williams still out-snapped Khalil Herbert 19-7.
Williams has a proven track record
Despite being a late bloomer, we’ve seen Williams produce in the past. He has several 100-yard rushing games on his résumé, and he’s famous for having scored a touchdown in every single playoff game he’s appeared in.
In fact, Williams’ most productive stretches in the past have occurred when he became the starter by happenstance, rather than when he was intentionally made the starter. That is the exact situation we find ourselves in here with the injury to Montgomery.
What is the long-term outlook for Montgomery?
Williams should be a steady RB2 for the next five weeks. Nevertheless, once Montgomery is ready to return, he should get his job back. Bears head coach Matt Nagy likes Montgomery and is the type of coach to restore him to his prior role regardless of how well Williams plays.
Are there any potential concerns?
Expect Montgomery to return 100% healthy following the Bears’ Week 10 bye. The only possible concern would be the potential return of Tarik Cohen. The shifty satellite back is eligible to come off the PUP list in two weeks.
If Cohen is back in the mix, his involvement will at least cut into Montgomery’s passing-game usage. In fact, fantasy managers that won Williams off the waiver wire this week should keep an eye on Cohen’s status, as it could impact Williams’ productivity while filling in for Montgomery.
What should fantasy managers do with David Montgomery?
The answer to this question depends on your team’s situation. If you don’t have Williams and need wins now, you might want to explore trade options with teams that have 3-4 wins pocketed already. If you are one of those teams and your league has IR spots, perhaps consider, for lack of a better term, a low-ball offer for Montgomery to stash him.
Regardless of what you choose to do, Montgomery’s season is not over. He avoided an ACL injury, and he will return and be fantasy viable.
