Jahmyr Gibbs went into training camp last year as the second string running back behind David Montgomery, but that quickly changed his fantasy perspective. Gibbs surprised a lot of people in 2023, and he now gears up for his second season with Montgomery still in the picture. How can Gibbs take his game to the next level in 2024?
2024 Fantasy Football Draft Guide
2024 Fantasy Football Profile: Jahmyr Gibbs
2023 in Review
The Detroit Lions were harshly criticized for taking Gibbs in the first round last year, and Gibbs took it personally. It was a very slow start for Gibbs as he made his way into the NFL, but he found his feet after returning from injury in Week 7. The Alabama alumni finished 12 of 16 possible fantasy football games with four yards per carry or more.
From Weeks 7-17, there were just three games where Gibbs failed to find the endzone in Dan Campbell’s offense. In the two weeks when Montgomery was out with an injury, he rushed for 220 yards on 37 carries (5.95 yards per carry) with a touchdown in each game. He was a threat in the receiving game as well by catching two or more passes in 11 of 16 games.
Even when Montgomery came back from injury, Gibbs was still a factor in the Lions offense. He forced the shift to a 1a-1b system in the Motor City by averaging 64.5 yards per game on the ground. He turned a corner after Detroit’s bye week and hasn’t looked back.
2024 Projection
The Lions are moving forward with the dynamic duo in the backfield. There was a little speculation that maybe Campbell would want Gibbs to be the workhorse, but those rumors quickly died. Expect a 50/50 split in carries for him this season as well.
Gibbs will continue to get work in the passing game. While Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta will get the bulk of the targets, Jared Goff will need another option for passing downs. Montgomery is more of a standard running back, so it opens the door for Gibbs to see all of the snaps on passing downs.
I bet Jahmyr Gibbs is excited to matchup with the Los Angeles Rams LBs again in Week 1.
Part 1 pic.twitter.com/4uiOWYavAK
— Al Karsten (@FootballGuy_Al) July 17, 2024
The only concern about Gibbs is he doesn’t get the goal line work for the Lions. Montgomery is the beneficiary of that in Campbell’s offense, meaning Gibbs has to get creative in finding the endzone. One strong component to Gibbs’ game is finding open space and creating long runs. While he had 10 runs of 20+ yards in 2023, the potential is there for him to add to that total this season.
Jahmyr Gibbs Fantasy Football ADP
FantasyPros currently shows Gibbs with an ADP of 14 while going as early as 12 or as late as 33. The general consensus is he’s on the border of a first or second-round pick. His ADP ranges though based on league type as Gibbs is much more suited for PPR leagues. Receiving numbers are a big boost to his stats, and elevates his game.
This isn’t to say those in standard leagues can’t draft Gibbs because he is certainly still worthy of that. Fantasy owners just need to be mindful of Montgomery’s presence and either make it a point to grab him as a handcuff or draft appropriately to get production from other players.
Main Image Courtesy of Junfu Han – USA Today Sports
