Lions' David Montgomery: Knee not a long-term concern
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Speaking with the media Monday, coach Dan Campbell said there's no long-term concern about the knee injury David Montgomery suffered in Sunday's win over the Vikings, Justin Rogers of DetroitFootball.net reports.
Campbell said Montgomery took a knee to the back of his knee and suffered a "bad bruise," per Rogers. Montgomery was briefly forced to leave the win over Minnesota, but he was able to return to the game after being checked by the medical staff. He rushed a season-low nine times for 61 yards and added 3-39-0 on four targets in the pass game, but it was his first game without a touchdown this season. Jahmyr Gibbs was able to pick up more of the slack with Montgomery hobbled, finishing with 160 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 19 touches. Montgomery sounds like he should be fine for Sunday's game against the Titans, but he could have his practice reps dialed back this week.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Deals with adversity in Week 7 win
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Montgomery rushed nine times for 31 yards and brought in three of four targets for 39 yards in the Lions' 31-29 win over the Vikings on Sunday. He also lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.
Montgomery missed time in the first half with a knee injury, and although he was able to return, he was significantly outpaced by backfield mate Jahmyr Gibbs (160 total yards, two rushing TDs). Montgomery then nearly cost the Lions the game with his rare fourth-quarter fumble, which the Vikings' Ivan Pace was able to scoop up and return 36 yards for a touchdown. Montgomery's rush attempts and rushing yards were both season lows, and he also failed to score for the first time this season, but he'll have a chance at getting back on track with a full workload in a Week 8 home matchup against the Titans.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Back in Sunday's game
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Montgomery (knee) returned to Sunday's game at Minnesota, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
In the middle of the first quarter, Montgomery remained on the turf for a spell after a carry for no gain before he limped off the field with team trainers. After getting examined and working out his knee on an exercise bike, he got back into the contest early in the second quarter. Montgomery will continue to work in tandem with Jahmyr Gibbs out of Detroit's backfield.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Injures knee Sunday
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Montgomery was forced out of Sunday's game against the Vikings with a knee injury.
Before leaving the contest, Montgomery carried twice for three yards and caught both of his targets for 25 yards. In his absence, Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds and Sione Vaki are left to handle the Lions' Week 7 backfield duties.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Pair of scores in win
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Montgomery rushed the ball 12 times for 80 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 47-9 win over the Cowboys. He added one reception on one target for zero yards.
Montgomery got the Detroit offense rolling by racking up 28 rushing yards with a touchdown on the team's first drive. He found the end zone again just before halftime with a one-yard touchdown plunge to give him his first multi-score game of the season. Montgomery saw only three carries in the second half due to a blowout game script, and even while splitting work with Jahmyr Gibbs out of the backfield, he has at least 70 total yards and a touchdown in all five games this season.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Lands contract extension
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Montgomery agreed to a two-year, $18.25 million contract extension with the Lions on Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Montgomery will get $10.5 million guaranteed in the new deal, which keeps him on the Lions' books through 2027. He has been a tone setter on offense for the Lions this season, scoring one touchdown in each of the team's four contests and tallying 271 yards on 63 carries along with 94 yards on nine catches overall. Backfield mate Jahmyr Gibbs -- who has 285 rushing yards and three scores on 54 carries along with an 11-76-1 receiving line this season -- is also signed with the Lions through 2027.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Another touchdown in win
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Montgomery rushed 12 times for 40 yards and a touchdown and brought in his only target for a 40-yard reception in the Lions' 42-29 win over the Seahawks on Monday night.
Montgomery saw backfield mate Jahmyr Gibbs receive a pair of rushing opportunities from inside the five-yard line that he parlayed into short touchdowns. However, those were preceded by Montgomery's own one-yard scoring rush in the first quarter that served as the first points of the night for either squad. He also contributed a career-long reception on the Lions' first play from scrimmage in the second half, igniting a drive that culminated in an Amon-Ra St. Brown touchdown pass to Jared Goff. Montgomery has recorded a rushing touchdown in each of the first four games of the season, and although he saw Gibbs log two more carries than him Monday night, the former should continue in a dependable role in a Week 6 road showdown with the Cowboys following a Week 5 bye.
