Detroit Lions RB David Montgomery has had an intriguing season with great performances mixed in with absences by way of injury. All of that has left fantasy football managers in a spin, and Week 8 has been no different.
Let’s take a look at whether Montgomery is playing on Monday Night Football, the latest on his potential timeline, and what it means for fantasy managers.
Is David Montgomery Playing on Monday Night Football?
Unfortunately, fantasy managers will have to go another week without Montgomery. The Lions ruled out their starting running back on Saturday due to the rib injury that he suffered in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This week’s game will be Montgomery’s second straight absence after he also missed last week’s game. The expectation was always that it would be tough for Montgomery to return in Week 8, and there was never any real indication that he would be able to play.
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“Yeah, best I can tell you on David is he just continues to improve,” head coach Dan Campbell told the media on Wednesday. He did not commit to giving Montgomery any chance to play.
When he then didn’t practice for any of the three days this week, it was clear that Mongomery would not be on the field on Monday. That at least provided clarity for fantasy managers going into the weekend. If Montgomery had been questionable, managers would have been in a quandary over whether to play Detroit’s starting RB or not.
When Could Montgomery Potentially Return?
There is good and bad news for fantasy managers on this front. The positive aspect is that the Lions have not felt the need to place Montgomery on injured reserve as of Monday of Week 8. A stint on IR would have mandated a four-game absence, but by not doing so, Detroit has the flexibility to bring Montgomery back whenever he’s ready.
The downside for fantasy managers is that Week 9 is the Lions’ bye week, so you’re going to have to wait until at least Week 10 to get Montgomery back. In some ways, this is not a major issue, as you would have been without him in Week 9 anyway and may have planned for that absence. Yet, it will be three weeks in a row that he has missed.
At this stage, we have no definitive news on whether Montgomery will be ready in Week 10. The hope will be that the bye week and these previous two weeks will have offered enough recovery time. We’ll have to wait for updates from Campbell over the following two weeks to be sure.
What Are the Fantasy Implications of Montgomery’s Absence?
Montgomery being out has been a significant blow to his fantasy managers. For the season, he has 385 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns, and 66 receiving yards in five games. Those rushing numbers are on pace to be career-highs as he has flourished in the Lions offense.
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His absence opens the door for Jahmyr Gibbs to potentially star. In the last two games he has played without Montgomery, Gibbs has totaled 148 rushing yards and 60 receiving yards — he also found the end zone once. He is a bonafide starting RB option when Montgomery is out of the lineup.
If you’re looking to take a punt tonight, then Craig Reynolds would likely be the next man up if something happened to Gibbs during the game. It would be a risk to start a player who had just 25 yards on four touches last week in the backup role, but it would be better than starting Montgomery, who is a guaranteed zero at this point.
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