Lions running back D’Andre Swift a clear fantasy football loser in free agency

It’s not a huge surprise, but Lions running back D’Andre Swift had been tabbed as one of the biggest fantasy football losers from NFL free agency.

Some people bought into the fantasy football hype around Lions running back D’Andre Swift last year. Of course he missed a few games, and often had limited workloads as Jamaal Williams had a career year alongside him.

When it became clear Williams would not be re-signed, the Lions made quite a pivot to sign former Bears running back David Montgomery. With a clear upgrade to the offensive line he’s running behind, Montgomery’s fantasy upside for 2023 is enormous. He won’t take over the full brunt of Williams’ goal line-heavy role from last season, but he’s also a better all-around back than Williams.

Matt Harmon of Yahoo! Sports has Montgomery on his list of the biggest fantasy winners from free agency.

But on the flip side….

D’Andre Swift is easily one of the biggest fantasy losers from NFL free agency

Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report put out his list of the biggest fantasy football winners and losers from the early run of free agency earlier this week. Swift is just too easy to put in the loser’s column, and there he is.

Here’s a bit of what Davenport wrote, and it’s truly the punch line.

"The good news for Swift’s fantasy value is that Williams and his 17 rushing scores from last season are now in New Orleans. The bad news is that the Lions replaced Williams with former Chicago Bears tailback David Montgomery."

The passing down role has been Swift’s domain in the Lions’ backfield the last couple years, while Williams was a non-entity in that area. But Montgomery is a legit weapon in the passing game, often underused as a pass catcher during his time with the Bears.

As possible pivots from Williams went, Montgomery was at the top end to a point it was hard to believe the Lions would consider it. They clearly don’t trust Swift to take on the lead role in their backfield, and nothing up to this point says they should.

The addition of Montgomery is the early death knell for Swift’s fantasy value in 2023, assuming he remains a Detroit Lion.