Fantasy football managers face quite the dilemma with Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery. Having been sidelined by a knee injury since Week 5, Montgomery practiced this week in preparation for a Monday Night Football matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Because he’s playing on Monday night, fantasy managers are going to have to make their decisions on what to do with Montgomery today. So, what’s the verdict? How should we treat the situation?
David Montgomery injury update
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Bears head coach Matt Nagy said “there’s a really good chance” that Montgomery plays on Monday Night Football.
The question fantasy managers need to ask, though, is what they should expect from Montgomery in his first game back from injury.
Related | Week 9 RB Rankings: What should you do with Khalil Herbert and Chase Edmonds?
In his stead, Chicago’s backfield work has been split between Damien Williams and Khalil Herbert, with the latter climbing the depth chart to take over the second spot behind Montgomery. Herbert has looked great, averaging 19.5 carries for 86 rushing yards per game over the last four weeks. He’s also seen 10 targets, catching 9 of them, and has found the end zone once.
Over the last three weeks, Herbert is the RB11 in half-PPR scoring. The rookie out of Virginia Tech has filled in admirably in Montgomery’s place.
Khalil Herbert has earned a role in the Bears’ offense
It’s hard to believe that Herbert won’t be on the field in some way. Even before taking over as the lead back, he was handling kick return duties early in the season. That shows that this coaching staff sees him as a valuable and versatile asset.
Even when Montgomery returns, it’s safe to think that Herbert will cut into his workload in some way. That wasn’t the case earlier in the season when Montgomery almost exclusively handled the backfield touches.
Week 2 is a great example — against the Cincinnati Bengals, Montgomery had 20 carries, while Williams had 2. Those were the only running backs to touch the ball.
Herbert’s 86 rushing yards per game over the last four weeks is fourth in the NFL behind only Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, and Damien Harris. He can’t leave the field.
Fantasy expectations for Montgomery
At best, Herbert will simply be a thorn in Montgomery managers’ sides and not take much work away from him in the second half of the season. At worst, however, Chicago’s backfield would turn into a full-on timeshare between Montgomery and Herbert, limiting the fantasy upside of both players.
For Week 9 — at a minimum — I expect a timeshare. With Montgomery returning from injury and potentially being able to play on Monday night, I can’t imagine him returning to a full workload right away.
If you’re having to make your lineup decisions this morning, I would suggest looking elsewhere if you can. Montgomery is a fantasy question mark in his first game back from injury, especially with the Bears heading into a Week 10 bye.
