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.

Friday, September 12, 1:11 PM

Like most of the Lions offense, David Montgomery had a quiet Week 1. The 28-year-old rushed for 25 yards on 11 carries, adding 18 yards on four receptions out of the backfield. The re-worked interior of Detroit's offensive line struggled last week against the Green Bay Packers, but they have an easier matchup on paper against the Chicago Bears in Week 2. In three career games against Chicago, Montgomery has rushed for 230 yards and a touchdown on 43 carries. In the lone game last season where both Montgomery and fellow Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs were active, Montgomery earned 21 carries while Gibbs recorded just nine. Detroit's shaky offensive line play in Week 1 raises questions about Montgomery's effectiveness in Week 2, likely making him dependent on finding the end zone to be productive in fantasy. He profiles as a low-end RB3/flex option against the Bears.