We were all startled when the Detroit Lions drafted RB Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. It seemed a bit too early for a RB, but as the preseason progressed, the Lions made it clear that they had a plan for Gibbs and valued his talent. Gibbs had a fantastic final year at Alabama, highlighted by his 44 receptions for 444 yards and three TDs.
With David Montgomery on the roster to be the workhorse RB1, Gibbs could be the change-of-pace, pass-catching back for a Detroit offense that looked exciting. Gibbs started slow for fantasy football managers, with only 60 all-purpose yards in Week 1. However, his snap percentage has steadily increased each week, with him playing 60% of snaps in Week 3 with Montgomery sitting out due to injury.
He has yet to find the end zone, but he clocked 80 yards on the ground last week versus Atlanta. With Montgomery out, he had 68% of the rushing attempts, including four in the red zone.
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Jahmyr Gibbs Rest-of-Season Fantasy Outlook
Gibbs has the potential for a fantastic rookie season, and his fantasy outlook gets better by the week. Sure, the box score doesn’t scream success, but the opportunity and the coaching staff’s faith show that Gibbs is integral in the Lions’ plans. Detroit plays Green Bay on Thursday on a short week, and I doubt Montgomery will make it back.
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Gibbs should have another week to increase his snap share, and if he can capitalize, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of a split backfield when Montgomery returns from injury.
Should I Trade Gibbs?
Even with a slightly underwhelming Week 3, you should not throw in the towel on Gibbs. In fact, I would target Gibbs. Find a manager who is just looking at the box score and stats on the ground and see if you can buy low, anticipating his usage to continue to increase. He has the talent. Gibbs is RB14 in our PFN Consensus Rankings for Week 4.