Running Back 24 – David Montgomery DET
David ‘Mandatory’ Montgomery finds himself on a new team in a familiar division. As is often the case in the NFC North, he went to a new team within the division. Montgomery is with the Detroit Lions and in a backfield with training camp darling Jahmyr Gibbs. Although Gibbs will be an amazing NFL running back (RB), Montgomery has established himself as a great RB with 1074 or more scrimmage yards in every year of his NFL career. He also has 6 or more touchdowns (TD), and 34+ receptions in every year but his rookie (25). But what is he going to do this year?
Without question the Detroit Lions have a better offensive line than the 2022 Chicago Bears had. The Lions also have one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, A. St. Brown, which benefits whoever is in the backfield. Quarterback J. Goff has ‘lived up’ to his first overall pick status in both organizations he’s played for. This will help Montgomery who played with young quarterbacks (Fields, Trubisky). The Detroit Lions also wanted him on their roster, and Offensive Coordinator, Ben Johnson’s schemes produced 6,460 total yards (3rd in NFL) and 54 TDs (4th in NFL). Trust Mandatory Montgomery to have great weeks and finish as a fringe RB2/3.

Linebacker 24 – Pete Werner NO
Pete Werner really came into his own last season. He played in 12 games last season and started 11, he did miss four games due to an ankle injury. Even with those missed games he finished third on the team in tackles, and is positioned to finish second or possibly first in 2023. The New Orleans Saints are in a slight state of change on their defense, and Pete should have a foundational role. He is a tackling linebacker (LB) who should finish with well over 100 combined tackles in 2023. He did have three passes defended and two forced fumbles in 2022 and with more focus could improve on his other statistics. Grab Werner late and feel confident that he should be able to deliver as a LB 2/3.

Thank you for reading Mano y Mano. Check in tomorrow for RB & LB #23.
Bet Smart, Be Lucky – Iggy

*Stats come from FantasyPros, Pro Football Reference, Sleeper, and NFL/Next Gen.
*Rankings are based on .5 PPR format and FF7s.