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When is David Montgomery coming back? Will David Montgomery play again this season? Read about David Montgomery's return date and injury updates for 2026.
Houston Texans running back David Montgomery was brought in from the Detroit Lions after three successful seasons there, with the hopes he’d become the new primary back for their 2026 season. So far, those plans haven't worked out for either Montgomery or the Texans.
Montgomery came to Houston for a fresh start and a larger workload, but instead has found himself in the middle of a disappointing start to the 2026 season, and a Week 5 groin injury has made his rest-of-season fantasy outlook even more uncertain.
When will Montgomery return? Has Woody Marks already done enough to become the new primary back instead? Let’s dive in and find out!
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David Montgomery Injury Update for Fantasy Football
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans announced after Wednesday's practice that, while Montgomery made progress throughout the week, he has officially been ruled out for the Week 9 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Analysis: David Montgomery Won't Return This Weekend
https://t.co/PgiBHEZhmH— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) November 4, 2026
Before the Texans’ Week 8 bye, Montgomery missed two straight games with the groin injury and couldn’t practice at all ahead of either game. This will be his third straight game missed due to the groin injury.
Managers should still keep an eye on the Texans’ injury report for next week to see whether Montgomery can join any practices (limited or full), but even if he is expected to return in Week 10 against the Cleveland Browns, managers shouldn’t be making any immediate plans to reenter him into their lineups this week. A much bigger issue needs addressing before they can confidently put him back in the lineup.
David Montgomery Fantasy Football Outlook
The bigger issue, even more than when Montgomery returns to the lineup, is what role he will be walking into. Even before his injury, Montgomery was less than effective working behind Houston’s poor offensive line. This season, he has posted 52 carries for only 138 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. That’s just 2.7 yards per carry. That's a long way from what the Houston Texans expected when they brought him in this offseason.
The trouble continues when his usage is looked at more closely. Before Montgomery was forced out with his groin injury in Week 5, Woody Marks had already outcarried him 15 to 5 in that game. Then in Montgomery’s absence in Week 7, Marks played 54 of 61 offensive snaps (89%) before their Week 8 bye.
Woody Marks TD and the Texans take the lead after the PAT!
@HOUvsIND on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/eqJlfWcm1e— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
Now Marks hasn’t necessarily impressed behind the struggling Texans offensive line, with 77 carries for 271 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns for 3.52 yards per carry. But it is an improvement over Montgomery, who hasn’t shown any of the flashes he used to in Detroit that suggested he could be the primary back he was brought in for.
While Montgomery should stay rostered, he shouldn’t be anywhere near your starting lineup anytime soon. Not only does he have to get healthy, but he will also have to reestablish a role for himself that was frankly disappearing even before his Week 5 injury forced him out.
Hold him for depth, but don’t treat him as anything other than a touchdown-dependent FLEX option in only the deepest of leagues until (and if) a dramatic shift in his usage happens.
Who Should I Start Tool
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 9 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Woody Marks, Marvin Harrison Jr., Tank Dell. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 9.
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 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 that 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, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with 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 select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 9 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 9 (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 9 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 9 for Woody Marks, Marvin Harrison Jr., Tank Dell:
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