Is Jahmyr Gibbs or David Montgomery the Lions RB1? Fantasy Football Outlook

July 27, 2023

Will Jahmyr Gibbs or David Montgomery be the starting running back for the Detroit Lions? Who among them offers the best upside in 2023 fantasy football?

Detroit Lions running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery both have plenty of fantasy football intrigue heading into 2023. The pair of running backs will operate in one of last season's best offenses behind a top-tier offensive line.

Naturally, fantasy managers are wondering which running back will start for Detroit and what each of their outlooks are heading into fantasy draft season. We've got it covered.

Is Gibbs or Montgomery the Lions RB1 and when should each player be drafted? Let's dive in.

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Lions 2022 Running Back Opportunity Splits

As shown below, the backfield split for Detroit last season saw Jamaal Williams dominate the rushing share, but D'Andre Swift led the position in targets by a wide margin.

While we can't expect the same split to happen with Gibbs and Montgomery in 2023, the context of last year's split demonstrates the Lions' willingness to spread touches around.

David Montgomery 2023 Fantasy Outlook

Montgomery had solid success with the Chicago Bears over the last four seasons, rushing for 3,609 yards and 26 and racking up 1,250 receiving yards and four receiving scores. Naturally, many have speculated the 222-pound RB could take over the Jamaal Williams role from last season -- commanding a high rush share and most of the team's goal line work.

However, Montgomery has much better pass-catching chops than Williams, so he could be more of a factor in the passing game, too. Ultimately, Montgomery should have plenty of touchdown upside, and the Lions surely plan to use him after giving him a three-year, $18 million contract. Any built-in receiving work would be a major plus for his fantasy output.

His RB30 ADP in half-PPR formats feels like an incredible value for a young player with juice in a top offense.

Jahmyr Gibbs 2023 Fantasy Outlook

Gibbs was selected No. 12 overall, so any concerns about the Lions willingness to give him a ton of touches at 199 pounds should be put to rest. Gibbs has one of the best receiving profiles coming out of college, so he'll seamlessly step into the pass-catching back role previously held by Swift.

In the context of the Lions' offense, he has immediate RB1 upside in PPR formats but could be a shakier half-PPR and standard league option as he's sure to lose plenty of goal line work to Montgomery.

The Alabama product is being drafted as a high-end RB2 in PPR formats, so he won't have a big margin for error at his current cost.

Is Montgomery or Gibbs the Lions RB1?

The majority of NFL teams have done away with the traditional bell cow running back role, and Detroit is unlikely to give either Montgomery or Gibbs notably more touches than the other.

In all likelihood, Gibbs will lead the team in RB targets by a good margin and Montgomery will handle the most rushing attempts, but the disparity won't be as wide as it was with Williams and Swift in 2022.

Gibbs will be viewed as the starting running back and will likely take the first snap in the Thursday night opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, but both have RB1 upside and the single-game touch leader will likely go back and forth between the two.

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