Lions' Running Back Fantasy Football Breakdown | Add Craig Reynolds, Start Him and Jahmyr Gibbs with David Montgomery Out?
The Detroit Lions sit at 5-1 after six weeks of play this season, but the running back room is a bit of a question mark moving forward.
Starter and workhorse David Montgomery went down with a rib cartilage injury in the team’s week 6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Rookie backup Jahmyr Gibbs has been banged up for a couple weeks himself, so is it time to target Craig Reynolds on the waiver wire? Let’s discuss.
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Running Back Stats
Coming into the season, many fantasy owners expected Montgomery to be the No. 1 back for a couple weeks, but for Gibbs to eventually take over as the lead back. That hasn’t happened, even in the slightest.
Through six weeks, Montgomery is the team’s leading rusher, and it’s not even close. He’s rushed 94 times, while Gibbs is at only 39 carries. With Gibbs out the past couple weeks, and then Montgomery going down this past weekend, Reynolds is up to 24 carries.
Montgomery has 385 rushing yards and six touchdowns to his name. Gibbs has just 179 yards and no scores, while Reynolds is at 89 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Jared Goff has two rushing scores that he stole from the backs.
Gibbs has made the biggest impact in the passing game, with 14 receptions on 18 targets for 70 yards. Montgomery has six grabs on 10 targets for 66 yards, while Reynolds is at three catches on as many targets for 26 yards.
The biggest stat for the Lions’ backfield is becoming availability, and Reynolds leads the way with six games played. Montgomery has appeared in five games, while Gibbs has played in four. Montgomery has played 201 snaps, while Gibbs is at 121 and Reynolds sits at 87.
Week 7 Fantasy Outlook
The Lions will look to improve to 6-1 when taking on the Baltimore Ravens this coming weekend. The Ravens’ defense is one of the better ones in the league against opposing running backs, allowing an average of 17 fantasy points a game.
However, Baltimore allowed 129 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries to the Tennessee Titans in week 6, so this might not be as tough a matchup as it appears on paper.
With Montgomery out, Detroit would like to turn to Gibbs, but with him dealing with an injury of his own, that complicates things. However, coach Dan Campbell said the rookie back was getting closer to returning, so it might be perfect timing for Detroit.
Seeing as Gibbs was the secondary back to Montgomery when both were healthy, it’s fair to assume the team will split the workload between Gibbs and Reynolds.
So far this season, Detroit has averaged 31 rushing attempts a game. That number could dip a bit with Montgomery out, but the running game is how Detroit sets up its offense, so it likely won’t be too much lower.
Who to Play Week 7
If I had to guess, somewhere between 23-28 carries seems like a reasonable guess if the contest against Baltimore remains tight throughout. If Gibbs is cleared to play and has no restrictions, I’m guessing he'll get the majority of the touches. I think the rushing attempts will be split evenly, with Gibbs getting a few more touches as a pass catcher.
Gibbs has the better chance to break a couple big plays, so that makes him the more appealing fantasy option. However, I can see both backs excelling with their touches and both producing enough to warrant spots in your starting lineups. The guy who ends up getting the goal line work might end up as the top scorer, as a touchdown could vault their points past the other back.
I’d consider both backs for my starting lineup, and add either guy if they are available on your league’s waiver wire. Our charts show Gibbs is pretty much owned in all leagues, but Reynolds is available in nearly 90% of leagues still.
These two backs will undoubtedly be part of start/sit content of ours later in the week, so make sure to check back for that. We should also have a clearer idea as to the status of Gibbs near the end of the week, so then we’ll be able to properly help you in determining which Lions’ back to start.
