There was a hefty breakout baked into Drake London’s price this season. There was no breakout baked into Jameson Williams’ price. Through two weeks, the Detroit Lions WR has been the better fantasy football asset. Should fantasy managers continue starting these players based on preseason expectations, or is Williams the better option?
Projecting Drake London and Jameson Williams’ Fantasy Output in Week 3
It’s funny how quickly perceptions can change based on something so random and unpredictable. For 58 minutes, London was posting his second consecutive dud performance. He was pacing to not necessarily be an easy sit this week but certainly not a must-start.
Then, Saquon Barkley drops an easy game-winning first down, Kirk Cousins marches down the field in about 60 seconds, and he hits London for the game-winning touchdown. All is forgiven. London is a WR1 again.
Without the touchdown, though, it would have been another disappointing day. London had six catches for 54 yards.
Meanwhile, Williams has averaged 19.4 fantasy points per game through two weeks. This is not as lopsided as it might have looked prior to Week 1.
The PFN Start/Sit Optimizer agrees. While it still has London as the better option, his 13.3-point projection is just 1.0 points ahead of Williams’. While I agree, It’s not outrageous to consider starting Williams.
London’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
In one of my leagues where I have London, I am currently debating whether to start Cam Akers over London in a Flex spot. London’s matchup this week looks good from a game environment standpoint. The Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs could be one of the highest-scoring games of the weekend.
At the same time, the Chiefs have done a really good job erasing the opposing team’s top weapon through the first two weeks. They shut down Mark Andrews in Week 1 and Ja’Marr Chase in Week 2. Chase’s longest reception was a mere 13 yards. If London posts six catches for 50 scoreless yards, are you going to be happy with that?
Now to be fair, London is really good at football. This route is just disgusting.
THE FALCONS TIE IT WITH 34 SECONDS LEFT.
📺: #ATLvsPHI on ESPN
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/j2bWgkxmC4— NFL (@NFL) September 17, 2024
There was a concerted effort to get London the ball last week. The Falcons ran more 11 personnel than in Week 1 and used motion and play action at a higher rate. I’m certainly more optimistic about London’s floor now than I was a week ago.
Kirk Cousins should continue to improve each week. When he finally gets back to his Minnesota Vikings form, you’re not going to want to have London on the bench.
Williams’ Fantasy Outlook This Week
I’ve been a Williams doubter since the end of his rookie year. Historically, wide receivers who fail to reach 525 receiving yards as a rookie rarely pan out. Yes, Williams had extenuating circumstances, but it’s not as if his sophomore year was any better.
Nevertheless, he is certainly tracking to prove me very wrong. Once upon a time, this was a first-round talent. Perhaps it is about to shine through in a big way. So far, it has.
Williams is not just burning defenders deep. He’s been a much more complete receiver. Through two games, he’s 10th in yards per route run, commanding targets all over the field.
Williams will never have a high catch rate, but he’s seen 20 targets in two games while adding a rush in each contest. Being able to take a carry or two for 10-15 yards per game adds up.
While Williams has benefited from some favorable game environments so far, this week is shaping up like another. The Lions and Arizona Cardinals have the highest projected total on the week. We could be looking at a back-and-forth high-scoring affair.
Jared Goff hasn’t even fully gotten going this season. He’s thrown just one touchdown, as the Lions have scored a disproportionately large number of their touchdowns on the ground. What if this is the week Goff throws three? Williams is likely to catch one of them.
If I had to choose, I would probably stick with London, but Williams remains an excellent option for fantasy managers this week. He is a strong WR2.
