The Lions have been without Sam LaPorta all week in practice due to a sprained AC joint, and he has been ruled out against the Jaguars. With more targets available, could Jameson Williams ($5,800) be set for success at home against Jacksonville?
The background
LaPorta hasn’t had an amazing sophomore season, but he has drawn at least six targets in two of the last three weeks and is averaging 3.6 targets per game. Last week, he caught three of his six targets for 66 yards and a touchdown. He finished with 15.6 fantasy points before he was hurt on this play in Sunday night’s win over the Texans.
Sam LaPorta L AC joint sprain
-Stayed in next 2 plays then out
-DC called it mild and day-to-day
-Can play vs Jags but good chance he is out 1-2wk for strategic reasons:
1)all other weapons healthy
2)max health for playoffs is priority at this point pic.twitter.com/7srGoo1FY7— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) November 13, 2024
With LaPorta out, Brock Wright ($3,300) will be the team’s top tight end, but he is mostly used as a blocker and only has 11 targets in nine games this season. Shane Zylstra ($2,500) will also get more reps, but doesn’t have a target in his four games.
The importance of Jameson Williams
Since the tight ends aren’t likely to absorb all, in any, of LaPorta’s targets, Williams could be a great play for both DFS and season-long consideration. He returned from his two-game suspension last week and hauled in 3-of-5 targets for 53 yards.
Williams has been a big-play threat for the Lions all year, scoring three touchdowns and posting over 75 yards in four games. He is averaging 5.0 targets and producing 12.2 fantasy points per contest. If he gets a few more targets this week, he’ll be a borderline WR2 with a high ceiling. In DFS contests like the NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st], Williams brings a high ceiling under $6,000.
He gets a great matchup vs. the Jaguars, who have given up the sixth-most fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts.
The Bottom Line
The Lions are heavy 13.5-point home favorites against the Jaguars, so they may not have to air it out deep to Williams much, but he could be a good leverage option with more targets. He also brings value at +165 to find the end zone.
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