Who Should I Start? David Montgomery or Antonio Gibson

Tuesday, January 14, 4:35 PM

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (knee) was listed as a full participant in the team's first practice of the week on Tuesday. An MCL sprain to his right knee kept Montgomery out for the final three games of the regular season, and he had an extra week to heal up with the Lions on bye during the wild-card round of the playoffs last weekend. With the 27-year-old back to a full-go in practice, even though it was merely a walkthrough on Tuesday, he's on track to be available this Saturday in the Divisional Round against the visiting Washington Commanders. It's good news for the Lions offense for sure, but fantasy managers in playoff leagues should be hesitant to rely on Monty, who could have a reduced role alongside Jahmyr Gibbs in his first game back. In 14 games before his knee injury in 2024, Montgomery had 185 rushing attempts for 775 yards and 12 TDs and also caught 36 passes for 341 yards.

Sunday, January 5, 8:17 PM

New England Patriots running back Antonio Gibson rushed for 41 yards on 12 carries during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills. He also caught four of his six targets for an additional 20 yards through the air. Gibson remained the Patriots' primary running back on Sunday, playing 65.6 percent of the offensive snaps. Terrell Jennings played 37.5 percent of the snaps, and interestingly, Rhamondre Stevenson didn't step foot on the field for a single down. Stevenson has been in the doghouse following a costly Week 16 fumble, registering just two carries since then. Gibson is still under contract with the Patriots for two more years, which means there's a strong chance he enters 2025 as the team's primary running back. Of course, a lot could change between now and Week 1 of next year, especially with New England set to bring in a new coaching staff.