Running Back · Houston Texans · Age 29 · Iowa State · RB25 Half-PPR (Season 2026)
David Montgomery is ranked RB25 (overall #64) for the Season of the 2026 NFL season in Half-PPR fantasy football by Hayden of The Underdog Football Show. Hayden has David Montgomery ranked 16 spots lower than their Underdog ADP of 48.0, flagging this as an overvalued player.
Montgomery projects as a flex play in below-average Texans O
Montgomery was traded for to be the Texans starter. He will be. But that doesn't mean he's going to be a bellcow with Woody Marks available to spell him on passing situations. Monty was an RB2 threat when the Lions were the best offense in the NFL, but that won't be the case with the Texans who are 19th in projected points (23.1). For reference, the Lions in a down year last season averaged (28.3). Houston's OL keeps adding new starters. Are any of them actually good? I have an answer... It's difficult to overcome a mid OL without a receiving profile, and the Texans are 31st in EPA per carry and 22nd in rush yards per game since 2023 when DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud were brought to Houston. In 2023, Devin Singletary was the RB35 on RB33 usage in half PPR after beating out Dameon Pierce. In 2024, Joe Mixon was the RB9 on RB5 after signing him to a 3-year, $27M contract. In 2025, Woody Marks was the RB35 on RB23 usage while playing ahead of Nick Chubb. That's quite the range, and Montgomery's ADP sits near the middle of it as the RB20 on Underdog. Compared to Mixon, Montgomery's 2-year, $16M deal with $10M guaranteed is less convincing. Is Montgomery good enough to hold onto the starting gig? That's unclear in his age-29 season with 180+ touches in 9-straight seasons, including his final two seasons in college. At some point, the tires show tread. Last year, Montgomery's missed tackles per touch rate was 18% when it was 27%, 21%, and 24% in the previous three seasons. His yards per carry and yards after contact were directly in line with his late career averages, however. Texans OC Nick Caley didn't wow me at all last year, and his long-time history with the Patriots plus last year's split between Marks and Chubb makes me believe this will be more of a split backfield than the fantasy ADP's suggest. I don't view him much differently than Tony Pollard, Chuba Hubbard, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Jaylen Warren, and that cohort is multiple rounds cheaper as great FLEX options. The Underdog Pick'em lobby only has Montgomery projected for 774.5 rushing yards and 5.5 rushing touchdowns, and if he's not going to be valuable as a receiver, then it's hard to make the math work as a fantasy RB2. He's a half PPR flex play.
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Hayden is a fantasy football analyst for The Underdog Football Show, covering 2026 fantasy football with PPR and Half-PPR rankings, ADP comparisons, and weekly start/sit analysis. Rankings are updated regularly throughout the season. Hayden's "Best Bet" designations highlight players ranked higher than their ADP consensus, while "Fade" designations flag players the ranker believes are overvalued by the market.
By Hayden · The Underdog Football Show · Updated 2026-07-06