Week 12 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Aaron Jones vs. David Montgomery

Week 12 fantasy football managers face a tough start ’em, sit ’em decision between Aaron Jones and David Montgomery, as both running backs battle for RB2 value during the playoff push.

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) warms up ahead of Cincinnati Bengals game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The second-tier running back pool is full of coin flips while being miles away from the frontline talent in 2025. The goal over the latter part of the season is to find an RB2 with the talent and opportunity to be a valuable piece for fantasy teams when championships are on the line.

Week 12 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Aaron Jones or David Montgomery

Many times in close lineup decisions before the games, the best player to start comes from the team that scores the most touchdowns each week. After 10 games, the Lions average 3.5 touchdowns per game, with 15 coming from the running back position. In comparison, their quarterback struggles in Minnesota have led to them reaching the end zone 21 times, with only seven touchdowns coming from their running backs.

Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) runs for a gain during the third quarter against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Since returning from the injured list, Jones has gained 278 combined yards with one touchdown and 10 catches on 49 touches (12.25 per game). He averaged 10.95 fantasy points (PPR) over this span, with a reasonable floor in his last three matchups (11.80, 15.90, and 11.10). The Vikings gave him a season-high 22 touches in Week 11, leading to 81 combined yards with three catches. Jordan Mason snipped their only rushing score despite only being on the field for nine plays.

The Packers come into this week ranked ninth in running back defense (204.00 fantasy points). They hold backs to short yards per rush (4.2) and per catch (5.7), but they will give up catches (51 on 61 targets). Running backs reached the end zone only six times.

• Quinshon Judkins (18/94/1 with one catch for one yard)
• Javonte Williams (20/85/1 with three catches for 15 yards)
• Rico Dowdle (141 combined yards with two touchdowns and two catches)
• Saquon Barkley (101 combined yards with three catches)
• Giants running backs (186 combined yards with two touchdowns and five catches)

David Montgomery, Detroit Lions

Other than Week 3 (12/151/2 with one catch for 12 yards), Montgomery has been a challenging player to start in 2025. He has two scores over his last seven games while averaging only 3.4 yards over his 76 carries. His 2025 body of work paints him as a backend RB2 in PPR formats. Montgomery scored double-digit fantasy points in four additional matchups (13.10, 18.25, 12.00, and 10.10). The Lions have had him on the field for 40.9% of their plays this year, compared to 33.5% in 2024 (four missed games).

The Giants have the second-worst defense (303.40 fantasy points) vs. running backs. They allow 5.8 yards per carry to backs with 14 touchdowns.

• Javonte Williams (130 combined yards with a touchdown and six catches)
• Omarion Hampton (165 combined yards with a touchdown and five catches)
• Saquon Barkley (174 combined yards with two touchdowns and four catches)
• Christian McCaffrey (173 combined yards with two touchdowns and five catches)

David Montgomery vs. Aaron Jones Week 12 Fantasy Football Verdict

In Week 12, I have Montgomery projected to score a touchdown, even with Jahmyr Gibbs sitting on top of the running back rankings. He can’t match Jones' value catching the ball, but his matchup and game flow suggest a mid-teen fantasy day, making him the winner in this start/sit decision. Despite the sit decision, Jones is my 22nd-ranked running back this week, just behind Montgomery.