Who Should I Start? David Montgomery or Travis Etienne Jr.

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.