May 3, 2026

After three successful seasons with the Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans acquired running back David Montgomery for a fourth and sixth-round pick, and he's now in a position to see his largest workload in years. The Nick Chubb experiment failed in Houston, and out of necessity, 2025 fourth-round pick Woody Marks led the team in carries. Marks was not overly efficient with the opportunities given, averaging only 3.6 yards per carry, and he should fall back into a more natural pass-catching role in 2026. Though even as a change-of-pace back, he does not possess the sort of game-breaking ability to regularly take snaps away from Montgomery. Montgomery spent his time in Detroit sharing a backfield with former first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs, who eventually took the leap to superstar status in year three, limiting Montgomery to the fewest carries of his career, despite playing all 17 games in 2025. While his raw numbers were down as a result, his efficiency was not. Montgomery's 3.17 yards after contact per carry in 2025 marked a career high, and even while his three-time Pro Bowl running mate was piling up accolades, Montgomery managed to average 230 touches, 1,137 yards, and nearly a dozen touchdowns across his three seasons as a Lion. As RotoBaller's RB22, he is one of the more mispriced running backs in this year's dead zone, and with a clear path to a bellcow role on a team built to play with a lead, a healthy Montgomery could handsomely reward drafters willing to wait on the position.--Patrick McGrath