Jameson Williams’ speed and potential jump off the screen at you. But a betting suspension combined with a preseason leg injury has redraft fantasy football managers unsure of how to treat the Detroit Lions‘ burner come draft day.
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Jameson Williams’ Fantasy Outlook for the 2023 NFL Season
The Lions finished last season fourth in points per game thanks to a resurgent season from Jared Goff. Amon-Ra St. Brown is the star that makes this offense go, but they are going to need secondary options to step up as defenses begin to shift their attention that direction.
Lions’ WR Jameson Williams has a hamstring injury that is likely to sideline him for the remainder of the preseason.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter)
With Williams sidelined to open the season, 33-year-old Marvin Jones profiles as an every-down receiver with no real proven options behind him. The team drafted Sam LaPorta in April and expect him to start at tight end, though expectations should always be in check when it comes to projecting young TEs.
Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery will soak up almost all of the backfield usage in an offense that led the league in fantasy points from the position last season behind Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift.
Williams has plenty of potential and doesn’t face much in the way of target competition: should you play the long game and stash him?
Is Williams a Good Fantasy Pick?
Your ability to take on this risk depends on your management style and league structure. If you can stash Williams without it costing you an active roster spot, he should go at least one round higher. Assuming that’s not the case, he’s a tough sell.
We are talking about a player with one career catch and a suspension that requires him to be away from the team. I expect him to be healthy by Week 7, but continuity is naturally a concern.
Most fantasy football leagues have relatively shallow benches, and in those formats, Williams isn’t worth a pick for me. If your league has extended benches, I’m likely to roll the dice. The Lions have just two games with any sort of weather downside after Williams returns. Also, we saw the home/road splits tell the story in 2022 for Goff (23-3 TD-INT rate at home, 6-4 on the road).
- PFN Consensus Rankings: 138th overall
- Current ADP: 125th overall
