Jahmyr Gibbs is Recession Proof

By Matt Schauf | Updated on Mon, Nov 17 2025 5:20 PM UTC

The most-discussed aspect of Detroit's Sunday night loss at Philadelphia appears to be the strong performance by the Eagles defense, followed closely by complaints about the officiating and insults hurled at Jalen Hurts' passing. But the biggest offensive star of the minimally offensive 16-9 game was easily RB Jahmyr Gibbs. He rushed just 12 times for 39 yards (3.3 per rush), Gibbs' second lackluster rushing performance among the past three games. But he racked up a career-high 107 receiving yards on a team-high 5 catches. Gibbs' eight targets ranked second on the team. His 28 pass routes ranked third and tied his season high, set back in Week 1.

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

Gibbs' route rate didn't pick up at all in Week 10, the first game of HC Dan Campbell assuming playcalling duties. But Sunday night gave us a season-high rate for the star back. That included a season-high seven pass snaps run from WR positions, according to Pro Football Focus:

four in the slot
three out wide

The two games since the Campbell takeover have now included a dip in routes for Gibbs in a lopsided victory against a soft Washington defense and the aforementioned season-high in routes against an ascending Eagles D in a windy road game.

So what's the takeaway here? It seems to be that the Lions are embracing offensive variation and game-specific planning.

Philly's D sports speedy LBs who play well in coverage, but there's not a LB who can match Gibbs' speed. Combine that with windy conditions, a good top-2 at CB for the Eagles, and TE Sam LaPorta being out, and this Gibbs-featured passing plan made plenty of sense.

So what do we do with this? Nothing, really.

If you've got Gibbs, you didn't need a reason to keep playing him. Enjoy.

As for David Montgomery -- who posted just a 6-27 rushing line at Philly and caught his lone target -- conditions will improve beyond where they were in Week 11.

Week 12, in fact, holds a high-upside matchup with the Giants that should find room for both RBs to generate fantasy value.

Montgomery looks less playable vs. Green Bay in Week 13, but then comes another likely favorable spot against Dallas in Week 14.

Matt Schauf, Editor

Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.