RADIO
Will David Montgomery start for the Houston Texans when he returns? Dan Fornek breaks down the David Montgomery return timeline and fantasy football outlook ahead of Week 10.
The success of the running back position pushed running backs up draft boards in 2026. The volume of running backs in the early rounds made it appealing to try something different and build teams with a zero-RB mindset in 2026.
One popular Zero-RB target was David Montgomery. The veteran running back was coming off his worst season with the Detroit Lions, but found himself with new life (and expanded opportunities) after being traded from the Lions to the Houston Texans this offseason. Unfortunately, he fell well short of those expectations before being injured in Week 5.
Will David Montgomery be the starter for Houston when he returns? Can he be trusted in fantasy lineups? Read below to find out.
Featured Promo: New Novig users get a $25 purchase match (50% discount up to $25) on your first Novig deposit, and a free month of RotoBaller's "Big-4" Premium Pass (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) which includes exclusive tools for Betting, Props, DFS and more! CLAIM IT NOW
Will David Montgomery Start For The Houston Texans When He Returns?
David Montgomery was a popular running back pick among fantasy managers who wanted to load up on pass catchers in the early rounds as a high-floor RB2 with weekly RB1 upside.
After Week 1, it looked like fantasy managers had hit the jackpot. Montgomery finished as the RB7 in PPR scoring that week (28.9 points), finishing the game with 20 carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns and adding three receptions for 19 yards and a receiving touchdown.
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
Montgomery was never going to score three touchdowns each week, but the fact that he had 23 touches in a game where he played just 49.4% of the offense’s snaps signaled that he could be exactly what fantasy managers hoped when they drafted him based on his workload.
Unfortunately, that reality did not bear out over the last four games. From Weeks 2 to 5, Montgomery averaged just 8.0 carries and 1.0 target per game while averaging a 45.5% snap share. Montgomery scored just 16.6 PPR points during those four games, well below his Week 1 output.
Even worse, he averaged just 2.4 yards per attempt during that time and started to lose opportunities to second-year running back Woody Marks. Montgomery suffered a groin strain in Week 5 and has been sidelined ever since.
During Montgomery’s absence, the Houston offense has further committed to passing the ball. The Texans have the fifth-fewest rushing attempts this season (195) and are averaging the third-fewest yards per carry (3.6) in 2026.
The veteran running back has returned to practice in a limited capacity ahead of Week 10, but there still hasn’t been a clear indication of when he will actually return. He will likely function as the team’s early down running back when he returns, but will lose touches, and most importantly targets, to Marks as long as both backs are healthy.
Analysis: David Montgomery Limited on Thursday
https://t.co/HqpPZ8NZBs— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) November 13, 2026
David Montgomery Fantasy Football Outlook
On one hand, we have seen David Montgomery produce a top-10 PPR week at running back this season. That’s more than we can say for a lot of players.
However, there is zero reason to believe that he will get the workload to replicate that performance again this year. Not only have the Texans found a role for Woody Marks, but that role takes away work in the receiving game, which severely limits Montgomery’s ability to produce fantasy points.
In order for Montgomery to hit, he will need to continue to fall into the end zone. That’s hard to do, especially with the passing attack clicking for C.J. Stroud in 2026. There will be weeks where Montgomery scores and finds his way into the top-24 running backs, but unless he sees a dramatic uptick in volume, it will be hard to trust him as more than a bye week, FLEX-level fill-in upon his return.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 10 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like David Montgomery, Woody Marks. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 10. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 10 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 10 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - David Montgomery, Woody Marks. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 10.
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, players 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 to 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 10 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 10 (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 10 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 10 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for David Montgomery, Woody Marks compared to others:
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!
