Team news: New England Patriots | Page 18

Lions HC Dan Campbell said that running back David Montgomery, who sat out Week 3 with a thigh injury, is moving toward getting back in the lineup this week.

Related players: Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds, Zonovan Knight

With Montgomery out in Week 3, Gibbs got 17 carries and went for 80 yards. Reynolds and Knight each got three carries. If Monty is back for Week 4, a Thursday night game, expect him to go back to getting a bulk of the carries with Gibbs mixing in and perhaps getting more targets in the pass game. Gibbs had just one catch in Week 3. Montgomery carried 21 times in Week 1 and 16 in Week 2, scoring a TD in both games.

Lions RB David Montgomery (thigh) is doubtful for Sunday. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (toe) is questionable, and LT Taylor Decker (ankle) is out again.

Related Players: Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds

The Gibbs breakout game may be coming sooner than expected, but we imagine that the team will give Reynolds plenty of early-down run if Montgomery misses Week 3. Gibbs is currently ranked as the RB10 in 4for4's rankings.

Lions’ WR Amon-Ra St. Brown was back at practice today, but RB David Montgomery was not.

Related Players: Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds

The Gibbs breakout game may be coming sooner than expected, but we imagine that the team will give Reynolds plenty of early-down run if Montgomery misses Week 3. Gibbs is currently ranked as the RB10 in 4for4's rankings.

RB Zonovan Knight to the Lions’ practice squad up to their active roster with David Montgomery (thigh) dinged up.

Related players: Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds

Knight gets the call after Montgomery was injured in Week 2. Monty is considered day-to-day, but reports have said he could miss a couple of weeks, and the promotion of Knight could certainly indicate that. Gibbs and Reynolds should split the workload, but Knight will probably get some chances as well. He looked good enough with the Jets last year that if Monty does miss a few weeks, Knight could potentially work his way up to the RB2 slot.

Kyle Shanahan says the 49ers have to do a better job with their RB rotation — Elijah Mitchell didn't see any carries and Shanahan said that was NOT the plan.

McCaffrey had 23 touches in Week 2 and fantasy owners rejoiced again. The 49ers likely feel that isn't a pace McCaffrey can sustain over a full season. While Mitchell has proved to be a capable back, he has just five carries for 10 yards, all coming in Week 1. He's still a valuable handcuff to CMC, but the standalone value isn't there yet.

Lions’ RB David Montgomery, who did not finish Sunday’s game and was limping after, told reporters he it would take “a couple weeks” for his quad injury to heal.

Related players: Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds

Gibbs should see a bump in touches but the Lions may not yet want to give him a bulk of the workload in terms of carries. Gibbs had seven receptions for 39 yards and added seven carries for 17 yards and should still remain highly involved in the passing game, but Reynolds could see his share of the carries Monty would normally get. We'll keep you posted about any kind of RB workload news as the week goes on.

Multiple team sources believe Smith-Schuster is not presently among the team’s five most effective pass-catchers. According to those same sources, his place in the offense has been complicated by a variety of factors. His knee, flatly, is not 100%. Asked whether Smith-Schuster was healthy enough to finish Sunday’s game, Pats coach Bill Belichick dodged the question in his Wednesday morning press conference.

Related Players: Demario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte

It's been a long time since we've been able to trust a Patriots receiver to deliver consistently, and some thought that maybe Smith-Schuster could finally be that answer. Things aren't looking great right now. Three different options took more slot snaps than the former Chief, including both tight ends, Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki. Smith-Schuster can be safely dropped in most leagues.

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon declined to name a starting quarterback ahead of Week 1 and cited competitive advantage as the reason for his secrecy, but he’s throwing caution to the wind heading into Week 2.

Gannon said at a Monday press conference that Joshua Dobbs will remain the starter when the Cardinals host the Giants next Sunday.

The story said Dobbs was 21-of-30 for 132 yards and did enough to help the Cardinals hold a lead into the fourth quarter in Washington, but he lost a pair of fumbles late in the game. Those turnovers led to 10 Commanders points and proved to be the difference in a 20-16 Cardinals loss.

I asked Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon if he might announce his starting QB before Sunday or just roll him out on game day at the Commanders on Sunday in Landover. His response:

"I ain't telling you anything."

Related Players: Clayton Tune, Joshua Dobbs

The least interesting Week 1 quarterback controversy in recent history, Gannon is keeping his cards close to his vest. Starting either quarterback in any fantasy format would be a mistake.