The Bears defeated the Lions 24-14 in Week 4, with lead back David Montgomery putting on a show with 106 rushing yards on 23 attempts and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, the third-year running back exited the game early with a knee injury — later diagnosed as a knee sprain — and is expected to miss four to five weeks, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano.
With a stint on the injured reserve likely in order for Montgomery, that leaves backup Damien Williams as the new No. 1, at least for the time being. Rostered in only 10% of Yahoo! leagues heading into the week, Williams would be a massive addition off the waiver wire this week. But how aggressively should you target Williams?
Our trio of analysts break down his potential value and how much of your Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) to bid in order to roster him.
Target Damien Williams On Fantasy Waiver Wire?
Samantha Previte
Montgomery had a monster game in Week 4 and posted 23 carries for 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Unfortunately, the Bears’ star had to be helped off the field with a knee injury and will miss four to five weeks. Williams — his widely-available backup — would be next in line to see the lion's share of the workload. He saw eight carries for 55 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 15 yards in Week 4 and should be considered an RB2 while Montgomery is sidelined.
Williams is the highest priority add in my Week 5 breakdown of the waiver wire market.
Sean Koerner
Williams was also injured in action against the Lions, suffering a thigh bruise, but he is expected to be fine moving forward and fill in as the Bears starter, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. As long as Montgomery is out of the lineup, Williams should be a low-end RB2 and is certainly the back to add this week.
Given Montgomery's four to five week timeline, he's worth 50%+ of your FAAB for anyone desperate for a low-end RB2 and wins right now.
Chris Raybon
With David Montgomery expected to miss four to five weeks, Williams is my No. 1 waiver priority. He will be a mid-range to low-end RB1 against the Raiders, who are allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing RBs. This season, Williams has played 71 snaps to rookie Khalil Herbert’s 10, so Williams could end up playing snaps in the 80% range, just as Montgomery did in Week 2 (82%) and Week 3 (80%).
I currently have him ranked as my RB10 and would spend 35-40% of FAAB on him.
