David Montgomery Week 1 Outlook - Lions at Chiefs

By Derek Brown (FantasyPros), Sun, Sep 10th 2023, 12:05pm EDT

Montgomery takes over Detroit's early down hammer role this season for Jamaal Williams. Montgomery was an elite tackle-breaker last season, but sadly, it didn't do him much good. He was first in missed tackles forced per attempt but also finished with the lowest explosive run rate in the NFL (per Fantasy Points Data). Montgomery is a spinning top as he never goes down, but sadly, he never advances far upfield. Montgomery will have weeks where he finishes with RB1/2 stat lines, but this probably isn't one of them. It helps his cause that Chris Jones is likely out, and Carlos Dunlap is gone, though. Each player ranked inside the top 70 highest-graded run defenders in the NFL (among 264 qualifying players), with Jones finishing seventh and Dunlap coming in at 67th. Williams was utilized on gap runs with 57.3% of his carries last season. If Montgomery receives similar usage, he'll have uphill sledding. Last season, the Chiefs allowed the 12th-lowest yards after contact overall, the 12th-lowest success rate on gap runs, and the sixth-fewest rushing touchdowns. Montgomery is a volume-driven low-end RB2/high-end RB3.