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Lions' David Montgomery: RBs to Start
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Montgomery has scored a touchdown in each of the first two games this season against the Rams and Buccaneers, and he now has a touchdown in 13 of 15 healthy games since coming to Detroit last year. I love his involvement in the passing game in Week 2 against Tampa Bay, with four catches for 35 yards on four targets, and this should be a great matchup against Arizona. The Cardinals allowed James Cook to gain over 100 total yards in Week 1, and Kyren Williams scored a rushing touchdown against Arizona in Week 2. Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs should excel in Week 3, and Montgomery is worth starting as a solid No. 2 running back in all leagues.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Caps dominant OT with winning TD
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Montgomery rushed 17 times for 91 yards and a touchdown while catching his only target for two yards in Sunday's 26-20 overtime win over the Rams.
After watching Jahmyr Gibbs score a one-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, Montgomery powered in one of his own to win the game in overtime. That touchdown capped a drive on which Montgomery dominated a tired Rams defense, producing 45 yards and the game-winning score on five rushing attempts. Montgomery will look to build on the momentum from his strong finish when the Lions host the Buccaneers in Week 2.
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Lions' David Montgomery: RBs to Start
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Jahmyr Gibbs is fine despite missing time in training camp with a hamstring injury, but Montgomery should still be considered a quality No. 2 running back in all leagues. Last season, Montgomery scored a touchdown in all but two healthy games, and this Rams defense is depleted compared to last year with Aaron Donald and Ernest Jones gone, along with defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. Gibbs and Montgomery should have the chance for a big game at home.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Geared up for Year 2 with Detroit
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Montgomery is entering his second campaign as a primary backfield option for the Lions.
Montgomery signed with Detroit ahead of the 2023 campaign, turning 219 carries into 1,015 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns, while also securing 16 receptions for 117 yards over 14 games with the Lions. The running back operated in the more "traditional" role in the backfield while Jahmyr Gibbs handled more of the receiving work at the position. Although Montgomery had a career low in receptions, his role as the bruiser with Detroit has proven to be a fruitful one over the last two years, with Jamaal Williams scoring 17 touchdowns on the ground for the Lions in 2022. With Gibbs' ADP in the first or second rounds of fantasy drafts, Montgomery's ADP sits around the mid-60s, providing great value to fantasy managers.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Finds end zone against 49ers
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Montgomery rushed the ball 15 times for 93 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 34-31 loss to the 49ers. He added two receptions (on two targets) for 20 yards.
Montgomery accounted for Detroit's second score of the game with a one-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter. He was also efficient with his opportunities throughout the contest, ripping off long runs of 16 and 15 yards and resulting in his highest yardage total since Week 10. Despite missing three games, Montgomery reached 1,000 rushing yards in the regular season for the second time in his career, and he also tallied a career-high 13 touchdowns. He'll likely be back with the Lions in 2024, continuing to form a potent combination with Jahmyr Gibbs out of the backfield.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Takes back seat to Gibbs in win
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Montgomery carried the ball 10 times for 33 yards and caught three of four targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 31-23 divisional-round win over the Buccaneers.
The veteran running back failed to reach 50 scrimmage yards for the second time in three games and saw his four-game TD streak come to an end. Meanwhile, Jahmyr Gibbs topped 100 scrimmage yards and scored a touchdown, and Craig Reynolds also punched in a short score on fourth-and-1 late in the third quarter. Montgomery will likely be more involved in the game plan next weekend against the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Leading rusher in WC win
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Montgomery ran the ball 14 times for 57 yards and a touchdown while catching his only target for 11 yards in Sunday's 24-23 win over the Rams.
Montgomery kicked off the scoring Sunday when he capped off a 10-play, 75-yard opening drive with a one-yard touchdown run. The bruising back would go on to lead Detroit's backfield in both carries and yards while both he and Jahmyr Gibbs scored a first-quarter touchdown. In fact, the backfield mates finished the wild-card win with exactly 68 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown apiece. Detroit figures to employ a similar run-heavy strategy spearheaded by Montgomery in the upcoming NFC divisional round.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Ends regular season with another TD
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Montgomery rushed 10 times for 40 yards with one touchdown during Sunday's 30-20 win over the Vikings.
