BEAR WITH US
Montgomery viable despite so many issues this season
THERE has been a lot to be excited about when it comes to the Bears’ offense in recent weeks.
Justin Fields accumulated 555 yards and five touchdowns in his last five games while leading an offense that ran for more than 1,000 yards in that span. (He also threw for 1,018 yard, 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions in that stretch.)
Cole Kmet caught five touchdown passes over his past three games.
Second-year running back Khalil Herbert ran for
643 yards (11th-most in the league), four touchdowns and 6.0 yards per carry (sixth-best in the NFL).
Darnell Mooney was targeted 35 times over the past five weeks after averaging 4.2 targets per game and just 34.6 yards in weeks 1-5.
And then there’s David Montgomery ... (insert sound of crickets.)
In his first nine games, Montgomery ran for 434 yards. (Eh.)
Montgomery’s 3.8 yards per attempt ranks 45th in the league. (Oy!)
He was targeted just 17 times while hauling in 15 passes for 150 yards and no scores, and has averaged just 9.3 PPR points in ESPN leagues. (Ho-hum.)
Montgomery rushed for more than 100 yards only once this season (just seven times between his rookie year in 2019 and 2021) and hasn’t surpassed 67 yards in any other game. (Please stop banging your head against the wall, it gets better.)
Despite a near 50/50 split in carries, Montgomery’s production hasn’t held a candle to that of Herbert or Fields (749 yards, six TDs, 7.2 yards per carry). But things took a turn for Chicago’s backfield this week.
(Here’s where it gets exciting for Montgomery owners.)
Herbert landed on injured reserve with a hip injury, making him ineligible to play again until Week 16. That means Montgomery will be the lead back for a Bears offense that has rushed for 1,230 yards in its past five games (even though Montgomery accounted for just 255 of those yards).
Even better news? Chicago’s about to face a Falcons defense has allowed 570 yards and eight rushing touchdowns over its past four games. (Is that a smile?)
Last week, the Panthers gashed Atlanta for 232 yards on the ground (4.9 yards per play) and two touchdowns. That same Carolina squad ran for 169 yards and three touchdowns against the Falcons in Week 8.
Can Montgomery be a trusted fantasy commodity against Atlanta? Absolutely.
Over the past five weeks, the Bears ran the ball 200 times. Though Fields and Herbert provided much of the production, and accounted for 57 percent of Chicago’s carries, Montgomery still got the ball 34 percent of the time (albeit with not-so-spectacular results) and played almost 70 percent of the offensive snaps.
Plus, who else can the Bears hand the ball to? Rookie Trestan Ebner, who has 18 career rushing attempts? Doubtful. (He’s merely a stash in deeper leagues, just in case something happens to Montgomery.)
Montgomery should get the lion’s share of the carries (more than 20 isn’t out of the question) and targets out of the backfield. That kind of volume is a godsend for fantasy owners, and it’s even better when it comes against a defense that has allowed the 11th-most rushing yards and the third-most rushing touchdowns. See? There’s a reason to be excited about David
Montgomery.