All offseason, we've been talking about the playmaking ability of Jahmyr Gibbs because, by far, down the stretch, he was the flashiest of the two running backs in Detroit. But put some respect on David Montgomery because, when you look at the DRBR, David Montgomery is every bit as good as what Jahmyr Gibbs is.
Now, Jahmyr Gibbs barely outscored David Montgomery overall because he saw more passing game work than what David Montgomery did. But when David Montgomery gets work in the passing game, he makes the most of his opportunities. In fact, he makes the most of any opportunity you give him, which is another reason why just because Jahmyr Gibbs is being drafted extremely high right now, you shouldn't be drafting David Montgomery as your RB2.
The Detroit Lions have one of, if not the best, offensive lines in all of football, and we know that they are going to run the ball behind that line and stay balanced on offense the entire season. Gibbs is going to get his touches. Montgomery is going to get his touches. Gibbs is going to score touchdowns. Montgomery is going to score touchdowns. But both of these guys are so efficient and so dynamic with the few amount of touches that they get that it gives us the fantasy points that we need every single time.
So, while Jahmyr Gibbs and his big playmaking ability may be a little bit higher on the scale when you take a look at overall upside, David Montgomery and his playmaking ability give you a really, really nice floor. Now, Jahmyr Gibbs really wasn't utilized at the beginning of the 2023 season. Remember how mad everybody was that he wasn't getting the touches we thought he deserved? Well, that ended up changing pretty quickly about the midway point of the year. In 2024, he's probably going to get all the touches that we would like, and so will David Montgomery.
So, while we take a look at Jahmyr Gibbs and we feel really good about him as our RB1, giving us the upside and the floor that we need, David Montgomery, for me, is going to be a little bit more reliant on the touchdowns. He's going to be a guy utilized at the goal line, and he may not see as many overall touches as Jahmyr Gibbs, but he should be really, really close in touches on the ground. If his carries are basically the same as Jahmyr Gibbs's, and he's getting the touchdowns on the ground, and he's just as dynamic as all of these numbers show, he's going to be a really solid RB2 for you this season.
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