The rumors were true. David Montgomery’s time in Detroit has come to an end. Why did the Texans trade for the former Lions and Bears running back? What does this mean for Joe Mixon? Woody Marks? Everything fantasy football managers need to know is right here.
David Montgomery’s Fantasy Outlook On the Texans
From a fantasy perspective, Montgomery is coming off the worst season of his career. For the first time, he failed to reach double-digit fantasy points per game in 2025, averaging 9.8 PPG.
Now 29 years old, it’s fair to wonder if this is the beginning of the end. Montgomery obviously doesn’t have much time left as a relevant fantasy asset. It may very well be the case that 2026 is the last time we care about him. Looking at his 2025 performance, I don’t think he’s done just yet.
Montgomery’s main issue last season was that Jahmyr Gibbs was undeniable. It’s not that Montgomery isn’t worthy of being on an NFL field. He’s just not Gibbs. When Montgomery gets the ball, that means Gibbs doesn’t. And that’s an EV move for any football team.
Performance-wise, Montgomery seemed like his usual self. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry, which is actually 0.4 higher than his career average. His 5.0 yards per touch ranked 19th in the league.
Efficiency-wise, there definitely were some cracks, though. These metrics can often be influenced by external factors beyond a running back’s control, but they are still worth mentioning.
Montgomery saw a sizable drop in his evaded tackles per touch rate. He was also far less efficient as a receiver, with his yards per route run dropping from a league best 4.74 to just 1.25. With a 5.3% target share, he offered next to nothing as a receiver.
Historically, though, Montgomery has always been a capable pass catcher. He caught 54 balls in 15 games back in 2020.
At the very least, Montgomery should be a better version of what we saw from Nick Chubb last season. While Chubb wasn’t exactly fantasy viable, the Texans gave him every opportunity to be. He’s just done. If Montgomery can get the role Chubb was supposed to have, the outlook is not bad.
How Does Montgomery Fit In Houston?
The big question on fantasy managers’ minds will be how this backfield might look in 2026. Joe Mixon is still technically the RB1. However, I maintain that he’s already played his last NFL snap. That has been my position since last Summer.
Assuming Mixon is done, Woody Marks is the true incumbent here. As pleasant a surprise as Marks was, that was more due to him exceeding expectations than actually being impressive on the field.
Marks averaged 9.4 PPG. But he only had six games all season with double-digit fantasy points. He had just four that pushed RB1 numbers at 15+ points. Marks had his 27.9-point Week 4 breakout and never really built upon it.
We still have a lot of time between now and training camp. Things can change. Nothing here is set in stone. However, I do not expect the Texans to spend any sort of meaningful draft capital or free agent capital on the running back position. Fantasy managers should expect them to enter the season with Montgomery as their lead runner, plus goal-line back.
What does this mean for Marks? Hopefully, he transitions back to his more natural satellite-back role. It was surprising to see him utilized as a two-down grinder as a rookie. Marks has one of the best college receiving profiles in NFL history, amassing 261 receptions in 57 college games. He caught 83 passes as a sophomore in 2021.
The Texans’ offense probably won’t be good enough for both Montgomery and Marks to be weekly fantasy starters. But both would be draftable.
Early returns suggest Montgomery would be a touchdown-dependent low RB2, while Marks would be more of an RB4/handcuff.
