The Detroit Lions are set to have arguably the best one-two punch at the running back position once again in 2024, as the team is bringing back Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, both of whom were impressive in 2023.
Montgomery broke the 1,000-yard mark on the ground, and while Gibbs fell just short with 945 rushing yards, he did tally 1,261 yards from scrimmage. Both backs had double-digit touchdowns, also.
Making their campaigns even more impressive is the fact that Gibbs and Monty missed two and three games, respectively, so they could've had even more if they played a full season.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: 2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
Both running backs are going to be relevant in fantasy football in 2024, but who is the better back to target and where should they go off the board in drafts? Let's break it all down.
Fantasy Football Outlook for Lions RBs
Jahmyr Gibbs fantasy football outlook
General manager Brad Holmes made it clear that the team wants to expand Gibbs' role, both as a rusher and receiver, so he should see even more touches than the 237 (15.8 per game) Gibbs had in 2023.
“I definitely would expect him to see more of a load,” Holmes said during earlier this offseason. “But David Montgomery will still be here too. Dan (Campbell) and I love that 1-2 punch of him and David... I think he has much more to offer in the passing game, so most likely you’ll see an increase in that as well.”
Where will those increased touches in the passing game come from? Well, the Lions have 64 targets, 40 receptions and 608 yards to replace after Josh Reynolds' departure in free agency.
Gibbs is going to share carries with Montgomery, but based on Holmes' comments, he might get a bigger share after tallying 12.1 carries per game in 2023.
Bear in mind, that number is also a bit skewed because Gibbs wasn't as involved in the running game early on last season before getting more work as the campaign progressed. The same can be said about his passing-game usage.
Even if Gibbs only sees a slight uptick when it comes to touches per game, he'll still be in borderline elite territory in that area. Not to mention, with how explosive he is, Gibbs doesn't need a ton of work to put in a stellar fantasy performance.
2024 PPR RANKINGS
Top 250 Overall | QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF/ST | K
David Montgomery fantasy football outlook
Because of the expected increased workload for Gibbs, Montgomery's prospects aren't looking great this year. He was already barely involved in the passing attack in 2023 (1.7 targets per game), and now it looks like he might get less carries.
Over his first four games of last season, Montgomery was the clear lead back in terms of carries, averaging 22 per game. But he saw a steep decline after that, tallying 13.1 per contest over his final 10.
Montgomery is definitely going to be involved still in this offense, but he's going to be more dependent on touchdowns. The good news is, Montgomery will likely be the preferred goal-line back, so he can still be productive with less work.
2024 FANTASY SLEEPERS
QB | RB | WR | TE
The Verdict: Which Lions RB should you draft in fantasy football leagues?
The choice here is clear: Gibbs.
Both Lions running backs are going to be fantasy-relevant, but Gibbs has the better opportunity to produce an elite season because of his heavy involvement in both the passing and rushing attacks.
That said, Montgomery is someone you definitely want to target if you've invested in Gibbs, as he'd see a monster workload if the Alabama product has to miss any time due to injury. There will also be weeks when you will be able to find some success in starting both, although that isn't a strategy you want to deploy often.
Even if you haven't drafted Gibbs, you could do a lot worse than Montgomery in terms of flex options.
Gibbs is ideally drafted somewhere near the top of the second round in 12-team leagues, while Montgomery should be targeted around the middle rounds.
Gibbs projection: RB1
Montgomery projection: High-end flex with RB2 upside
