The Detroit Lions moved to 5-1 on Sunday, defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 20-6. With upsets to the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles, the Lions are now tied for first in the NFC.
Jared Goff threw for 353 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Amon-Ra St. Brown (12 catches, 124 yards, and one touchdown) and Jameson Williams (two catches, 53 yards, and one touchdown) provided big plays for the Lions.
Running back David Montgomery left the game early with a rib injury, and Craig Reynolds ended up leading the team with 10 carries. With questions to Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, should fantasy football managers consider signing Reynolds off the waiver wire?
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Should Reynolds Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 7?
When he is healthy, Montgomery has been a key part of Detroit’s offense. In the last two games, he had rushed for 109 and 121 yards, respectively, while rushing for four touchdowns.
At 5’11”, 224 pounds, Montgomery is a physical, bruising running back. His style complements the Lions’ passing game incredibly well.
Goff is at his best when he is able to run the play-action fake, and having Montgomery makes that even more difficult to stop. However, one of his biggest issues is staying healthy. He has battled some nagging injuries throughout his career, and this rib injury is just another one of those ailments.
When you look at the measurements, Reynolds does have some similarities to Montgomery. He is built very similarly; the two running backs are basically the same size. With the 10 carries on Sunday, that was the most rushes in Reynolds’ career since Dec. 26, 2021, when he rushed the ball 11 times for 29 yards.
Against the Buccaneers, he had only 15 yards on those carries. He was able to also get two catches for 28 yards.
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While he isn’t Montgomery, could Reynolds fill in as a solid replacement?
No, now is not the time to bring him on your team. First off, we still don’t know what exactly Montgomery’s status is moving forward. If he’s back and able to play next week, then this is a moot point.
There are also questions with Gibbs, as he was unable to play this week. The Lions would love to get him back, and he could be a difference-maker later in the season.
There’s also the point that when Montgomery did leave, Detroit pretty much abandoned the run as a whole. Goff threw the ball 44 times, doubling the number of runs the team ran.
The ceiling for Reynolds is low, and there are other running backs who are more certain to get the ball, even at the bottom of rosters.
