David Montgomery finds himself on a new team as the unquestioned lead back for the first time in years. But will his change of scenery lead to fantasy success for the savvy NFL veteran? Read on to find out!
David Montgomery Will Help Win Your Fantasy League
Explaining Montgomery’s NFL Journey
For the past few years, Montgomery has been the Robin to Jahmyr Gibbs’ Batman. Often coming in as the goal-line back or on brief drives to give Gibbs some rest, D-Mont still found plenty of success in the Lions’ offense. Last year alone, despite not starting a single game, he ran for 716 yards and 8 touchdowns, while catching 24 balls for 192 yards. He also averaged a robust 4.5 yards per rushing attempt, further proving how effective he was with the ball.
This production gave the Houston Texans the confidence to snag Montgomery away from the Lions on a two-year, $16.5 million contract. While the Texans and Lions are two very different teams with very different offensive lines (more on that later), last year proved that Montgomery has plenty in the tank to be a useful real-life NFL runner while putting up numbers to help our fantasy teams out. His usage in the passing game shows that he can handle three-down roles when given the chance. You get it…we love the player, but do we love his new landing spot? Let’s talk about it!
What Do We Make of the 2026 Houston Texans?
Last year being a disappointment for Texans fans might be an understatement. Boasting the second-best statistical defense in the league, it was the Texans’ offense that led to their shortcoming in their brief playoff “run”. It comes as no shock that if the Texans can throw out any semblance of an average offense, stacked with their defense, they’ll be a menace in the AFC. So what did they do in the off-season to address their offensive woes?
To start, they signed Montgomery. This is a major step up from Woody Marks (no offense, Marks stans). The Texans also boasted the NFL’s worst offensive line, so they grabbed a guard in the first round (Keyland Rutledge) and signed a tackle and another guard in free agency (Braden Smith and Wyatt Teller, respectively). This will provide a boost for the entire offense, given Montgomery better holes to hit than he would have last year, and giving C.J. Stroud more time to pass.
With a professional offensive line, the whole operation in Houston will look better. While it would be silly to project they turn around and be a top-10 unit, the entire Houston offense should resemble an average product in 2026. This will pay huge dividends for everyone fantasy-wise. Along with that, you might have noticed that the Texans did very little else at the skill positions other than sign the star of this article. You’re starting to see why this writer is excited about hitting the draft button for Montgomery!
Check our fantasy football preview of David Montgomery and the 2026 Houston Texans!
Why I’m Optimistic for 2026
As with everything in fantasy football, you need to balance the “cost” of a player with their opportunity to outperform said cost. Montgomery is going off the board as the RB23, sandwiched between former teammate D’Andre Swift and second-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson. This ranking indicates that drafters/rankers value him as a backend RB2 or RB3 for your rosters. With everything else you’ve read in this article, you can understand why I think this is crazy.
Montgomery has top-10 to top-15 upside each and every week. With a better offensive line and a defense that will give the offense tons of opportunities, Montgomery will flourish in Houston this year. All the players near or around him in the rankings have more question marks than answers. Swift and Henderson are in committees. Quinshon Judkins is on a terrible team with no QB, so teams will stack the box on him. Bucky Irving and Cam Skattebo have health concerns.
It appears the only thing people are afraid of is the downgrade in offensive systems going from Detroit to Houston. Let me tell you, while the system is worse, volume stats still count towards fantasy wins and losses. And Montgomery is going to get plenty of opportunities to succeed. I am far less worried about the Texans than I am about the other situations for other running backs being drafted around him.
I’m Convinced! Where Should I Be Drafting David Montgomery In Fantasy Football?
The fact that you can wait and get D-Mont as the RB23 is excellent. Wait for others to take other players they deem have higher upside and pounce on the player that will actually deliver for you. Target him in the middle rounds as your RB2, especially if you go heavy on WR earlier in the draft. Coming in at 29 years of age, he is much more valuable in the redraft/best ball formats than dynasty.
I will make the case, though, that even in dynasty he will be a piece that will help you win now as other leaguemates chase the illusion of “what could be” with younger players. What you need is a player with a proven track record that will touch the ball a ton to help you win fantasy games. That is precisely what David Montgomery will deliver to you regardless of league size or format you are playing. Draft accordingly!
Looking for your favorite team? This link will take you to the rest of our 2026 Look Inside team previews.
A Look Inside the Carolina Panthers
Editor’s Note: While this article focused on David Montgomery in fantasy football, we don’t want to leave you hanging on the rest of the team. Here is a quick look at the other fantasy-relevant Texans from Ryan Weisse.
C.J. Stroud
Three years ago feels like an eternity. We were all-in on Stroud, and he turned into a pumpkin at the stroke of 2024. His yardage and TDs have gotten worse every year as a pro. Maybe 2026 is his year. I do not know. He has weapons in place, but they have been in place. I am not drafting him, and I am ok with being wrong about him on someone else’s roster.
Woody Marks
I doubt Marks will be relegated to the bench, but he won’t see the volume he did last year either. He only averaged 3.6 yards per carry, and while some of that can be blamed on the o-line, Montgomery is still a better runner and receiver. The volume that went Chubb’s way in 2025 is probably now Marks’. Think 125 carries, 20 targets, and maybe a decent handcuff if you have the roster spot.
Nico Collins
There is little doubt Collins is the best receiver in Houston, but I’d sure like to see him play 17 games. After a Year 3 breakout, Collins has been relatively consistent: over eight targets per game on average, over 1000 yards, and at least six TDs. He’s also missed nine games in that span. Not a horrible number, but enough to question whether he is a fantasy WR1 or a high-upside WR2. His ADP matters, and at his current cost of WR11, he is right in that sweet spot. You’re buying his ceiling, but the floor isn’t too bad either.
Jayden Higgins
Higgins came alive to end his rookie campaign. It took him some time, but from Week 10 on, he was the WR25 in fantasy. And that was with two just flat-out duds. If he had played to his average in those games, he would have been the WR18. There is legit WR2 upside here for a guy you can land after the 12th Round of most drafts.
Jaylin Noel / Tank Dell
The fantasy community likes both these guys, though no one is drafting either to be much more than a late-round lottery ticket. I am not sure either can be fantasy-relevant this season playing behind Collins and Higgins, but I am pretty certain there is no world where both are relevant. If you missed on the two starters and want to take a flyer, have at it. I prefer Dell, if he is fully healthy.
Dalton Schultz
Like in most offenses, when the WR2 starts to play well, the TE is an afterthought. During Higgins’ glow-up, Schultz was the TE22 in fantasy. He is a streamer now and nothing more.
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Before you go, check out where David Montgomery and the rest of the Texans fall in our 2026 Fantasy Rankings here!
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