How does David Montgomery’s groin injury impact his fantasy value?
By John Buhler
When should you take David Montgomery in your upcoming fantasy draft?
Earlier this week in practice, Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery suffered an injury. While it seemed to be of the major variety earlier, as he was reportedly carted off the field, it turned out to be more of a groin issue than a knee injury. For that reason, he’ll be on the shelf for the next two to four weeks, as opposed to the entire 2020 NFL season.
The Fantasy Footballers recognize this training camp injury will negatively impact Montgomery’s overall fantasy football value, but to what degree? Montgomery was seen as the Bears’ RB1 and still might be that, as he’s more likely to get 275 total touches of anyone in the Chicago backfield. However, there is no way he’s going in the fourth round of our upcoming fantasy draft anymore.
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The guys believe Montgomery will now come off the board somewhere in the sixth to eight round in most fantasy drafts. He’ll be drafted around the time players like Sony Michel and James White of the New England Patriots will be selected, as well as his Bears teammate Tarik Cohen. With a chance to still play Week 1, where is the fantasy value in drafting Montgomery this season?
Where does the value start to kick in when drafting David Montgomery?
If you can get Montgomery in the eighth or ninth round and not have to start him in September, you might be in pretty good shape. Should he bounce back from his groin injury come October, he could be a huge piece in the final three-quarters of the fantasy season to help you win big. Again, he’s more likely to get more touches than Cohen or converted wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.
Cohen is what he is from a fantasy perspective. Like White of the Patriots, his value comes from being an adept receiver out of the backfield, which gives him plenty of opportunities to shine in PPR leagues. The interesting wrinkle here is if Patterson’s transition from wide receiver to running back becomes a worthwhile endeavor. He is electric when he does have the ball in his hands.
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Overall, Montgomery is worth a mid-round flyer strictly on the potential volume play down the line. There is no reason to take him any higher than the sixth round at this point because he’s not going to be expected to do much in the first few weeks of the season. However, if you can get him in the eighth or even in the ninth round, that is where you can get tremendous fantasy value.