Who Should I Start? David Montgomery or Rico Dowdle
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.6 | 54.4 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 13.8 | 0.1 |
David Montgomery News
Tuesday, July 21, 6:25 AM
For the first time since his final season with the Bears in 2022, Houston Texans running back David Montgomery enters the year as the unquestioned leader of his team's backfield. With the Texans thrown an offseason curveball last year by the mysterious foot injury of presumed starter Joe Mixon, they were forced to piece the position together with a combination of veteran Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks, neither of whom proved particularly effective for an offense built to play with a lead. Despite sharing the Detroit backfield with perennial Pro Bowler Jahmyr Gibbs for the past three seasons, Montgomery has remained fantasy-relevant through his continued usage near the goal line, and as a player with a proven history of handling heavy workloads, he allows Marks to slip back into a more natural pass-catching role. With a defense that can help to create positive game scripts in a hurry, Montgomery should serve as the closer that this Texans offense was sorely lacking in 2025, and as RotoBaller's RB21, he represents reliable value often available in the middle rounds of drafts.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.7 | 48.6 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 14.5 | 0.1 |
Rico Dowdle News
Thursday, July 30, 10:07 AM
DK Pittsburgh Sports reports that Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle got reps ahead of Jaylen Warren in training camp practice on Thursday, which was the opposite of Wednesday. However, both RBs took reps with the first-team offense. Warren lost considerable pass-catching work to Kenny Gainwell in 2025, but he still managed a career-high 958 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 211 carries while adding 40 receptions for 333 yards and another two TDs as a receiver in 16 regular-season games in his fourth year in the NFL. Gainwell is gone, with Dowdle taking his place in Pittsburgh's backfield alongside Warren. With Dowdle now in the picture, Warren's rushing workload will likely take a hit, but he could replace that volume with more work as a pass-catcher, and we all know how veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers loves to dump off the football late in his career. This could be a true even split between Warren and Dowdle in 2026, with RotoBaller ranking Dowdle as the No. 30 overall fantasy RB, and Warren at No. 31. Warren should have slightly more upside as an RB3/flex option in PPR formats.
David Montgomery vs. Rico Dowdle
Still trying to decide between Montgomery and Dowdle? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that David Montgomery is projected to score 11.6 points this week while Rico Dowdle is projected to score 10.7 points.
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