Can Isiah Pacheco Inherit the David Montgomery Role in Detroit?

When Detroit traded David Montgomery and signed Isiah Pacheco, the fantasy comparison was obvious.

Pacheco becomes the new Montgomery.

I'm interested in that idea.

I just don't think we should interpret it as:

Pacheco gets every touch Montgomery used to get.

Detroit itself has given us a more useful answer.

The Lions say Pacheco was signed to take Montgomery's role.

They also say Jahmyr Gibbs is becoming their bell-cow back.

Both can be true.

What Montgomery Actually Left Behind

Montgomery's 2025 workload:

• 158 carries • 716 rushing yards • 8 rushing touchdowns • 24 receptions • 192 receiving yards

Gibbs:

• 243 carries • 1,223 rushing yards • 13 rushing TD • 77 receptions • 616 receiving yards • 5 receiving TD

The backfield had already shifted significantly toward Gibbs.

And Detroit says Gibbs played 67% of the offensive snaps last year after being around 56-57% his first two seasons.

The Lions have openly suggested his snap share could move toward 75%.

That's the reason I'm not projecting the old Detroit committee to simply reappear.

So What Does "Montgomery's Role" Mean?

To me, it means more about function than exact volume.

Pacheco can handle:

• between-the-tackles carries • physical early-down work • short-yardage opportunities • clock-killing carries • some goal-line work • enough receiving work to stay versatile

That's a useful role behind Gibbs.

Detroit doesn't need Pacheco to be the engine.

They need him to keep Gibbs from taking every physical carry while still allowing the offense to function the same way when Gibbs gets a break.

Pacheco Has Done This Before

Before injuries changed his trajectory in Kansas City, Pacheco was a legitimate starting NFL running back.

Detroit specifically noted that he averaged 4.9 yards per carry in 2022 and 4.6 in 2023 while helping Kansas City win consecutive Super Bowls.

Then he fractured his fibula early in 2024.

His production hasn't looked the same since.

That's the bet.

Are we getting the declining version?

Or does a move to Detroit revive some of the player who was an efficient, physical runner early in his career?

The Cost Makes the Question Easier

Pacheco's Full-PPR ADP is currently around 148 overall, with ESPN around 156.

That's RB48 territory.

At that price, I'm not asking him to be Montgomery.

I'm asking:

Can he give me usable weeks?

Can he score touchdowns?

Can he become a FLEX during bye weeks?

And what happens if Gibbs ever misses time?

Those are much easier questions to answer positively at Pick 150 than at Pick 70.

The Touchdown Environment Matters

Detroit's running backs scored 26 total touchdowns last season, most in the NFL.

That's a backfield I want exposure to.

Gibbs obviously gets the overwhelming majority of the fantasy attention.

He should.

But Pacheco doesn't need to dominate carries to matter if he's getting some of the valuable touches near the goal line.

An eight-touch game with no scoring isn't useful.

A 10-touch game that includes two red-zone carries suddenly can be.

The Current Injury

Pacheco is currently dealing with a sprained MCL.

Dan Campbell has said Detroit expects him to be ready for Week 1.

That keeps me interested, but it absolutely belongs in the evaluation.

I'm not reaching because of the injury.

If anything, I'm willing to let the room discount him further.

This is a bench bet.

What I'm Projecting

I could see something around:

• 130-160 carries • 550-700 rushing yards • 15-25 receptions • 5-8 total touchdowns

That isn't a league-winning stat line by itself.

But that's not why I'm drafting him.

I'm drafting the role plus the contingency value.

The Gibbs Injury-Away Scenario

This is where the ceiling changes.

If Gibbs misses time, Pacheco potentially goes from:

complement

to:

primary early-down runner in one of the NFL's better offenses.

Sione Vaki would still be involved.

Detroit wouldn't necessarily give Pacheco every Gibbs touch.

But his weekly fantasy value would immediately increase.

That's the exact type of bench RB profile I like.

The FF Draft Boards Take

Isiah Pacheco probably isn't the new David Montgomery in the sense of recreating the old 1A/1B Detroit backfield.

Gibbs has earned a larger role, and the Lions are telling us they plan to give it to him.

But Pacheco can still inherit the type of work Montgomery handled:

physical carries, short-yardage work, complementary touches and potentially some scoring opportunities.

At an ADP around 150, that's interesting.

You're buying:

• a defined role in an excellent offense • touchdown potential • a veteran with prior lead-back success • significant injury-away upside

That's exactly the type of RB I want near the end of my bench.