DavidMontgomery

News: 2 days agoMontgomery plans to avoid surgery to address the MCL sprain in his right knee and will rehab the injury with the goal of returning for the divisional round of the playoffs, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Spin: After Montgomery emerged from this past Sunday's 48-42 loss to the Bills with the knee injury, head coach Dan Campbell said Monday that the running back would require season-ending surgery. However, after Montgomery received three "high-level medical opinions" on his injury, per Rapoport, the consensus was that the 27-year-old would be able to avoid a procedure on the knee. Montgomery will still miss Detroit's final three games of the regular season and would also remain likely to miss the wild-card round, though that may be a moot point if the 12-2 Lions are able to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs. For whatever length of time Montgomery misses, Jahmyr Gibbs is poised to see as heightened role as Detroit's clear lead back, while Craig Reynolds and Sione Vaki could see more opportunities as backups to Gibbs.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Montgomery signed with the Lions in 2023 and quickly put together the most efficient season of his young career. In a committee with Jahmyr Gibbs, Monty was a solid RB2 for fantasy managers, providing a steady dose of rushing yards and touchdowns. Montgomery was ninth in rushing yards, third in rushing touchdowns and handled the third-most carries inside the 5 last season. He lacks passing-game upside (16 catches in 14 games last season), but behind a premier offensive line in Detroit, Montgomery will again be a serviceable RB2 in 2024.