David Montgomery or Isaiah Likely: Who Should You Start?

The call

• The projection (12.7 PPR, RB21) is right at the RB2/flex line, so he isn't a bench body — but nothing in the profile screams volume either.
• A 37% snap share and 5% target share are the red flags: he's splitting a backfield (the sheet's own context frames the trade as making Woody Marks better) and gets almost no receiving work, which caps the PPR floor and makes him touchdown-dependent.
• Game script is neutral-to-decent: a 1.5-point spread and a 22.0 implied total point to a close game where the run game stays live, but a 22-point offense doesn't promise many red-zone chances to divide up.
• No injury designation is a plus, though the camp note about limited touches to keep him healthy reinforces that this is a managed workload. If he's confirmed as the goal-line back this week, he's a start; if Marks is handling short-yardage, sit him for a fuller-volume flex.

The call

• A TE11 consensus rank with 9.5 projected PPR points is a starter by definition in a 12-team league — the typical replacement TE is projected well below that.
• Role is trending up: reports have him used as a 'big slot receiver' to cover a thin wideout group, which should push his 59% snap share and 14% target share higher.
• The caution is the modest 23.5 implied team total and a near pick-em 1.5 spread — no shootout script, so this is a floor play rather than a ceiling swing.
• If a healthy full-strength receiver room reclaims the slot work, he slides back to a low-volume TE and becomes a bench body.