Fantasy Alert: Bears 'Pinching' Themselves over RB David Montgomery

It hasn't taken long for Chicago Bears rookie running back David Montgomery to endear himself to head coach Matt Nagy.

According to Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports, Nagy gave a glowing review of the former Iowa State standout Tuesday: "We're pinching ourselves. We are."

Nagy added that Montgomery eats, sleeps and breathes football, which should be music to the ears of his fantasy owners: "He wants the ball every play, every rep in the preseason. He wants special teams, whatever he can—he wants to do it all. Everything about his life is football."

Montgomery will have a chance to make a strong first impression Thursday when he and the Bears face the rival Green Bay Packers in the opening game of the 2019 NFL regular season.

When Chicago traded running back Jordan Howard to the Philadelphia Eagles in March, it opened the door for a new No. 1 back to emerge. The Bears landed Montgomery in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft, and he has quickly established himself as the favorite for that role.

Tarik Cohen will undoubtedly continue to be a key part of the Bears' offense after totaling 1,169 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns last season, but he is far from a bell cow.

Cohen carried the ball only 99 times last season and did most of his damage as a pass-catcher with 71 receptions for 725 yards and five scores.

Montgomery is far more of a complete running back than Cohen. Montgomery can presumably handle the rigors of being a workhorse with his 5'10" and 222-pound frame, while Cohen stands just 5'6" and weighs 181 pounds.

In each of his final two seasons at Iowa State, Montgomery topped 250 carries and 1,100 rushing yards, and he scored double-digit rushing touchdowns. He caught a modest 22 passes in 2018, but his 36 receptions for 296 yards in 2017 prove he can do it all as a running back.

Per Yahoo Sports, Montgomery has an average draft position of 50.1 in standard drafts, which makes him a fifth-round pick on average. He ranks 22nd among running backs in ADP, which puts him in RB2 or flex territory.

Based on how Nagy has talked him up, it is reasonable to expect Montgomery to post strong fantasy numbers as an RB2, and those who land him as a flex will get an even greater return on their investment.

Montgomery has yet to appear in his first NFL regular-season game, but his arrow is pointing up, and he should be in your lineup for Week 1.

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