Jahmyr Gibbs

The fact that Montgomery played in this game at all is a bit of a miracle. Montgomery went down with a knee issue late in the year that was initially believed to be season-ending. After getting multiple opinions on the injury, Montgomery eventually managed to avoid surgery and use the final three weeks of the regular season plus Detroit's first-round bye to rehab. It would not be surprising in the least to see him undergo some sort of procedure in the offseason. Montgomery gave up far more work to Jahmyr Gibbs this year, with his carry total falling from 219 in 2023 to 185 this year while playing the same number of games. He also averaged fewer yards per carry, bringing his yardage total to 775, though he did score a dozen touchdowns. Montgomery also saw an uptick in receiving work, catching 36 balls for 341 yards. The Knuckles to Gibbs' Sonic will likely take another slight step back next year as Gibbs continues to ascend, but Montgomery is a talented power back with a nose for the end zone. Coming off his fourth consecutive season with at least 1,100 yards from scrimmage, Montgomery remains in the RB2 mix for early fantasy drafters.

While fantasy managers wanted Gibbs to put David Montgomery away for good in his second season, that was never going to happen, nor did it need to. Montgomery remained the team's primary short-yardage in 2024 with Gibbs serving as the thunder to his lightning. Despite seeing more work as a sophomore, Gibbs' efficiency numbers improved drastically. He went from 5.2 yards per carry as a rookie to 5.6 this year. On 250 attempts, that was good for 1,412 yards and 16 scores. Gibbs caught 52 passes, the exact same total as his rookie campaign, but upped his yardage to 517 and found the end zone four more times, giving him a league-best 20 touchdowns in total. These numbers were all juiced by a mind-bending run of 487 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns with Montgomery sidelined over the final three weeks. Gibbs cemented himself as a first-round fantasy pick before Montgomery went down and showed his game-breaking upside in those final three games. He will rightfully be taken near the top of fantasy drafts in his third NFL season.

Gibbs rushed the ball 14 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's 45-31 divisional-round loss to the Commanders. He added six receptions on 11 targets for 70 yards.

The Lions defense got a much-needed stop to open the second half of Saturday night's game against the Commanders and their offense moved them back within one score of the visiting team.

Gibbs is tied for the second-most touchdowns (35) by a player in their first two seasons in NFL history, including playoffs, per ESPN Research.