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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.
The 2026 offseason saw the breakup of "Sonic and Knuckles" when David Montgomery left Jahmyr Gibbs and the Detroit Lions when he was traded to the Houston Texans.
Montgomery, who ranks in the top six of both the Bears' and Lions' all-time rushing touchdown lists, was supposed to be the missing piece who would take Houston's rushing attack to the next level, but he had a very underwhelming start to the season before suffering a groin injury in Week 5. He hasn't played since then, though the Texans didn't place him on Injured Reserve and have kept the door open for his return.
When is Montgomery coming back? Will he miss most of the season? Let's dive in!
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David Montgomery Injury Update for Fantasy Football
David Montgomery suffered a groin injury in the second quarter of the Texans' Week 5 matchup against the Tennessee Titans, which was his team's first win of the season.
#Texans veteran running back David Montgomery second day in a row after missing past month with groin injury vs. #Titans https://t.co/TKVF0dMW0C
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 13, 2026
Montgomery hasn't played since then and didn't return following the bye week, but there is some very good news regarding his return and recovery.
Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reported that Montgomery has practiced on Thursday and Friday after missing the past month, which is a very encouraging sign.
This doesn't necessarily mean that he'll be ready to face the Browns in Week 10, though the Texans will need all the help that they can get in what could be a very early de facto playoff game. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on Montgomery's official pre-game status.
David Montgomery Fantasy Football Outlook
Montgomery's slow start to the 2026 season has been very concerning. He found the back of the end zone three times in Week 1 against the Bills, but he only had 126 yards from scrimmage in his next four games, failing to score a 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
During that stretch, Montgomery had 2.4 yards per carry, which is not what you want from your recently acquired RB1 on a $16.5 million two-year contract.
In Montgomery's absence, the Texans have turned to sophomore running back Woody Marks, who has provided plenty of rushing volume. Marks has rushed for 254 yards on 67 attempts (averaging 3.8 yards per carry) over the last four games, though he is also going through a touchdown drought of his own, having failed to score during that stretch.
It's worth noting that Marks has been listed on the Texans' injury report due to a knee injury, which caused him to miss practice on Thursday, though he did manage to return on Friday.
Marks has done a solid job, but it's fair to assume that Montgomery will resume RB1 duties following his return, be it this week or the next. Two of his easiest games of the year will be in the next two weeks, as the Browns and Colts have allowed the sixth- and third-most rushing yards per game so far this season, respectively.
Their schedule gets considerably more difficult after that, as they'll face the Steelers and Jaguars, two elite run defenses, as well as a few above-average run defenses such as the Ravens, Commanders, and Packers.
Other waiver-wire options managers should consider include Packers running back Kaleb Johnson, Jaguars running back Chris Rodriguez Jr., and Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr. Johnson is a particularly interesting name to watch; with Josh Jacobs out for a few weeks and MarShawn Lloyd playing poorly, Johnson could be the Packers' RB1 for a few weeks and provide decent value.
Who Should I Start Tool
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 10 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Woody Marks, David Montgomery. 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, 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 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 searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 10 for Woody Marks, David Montgomery:
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