When he signed with the Detroit Lions in March of 2023, it was easy to get on board the fantasy football hype train for David Montgomery (or drive it). The context of his situation changed when Jahmyr Gibbs was drafted in April, but there was still plenty of appeal for Montgomery in fantasy drafts with that shift.

As the ideal complement to Gibbs, Montgomery had over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground last year. His workload did diminish late in the season as Gibbs emerged, but Montgomery’s role in the Lions’ offense is not totally going away this year.

The expected shift of the backfield workload toward Gibbs this season makes it easy to call Montgomery a fantasy bust for this year. But more measured thoughts prove he has appeal in the right context(s).

Montgomery’s current ADP, in the mid-to-late RB2 range, could be a little rich for some people. But let’s say he loses 25-30 percent of his production from last year. That’d still be north of 700 rushing yards with nine touchdowns on the ground. Not last year’s production, but not worthless in fantasy terms either.

David Montgomery gets lofty spot in ranking of specific category of fantasy RBs

As part of his fantasy football running back preview for this year, Heath Cummings of CBS Sports ranked handcuffs to target in PPR league drafts. The scoring format lands down the scale of importance in that particular category of fantasy running backs.

Montgomery No. 1 on that list for Cummings, albeit with a near-disqualification for his being a handcuff.

“Obviously, David Montgomery is much more than a handcuff, but the reason he’s on this list, and someone like Tyrone Tracy is not, is the fact that Montgomery could be a league-winner in the event Jahmyr Gibbs gets hurt. Tracy’s role might not change change with one injury. So, while Montgomery can be a flex in a PPR league even without an injury, he’s also one of the best handcuffs.”

“I don’t traditionally draft handcuffs to my starters, but I don’t mind taking someone else’s.”

Montgomery stretches the definition of a handcuff running back, as Cummings admitted.
He is a Gibbs injury away from being a full-blown workhorse back though, with undeniably upside if Gibbs were out awhile.

So it wouldn’t be ridiculous to take Gibbs in the late-first or early second round of a draft, then take Montgomery in the sixth or seventh round. In the conversation about handcuff backs, the gap in ADPs puts Montgomery in play if it makes sense for those who draft Gibbs. Or, as Cummings noted, Montgomery could be a shrewd draft target for those who don’t draft Gibbs.