Who Should I Start? David Montgomery or Jordan Mason

Sunday, January 19, 12:12 AM

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery rushed seven times for 28 yards during Saturday's playoff loss to the Washington Commanders. He also threw a pass for 20 yards. Montgomery returned from a multi-week absence caused by a knee injury. As expected, he took a backseat to Jahmyr Gibbs, who had twice as many carries and also saw a whopping 11 targets. Montgomery's ability to convert in short-yardage situations makes him a special running back, but there's no denying that he lacks the shiftiness, receiving skills, and big-play upside of Gibbs. Nevertheless, the two continue to form the best running back duo in the NFL. Heading into 2025, Montgomery will have standalone value as a high-end RB3, and he'll also be a premier handcuff option in case Gibbs gets hurt.

Wednesday, April 2, 9:44 AM

It sounds as though Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason, who was acquired from the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, will have a notable role in the team's backfield in 2025 as the "1b" behind starter Aaron Jones. "I do think Jordan's gonna bring something to the table in those short-yardage situations, those goal-line situations, goal-to-go, where we've really left a lot to be desired as a football team," head coach Kevin O'Connell said. If healthy, Jones should be Minnesota's go-to guy on the early downs and on third down in obvious passing situations, but the presence of Mason as the potential goal-line guy for the Vikes could be bad news for Jones' fantasy ceiling and floor this upcoming season. Mason, 25, has averaged at least 5.2 yards per carry in his three years in the NFL and looked good filling in for the injured Christian McCaffrey in 2025. He'll be a handcuff to Jones but could also be in play as a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex in deeper leagues.