Ty Montgomery Fantasy Value Attached to Le'Veon Bell Injury Status for Monday Night Football Game

Le'Veon Bell was one of only two running backs to play 100 percent of their team's offensive snaps in Week 1. With Bell as a true workhorse, his volume left Ty Montgomery as nothing but a fantasy handcuff, despite what was being reported in the offseason.

That massive workload after sitting out an entire year seems to have caught up with Bell quickly though, and he's undergoing an MRI on his shoulder Thursday ahead of the New York Jets' Week 2 Monday Night Football matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Now, adding Montgomery should be a top priority in fantasy football.

Le’Veon Bell will get a MRI today for his sore shoulder today. Gase seems optimistic
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) September 12, 2019

Admittedly, it's hard to get excited about anyone in this Jets' offense beyond Bell. Following news that QB Sam Darnold will miss this week due to mono, they have fallen to six-point underdogs on FanDuel Sportsbook. Still, lead backs are not easy to come by in fantasy football, and that's just what Montgomery will likely be if Bell is forced to miss any time.

Bell didn't suit up in the preseason, and Montgomery was on the field for 90 percent of the snaps that Darnold played, suggesting he could immediately step into a workhorse role with Bell sidelined.

Ty Montgomery has been on the field for 43 of Darnold’s 48 snaps (90%) this preseason. Backing up Le’Veon Bell, he’s one of the league’s most valuable handcuffs this year.
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) August 28, 2019

This offense appears to be built around short passing, as Darnold had the shortest average depth of target among all NFL QBs in Week 1. Likely to be playing from behind as six-point underdogs in this matchup, that also means we can expect a high volume of targets to be available as well. As former wide receiver, this structure should also play perfectly into Montgomery's skill set.

Montgomery should be considered a must-add in fantasy football while we wait for an update on Bell's health. And if Bell sits this week, then Montgomery would become a terrific starting RB option in Week 2, particularly in PPR leagues.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.