Who Should I Start? Duke Johnson or David Montgomery

Sunday, May 5, 1:51 PM

Running back Duke Johnson announced his retirement from professional football on Sunday. Johnson was originally taken in the third round (77th overall) by the Cleveland Browns in the 2015 NFL draft out of Miami. He spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Browns before spending two years with the Houston Texans. Johnson played for the Miami Dolphins in 2021 and the Buffalo Bills in the final year of his career in 2022. The 30-year-old wraps up his career having recorded 2,265 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 532 carries, adding 311 catches on 405 targets for 2,870 yards and an additional 12 touchdowns in 97 games (21 starts) covering eight seasons. Johnson had a career-high 410 rushing yards on 83 attempts in his first year in Houston in 2019.

Monday, September 15, 11:17 PM

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery rushed for 57 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in his team's 52-21 Week 2 win over the Chicago Bears. Since joining the Lions, Montgomery has been one of the NFL's most consistent red-zone backs. The 28-year-old has not gone consecutive games within a season without scoring a touchdown since December 2023. On a less positive note for fantasy managers, Montgomery appears set for a secondary role behind Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit this season. Although Gibbs only earned one more carry than Montgomery in Week 2, Montgomery was on the field for 10 fewer snaps. The veteran has also recorded seven fewer touches than his backfield mate through the first two games of the season. Montgomery remains a consistent flex option in fantasy, but he'll likely be reliant on finding the end zone again to produce in Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens.