Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams will miss a significant portion of the 2022 season as he recovers from a torn ACL. Upon his return, will Williams produce enough to be on your fantasy football roster? And what is his current ADP in fantasy drafts?
Jameson Williams ADP | Is he worth his current price in fantasy drafts?
Williams’ current ADP is outside the top 175 and the 70th receiver selected. This means he is on the verge of being undrafted or a late-round selection.
This is a fitting range for rookies, injured starters, and veterans stuck in low-volume fantasy situations. For comparison, Chris Olave is being drafted almost 50 spots higher despite being selected right in front of Williams in the 2022 NFL Draft. Williams’ fantasy stock has his injury baked into his price.
With Williams likely to start the season on the NFI list, he’ll be out at least the first four games of the year. It’s possible he could even be out until November. That would mean over half his season will be lost. Should this hold true, it’s hard to roster Williams for such a long time.
The Lions have several fantasy-relevant playmakers on their roster despite not boasting a pass-heavy unit or explosive quarterback.
DJ Chark is being drafted after Williams despite earning a Pro Bowl previously in his career. Amon-Ra St. Brown is currently the WR20. T.J. Hockenson, D’Andre Swift, and Jamaal Williams are all quality pass catchers as well.
It’s difficult to see Jameson Williams performing well enough upon his return to justify drafting him at this ADP. Stashing him becomes more realistic if he comes back in early October, but we don’t know if that’ll happen.
Jameson Williams’ projected fantasy value in 2022
Due to the nature of the Lions’ offense, which averaged just 6.6 yards per attempt with Jared Goff at quarterback in 2021, Williams will need to be a major influence when he hits the field. Either he’ll be more of a possession threat who gets volume like Jaylen Waddle did in Miami last year, or Williams will have to create chunk plays to overcome the lack of consistent targets.
I’d consider Williams a luxury on a roster with several other reliable fantasy receivers. If you need an X-factor for one game here or there, Williams can be a Best Ball option later in the season. But planning on him being more than that is simply too risky for a healthy fantasy roster.
It’s not a knock on his talent, but we haven’t seen Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson work with three quality receivers yet. And he’s never managed someone like Williams. The layers of possible barriers to Williams disappointing fantasy managers for his ADP are thicker than usual.
Unless you can get Williams at a solid discount or end up with a roster that can stomach his missed time, he’s not a great option at his ADP.
