IsiahPacheco

Sep 14

The Lions traded away Montgomery this offseason, which was good news for Gibbs’ ceiling.

Gibbs already saw increased playing time last season after starting his career in a two-man rotation with Montgomery. While Gibbs was likely seeing as much playing time as he could handle last season, Montgomery was still a thorn in Gibbs’ fantasy ceiling, with his eight rushing touchdowns. Detroit signed Isiah Pacheco to be Gibbs’ new backup, but he is starting the season on injured reserve. This leaves Jacob Saylors and Sione Vaki as Detroit’s reserves in the short run. Gibbs played 74% of snaps, which was very similar to the end of last season. The difference is he played 100% of snaps in short-yardage and goal-line situations, and only 30% of snaps on third downs. It’s rare for running backs to play over 80% of snaps, and third downs are the best situation for a fantasy running back to be off the field, as those plays rarely lead to touches for a running back relative to all other situations. This ultimately creates to more touches per snap, and a higher percentage of the touchdowns will be going to Gibbs. Anyone who drafted Gibbs 1. 01 will be happy after this game. It is worth noting that Vaki took all of the other snaps, rather than Saylors. If Gibbs were to suffer an injury before Pacheco returns, it appears Vaki would be the running back to pick up.

Sep 6

While Jahmyr Gibbs is going to be the clear RB1/“bell cow” back, the loss of Pacheco to injured reserve has raised questions about who will take on his reps. While giving those reps to Gibbs is an easy solution, the Lions won’t want to overload their superstar and will need to keep him fresh. That’s likely why over 90% of the fan base debated between Sione Vaki and Jacob Saylors stepping into a larger role. What fans may have missed is that Vaki has consistently run as RB2 while Pacheco has been out, and his skill set gives him opportunities to find the field. While Saylors is experienced, balanced, and reliable, Vaki is bigger and has shown enough power to produce in short-yardage situations; he is also a former receiver with the hands to match, but what will get him on the field more than anything else is likely pass protection. Vaki is an ELITE pass protector, and that will allow the Lions to put him on the field in any situation.