RADIO
Should I drop David Montgomery for fantasy football Week 6? Is David Montgomery a safe player to cut? Read the fantasy football waivers outlook.
Houston Texans running back David Montgomery opened the season with three touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills. Since then, he's gone four games without finding the end zone, and a groin injury has made his short-term outlook even more difficult to trust.
Montgomery left Sunday's 26-3 win over the Tennessee Titans in the second quarter. Head coach DeMeco Ryans called him week-to-week on Monday, putting his availability for the Week 6 meeting with Jacksonville in London in doubt.
The injury complicates a decision fantasy managers were already facing. Montgomery's carries have fallen, his efficiency has been poor, and Woody Marks is making a case for a bigger role.
Editor's Note: The FFPC Baby Gorilla Tournament is now open, featuring a $100,000 grand prize and a $675,450 total prize pool! This 12-team, Tight End Premium contest uses a 20-round draft format, with the overall winners determined by total points scored during Weeks 15–17. Get $25 to use toward your first entry by signing up through our link. Grab your team now! Sign Up Now!
Should I Drop David Montgomery in Fantasy Football?
Montgomery is droppable in 10-team leagues and in many 12-team redraft leagues when an immediate replacement is available. That doesn't make him an automatic cut everywhere.
If your league permits him in an injured reserve slot once he receives an eligible designation, holding him there is preferable to cutting him for a marginal bench option.
The 29-year-old rushed for 716 yards and eight touchdowns with Detroit last season before joining Houston.
His Texans debut looked promising on the fantasy scoreboard: 60 rushing yards, two touchdowns on the ground, and another through the air.
But those three scores disguised an offense that gave him only 3.0 yards per carry on 20 attempts.
COUNT 'EM 🗣️ That's three TDs for David Montgomery!
BUFvsHOU on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/iUc7FIoNID— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026
Over Weeks 2-4, he rushed 27 times for just 67 yards. His best single-game average during that stretch was 3.0 yards per attempt, and he managed only four receptions across those three contests.
Montgomery then added 11 yards on five carries before leaving the Tennessee game.
That leaves him with 138 rushing yards on 52 attempts through five appearances, an average of 2.7 yards per carry. He has not scored since the opener.
Even before the groin injury, his declining workload and limited receiving work had made him difficult to trust as a weekly flex.
Marks was already involved before Sunday, but Montgomery's early exit gave the second-year back his biggest opportunity yet.
Marks finished with 15 carries for 62 yards and caught all four of his targets for 23 yards. He was on the field for 84.1% of Houston's offensive snaps against Tennessee.
That figure was boosted by the injury, so it shouldn't be treated as the permanent division of work. Still, Houston has reason to see what Marks can offer.
Ryans has called Marks dynamic and said he'll carry the load while Montgomery is sidelined.
At 5-foot-11 and 230 pounds, Montgomery can still factor into short-yardage work when healthy, but that may leave him relying heavily on touchdowns.
There is no confirmation that Montgomery has lost his starting job. He could return healthy and regain a substantial share of the carries.
But Houston's Week 8 bye also looms, and waiting several weeks for a touchdown-dependent role is a difficult sell when injuries and Week 6 byes are already straining fantasy benches.
Who Should I Pick Up for Fantasy Football?
Woody Marks should be the first name to check. RotoBaller ranks him as its top overall Week 6 waiver-wire target and recommends adding him in all leagues.
If Montgomery sits out against Jacksonville, Marks has a path to lead the Texans in backfield touches, including receiving opportunities.
Green Bay's MarShawn Lloyd is another priority if he's available.
RotoBaller also recommends adding Lloyd in all leagues following his two-touchdown Week 5 performance, though he remains part of a backfield rotation.
Tyjae Spears is a consideration in leagues with at least 10 teams, particularly for managers looking beyond this week's matchup.
Marshawn Lloyd trucks a guy on his way to the end zone 😤
@CHIvsGB on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/NNcSwQfTOU— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
Don't drop Montgomery just because he got hurt. A team with adequate running back depth can hold him and reassess after another update.
But if you need a healthy contributor or the chance to add Marks or Lloyd, moving on from Montgomery is reasonable.
The three-touchdown opener is not a reason to protect a bench spot that could help you win now.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2026 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Woody Marks, MarShawn Lloyd, Tyjae Spears. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2026. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2026. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pickup... all free! Make the right decisions.
2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on Woody Marks, MarShawn Lloyd, Tyjae Spears. He is one of the most common searches for 2026 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.
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 name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Recent Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. 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.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for Woody Marks, MarShawn Lloyd, Tyjae Spears:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
