Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or David Montgomery


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
15.3 75.1 0.5 2.3 18.0 0.1

Saquon Barkley News

Saquon Barkley Could be an RB1 Value Pick if Eagles Offense Bounces Back

Wednesday, July 22, 7:53 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley finished outside the top 10 at the RB position in 2025 in his second year with the Eagles despite running for 1,140 yards on 280 rushing attempts and catching 37 passes for 237 yards and two more TDs as a pass-catcher. The three-time Pro Bowler's second year in Philly was a pretty big disappointment after he led the league in 2024 in carries (345), rushing yards (2,005), and yards per game (125.3). The 29-year-old three-time Pro Bowler still had over 4.0 yards per carry, but he was held hostage by a lackluster Eagles offense, which was the worst of head coach Nick Sirianni's tenure. Nobody should be expecting Barkley to approach his numbers from his magical 2024 season, but if Philly gets better injury luck with their offensive line and if the offense as a whole can bounce back under new coordinator Sean Mannion, Barkley could return to high-end RB1 status in fantasy football at a reduced cost in 2026 after his disappointment last year. At the very worst, Barkley should be considered a midrange RB1 with a high floor, and he could be involved even more now that receiver A.J. Brown is out of town.


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

David Montgomery a Reliable Bell Cow Available Outside the Early Rounds of Drafts

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.


Saquon Barkley vs. David Montgomery

Still trying to decide between Barkley and Montgomery? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Saquon Barkley is projected to score 15.3 points this week while David Montgomery is projected to score 11.6 points.