The Detroit Lions are set to have arguably the best one-two punch in the NFL at running back in 2024, with the team sporting David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
Montgomery is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he tallied 1,015 rushing yards, 117 receiving yards and a whopping 13 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Gibbs finished with 945 rushing yards, 316 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns.
Ultimately, Montgomery and Gibbs ranked RB17 and RB10 overall, respectively, according to Fantasy Pros. Making their seasons more impressive was the fact that neither running back played a full slate of games, with Montgomery missing three contests and Gibbs missing two.
For now, we're going to focus on Montgomery and what to expect from him during the 2024 NFL season.
David Montgomery fantasy football outlook
Ceiling: Low-end RB1
Floor: Flex
Despite not playing a full season and having to share work, Montgomery was still a top-20 back in 2023. If he can play a full 17-game slate, there is a chance for him to finish as a low-end RB1. But Montgomery has only played a full slate once in his career, which came in 2019, his first season in the NFL.
The biggest concern is Gibbs taking on more work. Montgomery had a monster workload early on in 2023 but saw it come back down to earth in the second half of the season as Gibbs was utilized more. That led to Montgomery's fantasy production being more dependent on touchdowns.
General manager Brad Holmes has made it clear that the Lions want to expand Gibbs' role, but he emphasized that increase being in the passing game, where Montgomery wasn't utilized much anyway.
Montgomery, who will be running behind an elite offensive line, should be the go-to option on most early downs, and he'll likely be the top option to run out the clock when the Lions want to close out games, which could be a common occurrence in 2024.
When it comes to goal-line carries, Montgomery should be the top option there yet again, as he offers the more physical running style that is better equipped for those situations. That should lead to another big number in the touchdowns column.
While he's capable of posting an RB1 finish, even with Gibbs in the mix, it's best to temper expectations with Montgomery to more of an RB2, as he might be a bit dependent on touchdowns thanks to his splitting carries with Gibbs.
