Miles Sanders and David Montgomery are two of the most hyped rookie NFL running backs in fantasy circles this summer. So who is the better long term prospect and who is the better option for fantasy football in 2019?
2019 Fantasy Football Draft Headquarters
Fantasy Football: Miles Sanders or David Montgomery
Sanders and Montgomery are both in similar situations when it comes to the offenses that each will play in. Both players seem destined to start the season in backfield committees — Sanders with the Philadelphia Eagles and Montgomery with the Chicago Bears. However, not all running back committees are created equal.
In previous seasons both of these teams have used a running back by committee approach. Although, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has had a longer track record of such running back usage. Therefore, it would be surprising to see the running back by committee approach for the Eagles differ in 2019. That said, with Tarik Cohen on hand for the Bears, it is unlikely that Montgomery will be able to avoid a running back by committee either.
To better understand the roles that Sanders and Montgomery might play for their new NFL teams, let’s look back at the roles that each played for their college football teams.
Nice TD run by Miles Sanders. So shifty! #MilesSanders #PhiladelphiaEagles #TrainingCamp pic.twitter.com/ccYO98V0sW
— Gary Buck (@GaryJBuck) August 5, 2019
Miles Sanders
Miles Sanders stands 5’ 11” and weighs 211 pounds. He was a second-round draft pick this year out of Penn State. Sanders had the pleasure of backing up Saquon Barkley during his first two years in college. As you can imagine, he didn’t get much playing time during that span of his college career. However, in year three, Barkley was gone and Sanders took over the Penn State backfield.
In his third and final college season, Sanders was number two in the Big Ten with 1,274 rushing yards and third in the conference with 1,413 yards from scrimmage. In total, Sanders 2018 stats looked like this, 220 carries, 1,274 rushing yards, and nine rushing touchdowns along with 24 catches and 139 receiving yards.
Sanders doesn’t have a long track record of success. However, he does grade out well athletically, coming in with a SPARQ-x score in the 76th percentile per Player Profiler. Sanders runs a 4.49 seconds forty-yard dash and has excellent speed and agility scores, 76th and 84th percentiles respectively.
With all of his raw talent, Sanders makes for a great NFL running back prospect. He is also a great fantasy running back prospect. He has a few hurdles to clear, like Pederson’s love of RBBC and improving in pass protection.
Miles Sanders wasn’t there to pick up a blitzer, so Nate Sudfeld was sacked. Pass pro is an area he’s still figuring out. #Eagles
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) August 9, 2019
It would be nice to see him bulk up a bit too. However, when he is able to put it all together, he could become a multidimensional threat at the position. There have been glowing reports coming out of Eagles camp regarding Sanders this summer. His arrow is pointing north. Sanders is well worth the investment in dynasty and keeper league drafts this year.
David Montgomery
The #Bears’ David Montgomery is going to be a PROBLEM!#CARvsCHI
— PFF (@PFF) August 9, 2019
Montgomery, who stands 5’ 10” and weighs 222 pounds, got drafted in the third round of the 2019 draft by the Bears. He attended college at Iowa State. Over his three-year career with Iowa State, Montgomery compiled 2,925 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns on 624 attempts. He also had 71 receptions, 582 receiving yards but no receiving touchdowns. [Stats via College Football Reference]
In 2018, his final season at Iowa State, Montgomery had a rushing stat line of 257/1,216/13 and 22/157/0 receiving. Montgomery was second in rushing yards, fifth in yards from scrimmage and third in touchdowns amongst all Big 12 running backs. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry and 7.1 yards per catch. Those averages are in line with his college career averages of 4.7 yards per carry and 8.2 yards per catch.
Montgomery has proven to be capable of handling a large workload in college, and he put up great stats while doing so. However, Montgomery’s workout metrics coming out of college were not so great. Montgomery runs a 4.63 40-yard dash and has an abysmal 98.1 SPARQ-x score (15th percentile) according to Player Profiler.
Sanders Versus Montgomery Racehorse Versus Workhorse
Comparing Sanders and Montgomery is a bit like comparing a sports car and a pickup truck. One has speed and maneuverability, and the other has size and power. Both have their positives and negatives. In many cases, what a person decides to drive is just a matter of preference. The same can be said for the choice between Montgomery and Sanders.
Sanders is a shifty back that has a beautiful jump cut. His speed and lateral quickness help him to avoid contact in the hole and explode into the open field. Sanders is a home run threat every time he touches the ball. However, his ability to handle the pounding received by a full-time NFL running back is a question mark.
Montgomery, on the other hand, seems better fit for an every-down role in the backfield. He was given a large workload in college and proved to be durable throughout. And even though Montgomery isn’t a shifty or speedy running back, he does have tremendous balance and power.
While watching film on Montgomery, it’s evident that he rarely gets taken down by first contact. That’s a testament to his power and determination as a ball carrier, attributes that can’t be quantified by work out metrics. He also has good hands for a big back, something that could help him stay on the field on third downs. Sanders can catch passes out of the backfield too but wasn’t used as often as a pass-catcher at Penn State.
In terms of which back to target in fantasy football drafts, that depends on the scoring system in the league for which you are drafting. If you are playing in a league that awards extra points for long runs or long touchdowns, Sanders would be optimal. However, if you play in a standard league or some other league where touchdown totals and total yardage are more important, then Montgomery would be a better fit.
Draft David Montgomery or Miles Sanders for Fantasy Football
The most challenging situation to decide which of these running backs to target in the draft is in PPR and half-point PPR leagues. Both players have good teams around them, and according to Pro Football Focus, both have top-10 offensive lines to operate behind. However, one of these two running backs has proven capable of consistently handling a lot of touches and put up big numbers over multiple seasons. That back is David Montgomery.
Montgomery has a clear path to a significant workload right out of the gate. He should see plenty of work on early downs and in the red zone to start the season. Don’t be surprised to see him stay in the game occasionally on third downs as well, however, Cohen is on hand in Chicago to handle most of the third-down and obvious passing situations. Although, if something were to happen to Cohen, Montgomery is capable of playing on all three downs.
This is not an indictment on Sanders or his abilities. He is a good fantasy football investment in his own right. However, if I’m drafting for this season, give me the player with the clearer path to touches. The Bears clearly tossed Jordan Howard aside and drafted Montgomery to replace him because they felt he was a better option. In his last two seasons with Chicago, Howard had 569 touches (carries and catches combined) and compiled 2,327 all-purpose yards. It’s going to be exciting to see what kind of production Montgomery can give the Bears while operating in that same role this season.
With a current ADP of 37th overall per Fantasy Football Calculator, Montgomery is an excellent value pick at the running back position. Sanders also offers great value at his current ADP of 76th overall. As I stated earlier, Sanders is probably the better long term investment at His current ADP. However, in redraft leagues, it’s Montgomery all day.