While Montgomery drew the start and played into the fourth quarter with the rest of the Lions starters, he saw less work than Jahmyr Gibbs, who rushed 13 times for 30 yards and a touchdown of his own. However, the production was enough for the Iowa State product to end his first season in Detroit with more than 1,000 yards rushing (1,015) in 13 games while averaging one rushing touchdown per contest. With each of Sam LaPorta (knee), Jameson Williams (ankle) and Kalif Raymond (knee) banged up, the Lions could lean heavily on the run game in a matchup with the Rams in the NFC wild-card round.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Paces backfield in loss
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Montgomery rushed 14 times for 65 yards and a touchdown and failed to bring in his only target in the Lions' 20-19 loss to the Cowboys on Saturday night.
Montgomery's rushing yardage total led the Lions on the night, and he notably outpaced backfield mate Jahmyr Gibbs by 22 yards despite seeing one less carry. Montgomery also was the only one of the pair to get into the end zone, recording a three-yard scoring run in the third quarter for his 12th touchdown of the campaign. The veteran did fail to log a receiving stat for the first time in Week 12, but with six trips to the end zone in the last six games, he heads into the Week 18 finale against the Vikings on Jan. 7 with plenty of momentum.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Finds end zone in Week 16 win
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Montgomery rushed 17 times for 55 yards and a touchdown and caught both his targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 30-24 win over Minnesota.
Montgomery logged eight carries on Detroit's first offensive drive, ending the 14-play march with a one-yard touchdown run. Jahmyr Gibbs largely took over in the Lions' backfield from there and finished with the better overall rushing line (15-80-2), though the potent duo ended with an equal number of total touches (19). Gibbs has proven to be an explosive force for Detroit in his rookie campaign, and he's gained at least 60 yards on the ground in four straight contests while scoring five times over that span, but Montgomery hasn't exactly faded away -- he's averaging 65.5 rushing yards with two TDs over the same four-game span. While a split backfield isn't typically an ideal situation for fantasy purposes, both Montgomery and Gibbs are performing well enough to be viable options in all formats. The pair will look to remain productive next Saturday in a road contest versus Dallas.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Totals 82 yards
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Montgomery carried the ball 17 times for 85 yards in Saturday's 42-17 win over the Broncos. He added two receptions on three targets for minus-3 yards.
Montgomery saw 19 touches compared to 13 for Jahmyr Gibbs, though Gibbs out-gained him and also found the end zone twice. The latter factor is particularly concerning, as Gibbs' second score of the game came with the Lions up 35-10 and from the 12-yard line. Despite remaining relatively efficient, Montgomery has now failed to score in consecutive games after tallying 10 rushing touchdowns in his first nine contests of the campaign.
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Lions' David Montgomery: RBs to Start
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The Lions should lean heavily on their running backs in Week 15 against Denver, and Jahmyr Gibbs and Montgomery should get plenty of touches. The Broncos pass defense is tough, but their run defense has been an issue all season. Gibbs has a higher ceiling than Montgomery, but we know Montgomery is the safer bet to find the end zone since he's scored a touchdown in all but one game that he's been able to finish this season, which was last week at Chicago. He still scored 11.5 PPR points against the Bears, and the Broncos have allowed 10 running backs to score at least 14 PPR points this season.
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Lions' David Montgomery: Racks up 85 total yards
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Montgomery rushed the ball 10 times for 66 yards in Sunday's 28-13 loss to the Bears. He added three receptions on three targets for 19 yards.
The Lions were forced out of their typical run-heavy offensive attack, as they played from behind for nearly the entire game. As a result, Montgomery lost out on volume and split both touches and production almost exactly evenly with Jahmyr Gibbs. Since topping 100 rushing yards in his return from injury Week 10, Montgomery has since failed to top 76 yards on the ground in his last four contests, though he had found the end zone in every game in that span before Sunday's loss.
