Who Should I Start? David Montgomery or Kenneth Walker III

Thursday, January 8, 7:31 PM

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery is under contract through the 2027 season, but his future with the team could be up in the air this offseason. "Those are discussions that we're gonna have to have in-depth. We love David Montgomery. He's a good football player. ...He deserves to be in a situation where his skill set can be utilized," general manager Brad Holmes said when asked if Montgomery will remain with the team. If the Lions cut the 28-year-old in the offseason, they'll save $11.26 million but will also take on $8.6 million in dead money. Monty took a clear back seat to Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit's backfield in 2025. He was still a weekly RB3/flex consideration in fantasy football, though, and finished with a career-low 158 carries for 716 yards and eight rushing touchdowns in 17 games, adding 24 catches for 192 yards. Monty's 2026 fantasy value could look drastically different if he's playing in another city.

Wednesday, January 21, 1:44 PM

The loss of Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (knee), who tore his ACL in the Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers, is a significant one, but ESPN's Brady Henderson writes that it shouldn't matter if Kenneth Walker III "continues his recent tear." Walker had 19 carries for 116 yards and three touchdowns last Saturday in the win over the 49ers, and he finished with 100 yards in the big Week 16 win over the division-rival Los Angeles Rams. In the regular-season finale against San Fran, he had 97 yards to put him over 1,000 rushing yards on the season. "I thought this was the most decisive he's ran up to this point, and as expected, you just keep getting better and keep finding ways to improve, especially in the run game. He's done a great job," head coach Mike Macdonald said. With Charbonnet now out, Walker's volume should increase, making him a top-three fantasy RB in the NFC Championship against the Rams.