David Montgomery - Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Fantasy Football Picks for Week 1 (2026)

September 5, 2026

David Montgomery start 'em, sit 'em fantasy football picks for Week 1 of 2026. Should you start or sit David Montgomery for fantasy football lineups in Week 1?

BALLER MOVE: Start in All Leagues

POSITIONAL VALUE: RB2

ANALYSIS: The Houston Texans shelled out a decent amount of cash, for an RB at least, to running back David Montgomery to have him join their team. He's now set to take over the Joe Mixon role, which was quite productive in 2024, before an injury essentially ended his career.

In 14 games, Mixon rushed for 1,016 yards and 11 TDs and caught 36 passes for 309 yards and another score. That kind of volume is likely in play for "Monty" here, though backup RB Woody Marks will likely handle some passing-down work.

If Marks could handle an every-down rushing role, why would Houston have paid up to get Montgomery? That's a question worth asking. Monty is the bigger back, and he's more elusive, more powerful, and better in short-yardage situations than Marks, according to my analysis.

DAVID MONTGOMERY RUMBLES FOR 72 YARDS!

DETvsBAL on ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/PcvsC3hJgW

— NFL (@NFL) September 23, 2025

He could easily match or exceed Mixon's rushing totals this season. The Texans offense also wasn't very good in 2024, but volume is almost everything for RBs in fantasy football. Texans QB C.J. Stroud seems likely to continue to struggle, but that doesn't mean the former Lions RB can't have a great season.

Typically, a running back with that kind of contract late in his career gets a big workload with his new team. That's what we should expect here. Montgomery is worth his fantasy ADP -- around Round 4.

Monty was still quite elusive in 2025 in Detroit. Playing behind RB Jahmyr Gibbs, one of the best in the NFL, probably made him look worse than he actually is. He should be started in all leagues in Week 1 of 2026, even in a tougher matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like David Montgomery, Parker Washington, Quentin Johnston, Bhayshul Tuten, Tony Pollard, De'Zhaun Stribling, Mike Evans, DJ Moore, Jaylen Warren, and Christian Watson. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 1. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.

Week 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - David Montgomery, Parker Washington, Quentin Johnston, Bhayshul Tuten, Tony Pollard, De'Zhaun Stribling, Mike Evans, DJ Moore, Jaylen Warren, Christian Watson. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 1.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.

Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.

Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.

Popular Week 1 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 1 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.

Popular Week 1 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons

Below are some popular Week 1 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for David Montgomery, Parker Washington, Quentin Johnston, Bhayshul Tuten, Tony Pollard, De'Zhaun Stribling, Mike Evans, DJ Moore, Jaylen Warren, Christian Watson compared to others: