From signing with the Lions in free agency to when fantasy football drafts really got rolling, the narrative on David Montgomery shifted thanks to the drafting of Jahmyr Gibbs. But it was still easy to buy into the former Bear at his ultimate draft cost.
For much of Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs, it didn't look good for Montgomery to pay off our "sneaky start" call. But 41 yards and what became the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter saved his fantasy day, as he finished as a high-end RB2 (RB13; 0.5-point PPR).
The workload split in the Lions' backfield will start to move some toward Gibbs in Week 2 and beyond. But Montgomery will maintain a significant role, and he's the favorite for the majority of the goal line work. Zero targets in the passing game also won't be a regular thing, even with Gibbs as dynamic as he is as a pass catcher.
Fantasy Football Week 2: David Montgomery quickly becoming a weekly starter
In Week 2, the Lions face the Seattle Seahawks. Last season Seattle was a bottom-five defense in fantasy points allowed to running backs. In Week 1, Rams' running backs Kyren Williams and Cam Akers combined for three rushing touchdowns. Their combined yards per carry average was dragged down by Akers (29 yards on 22 carries).
Gibbs is a fantasy start against the Seahawks, even as a flex play if not as a RB2 (with a tilt toward PPR on the high end of that scale). But with the prospect of 15-20 carries on Sunday, and goal line work in what should be a high-scoring game against a bad run defense, Montgomery belongs in lineups as an RB2. Even down to flex consideration, with a downgrade for him in PPR scoring, you'd have to have two running backs and a flex option with a better matchup/better floor/better upside to not start Montgomery.
Montgomery was a sneaky good fantasy start in Week 1, and he met that with carry volume and touchdown. A better matchup makes him a must-start in Week 2.