The Detroit Lions were a trendy pick for the team that was most expected to take the next step this season. Following their 12-5 record last year in which they lost in the NFC Conference Championship, Detroit retained the same core and is seeing some of its young players take the next step in their development.
At the forefront of this development is Jameson Williams.
After being selected 12th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, Williams did not make the immediate impact Detroit hoped for. The Alabama product battled injuries throughout his first two seasons and suited up for just 18 total games. During this period he tallied just 464 total yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns.
In just two games so far this season, Williams has already tallied 228 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. He burst onto the scene in the opening week with 121 receiving yards, 13 rushing yards, and a touchdown. He then followed this up by catching five of his 11 targets for 79 yards in Week 2. This is more than just a fluke. Williams has a chance to establish himself as a fantasy football league winner if he continues to outperform expectations.
Jameson Williams Fantasy Football Outlook
Through the opening two weeks of the season, Jameson Williams has tallied 41.8 fantasy points based on DraftKings DFS scoring. This is tied with Josh Allen for the 21st-most points across all NFL players. It also ranks 8th among all wide receivers.
Williams was not a highly-regarded fantasy football target during offseason discourse. He finished the draft season with an average draft position of 109 in standard leagues and 119th in PPR leagues. The 23-year-old was drafted as the 28th-best fantasy football wide receiver in standard leagues and 32nd in PPR.
The biggest area for concern with Jameson Williams is his target share with Amon-Ra St. Brown. St. Brown is a two-time All-Pro wide receiver and is regarded as one of the best pass catchers in the league. Through the opening two weeks of the season, St. Brown has tallied 14 receptions on 25 targets for 132 yards. In comparison, Williams has tallied 10 receptions on 20 targets for 200 yards.
Beyond just the targets and receptions, Williams’ growth in his role within the offense has been obvious. In the opening week of the season, he logged 85% of the offensive snaps. In the second week, he logged 91%.
This is a massive step up as Williams never played more than 25% of snaps in his rookie season and 68% was his highest mark for offensive snaps last year. He had an overall average of 53.3% of snaps overall last season.
Detroit has been a high-flying offense in which Jameson Williams has solidified his role. Last season the Lions ranked 5th in scoring, 3rd in total yards, and 3rd in net yards per pass attempt. In 2022, they also were 5th in scoring while ranking 4th in yards and 3rd in overall score percentage. Expect similar production this season, but for Williams to be a more significant part of the team’s success.
Williams was more of a raw talent than he was expected to be coming out of college. Now in his third season in the NFL, he has gained more trust within the Detroit coaching staff and found his stride as a player. Keep Williams in your lineup on a week-by-week basis and expect him to provide starting-caliber fantasy football wide receiver value moving forward.
While you can lose a fantasy football season by not hitting in the opening rounds, you win it with the later selections. Williams looks on track to be one of these diamonds in the rough. Do everything possible to get him on your roster and in your lineups and don’t expect his level of production to slow down soon.
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