Is David Montgomery The Cheapest Three-Down Back In Fantasy Football?

By Jared Smola | Updated on Mon, Jun 22 2026 4:43 PM UTC

Texans insider Aaron Wilson believes the team is building a "smash mouth" offense "built around bell cow RB David Montgomery." Wilson notes that Houston's running game last year, led by RB Woody Marks, wasn't good enough. The team responded by trading for Montgomery and then giving him a two-year, $16.5 million deal. But just how big a role will Montgomery play this season?

What They're Saying

Texans RBs coach Danny Barrett on Montgomery: “I like the way he attacks the line of scrimmage, attacks everything. But I also see him catching passes, making guys miss. He's not just a power runner. … He's a three-down back. He can do it all.”

2026 Fantasy Football Impact

Media and coaches throw around "bell cow" and "three-down back" pretty loosely. Don't expect a Bijan Robinson or even Jonathan Taylor type of workload from Montgomery this season. But he's a strong bet to lead Houston in carries and contribute plenty in the passing game.

Marks simply wasn't very good last year. Among 51 RBs with 90+ carries, he ranked:

46th in yards per carry
34th in rush yards over expected per attempt
46th in yards after contact per attempt
43rd in Pro Football Focus receiving grade

Marks also struggled near the goal line, converting just one of nine carries inside the five-yard line into a TD.

He was only a little better in the passing game, which was his calling card coming out of USC. Marks ranked 33rd in yards per route and 27th in PFF receiving grade among 40 RBs with 30+ targets last year.

Montgomery beat Marks in every single one of those metrics last season, notably ranking 11th in rush yards over expected per attempt and 17th in yards after contact per attempt.

There's still plenty of gas left in the 29-year-old's tank. His lead early-down role on a Texans squad with an excellent defense should at least be enough to supply lower-end RB2 totals. And if Montgomery can capture the majority of the passing-game work, he could push for a top-15 fantasy finish.

His RB20 ADP is reasonable.

Jared Smola, Lead Analyst

Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and in-season tools. He currently ranks ninth among 173 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.