Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or David Montgomery


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
15.2 75.2 0.5 2.3 18.3 0.1

Saquon Barkley News

Saquon Barkley Sitting Out Preseason Opener

Saturday, August 15, 5:16 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley did not suit up for Saturday's preseason contest against the Baltimore Ravens. There's no indication of an injury for Barkley, so his absence is purely a result of the Eagles trying to keep him healthy for the regular season. The 29-year-old is coming off another solid season in which he tallied 1,140 rushing yards, 37 catches, 273 receiving yards, and nine total touchdowns. The yardage and touchdown totals were down compared to his RB2 finish in 2024, but he still contributed for fantasy managers as the overall RB14 in PPR leagues. We expect a similar finish -- low-end RB1 or high-end RB2 -- for Barkley in 2026, assuming he stays relatively healthy. He might lose some rushing volume to Jalen Hurts, but the good news is that Barkley faces minimal competition in the running back room, and there's one less mouth to feed in this offense after A.J. Brown was traded to New England.


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

HC DeMeco Ryans Views David Montgomery As Number One Back

Sunday, August 16, 7:11 PM

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans considers running back David Montgomery the team's lead back this season. Ryans said on the SiriusXM NFL show last week, "I see David as a number one back. He's a really good runner; he's always been a runner whenever he touches the ball. Strong, runs low, runs behind his pads." Montgomery spent the past three seasons with the Detroit Lions, splitting carries with star running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Despite a timeshare, he averaged 75 scrimmage yards per game and scored 33 touchdowns in 45 games. Now he heads to Houston, where he expects to lead a committee with second-year back Woody Marks. Ranked RB21 in RotoBaller's positional rankings, the veteran back has a chance to be a solid RB2 in fantasy leagues this season.


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 15.2 points this week while David Montgomery is projected to score 11.6 points.