The Detroit Lions will face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Jameson Williams.
Is Jameson Williams Playing in Week 17?
Williams is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play on Monday.
We’ll continue to monitor the Lions’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Jameson Williams in Week 17?
Williams is coming off his third top-10 finish of the season (Weeks 1, 11, and 16) and, more importantly, his sixth straight game with 10+ expected PPR points. That second number is the one that has my interest as we know that Williams is plenty capable of making the chunk plays and exceeding expectations, but the built-in value of his recent targets helps elevate his floor to a place where I’m comfortably Flexing him weekly.
Williams would have been an auto-fade for me earlier in the season in this spot. The 49ers are the second-best yards per deep pass attempt defense in the league, and I would have never thought of playing him in a spot like that. But now? Now I think there’s enough versatility in his profile to land him as a top-35 WR.
Jared Goff is as efficient as anyone in the league, and with designs a part of the plan for Williams, I’ll take my chances. The big-play potential is still very much there (just ask Chicago’s secondary), but with a single-digit aDOT in three of his past five, I think there’s more well-roundedness than this burner gets credit for.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 17 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Jameson Williams’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 17
As of Sunday morning, Williams is projected to score 13.1 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 3 receptions for 58.6 yards and 0.5 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the 49ers' Defense
The decline of the 49ers' defense this season compared to the last two is a concern. Having been a top-seven unit each year between 2019 and 2022, they ranked 10th last year and have slipped further this season.
A week after posting their second-best grade of the season, the Niners regressed and posted their second-worst grade (69.1) in the Week 16 loss to the Dolphins. San Francisco has posted three "D" grades in the last five weeks after never doing that the first 11 weeks of the season.
The 49ers' run defense had another rough game, posting the fourth-worst success rate (45.2%) of Week 16 and the team's second-worst of the season. San Francisco ranks 27th in run success rate for the season, which is actually identical to where last year's much better unit ranked.
The Niners' final overall rank could drop should they choose to sit some banged-up veterans, such as Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, now that they've been formally eliminated from playoff contention.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Jameson Williams’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 7:25 AM ET on Sunday, December 29. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 WR PPR Rankings
1) Ja'Marr Chase | CIN (vs. DEN)
2) Puka Nacua | LAR (vs. ARI)
3) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (at SF)
4) Justin Jefferson | MIN (vs. GB)
5) Mike Evans | TB (vs. CAR)
6) Nico Collins | HOU (vs. BAL)
7) Terry McLaurin | WAS (vs. ATL)
8) Davante Adams | NYJ (at BUF)
9) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at CLE)
10) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. DAL)
11) Tee Higgins | CIN (vs. DEN)
12) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (vs. TEN)
13) Courtland Sutton | DEN (at CIN)
14) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at NE)
15) Drake London | ATL (at WAS)
16) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at CHI)
17) Malik Nabers | NYG (vs. IND)
18) Cooper Kupp | LAR (vs. ARI)
19) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (at BUF)
20) Jauan Jennings | SF (vs. DET)
21) Zay Flowers | BAL (at HOU)
22) Keenan Allen | CHI (vs. SEA)
23) DJ Moore | CHI (vs. SEA)
24) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at NO)
25) Jordan Addison | MIN (vs. GB)
26) DK Metcalf | SEA (at CHI)
27) George Pickens | PIT (vs. KC)
28) Calvin Ridley | TEN (at JAX)
29) Adam Thielen | CAR (at TB)
30) Khalil Shakir | BUF (vs. NYJ)
31) Jameson Williams | DET (at SF)
32) Josh Downs | IND (at NYG)
33) Deebo Samuel Sr. | SF (vs. DET)
34) Jayden Reed | GB (at MIN)
35) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. DAL)
36) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (at PIT)
37) Xavier Worthy | KC (at PIT)
38) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (at LAR)
39) Jalen McMillan | TB (vs. CAR)
40) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at CLE)
41) Darnell Mooney | ATL (at WAS)
42) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (vs. MIA)
43) Hollywood Brown | KC (at PIT)
44) Rome Odunze | CHI (vs. SEA)
45) Romeo Doubs | GB (at MIN)
46) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (at NYG)
47) Amari Cooper | BUF (vs. NYJ)
48) Rashod Bateman | BAL (at HOU)
49) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at NE)
50) Jalen Coker | CAR (at TB)
51) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. LAC)
52) Xavier Legette | CAR (at TB)
53) Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG (vs. IND)
54) Christian Watson | GB (at MIN)
55) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (at JAX)
56) Elijah Moore | CLE (vs. MIA)
57) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (vs. NYJ)
58) Calvin Austin III | PIT (vs. KC)
59) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at NE)
60) Robert Woods | HOU (vs. BAL)
61) Parker Washington | JAX (vs. TEN)
62) Tim Patrick | DET (at SF)
63) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (at WAS)
64) John Metchie III | HOU (vs. BAL)
65) Keon Coleman | BUF (vs. NYJ)
66) David Moore | CAR (at TB)
67) Devaughn Vele | DEN (at CIN)
68) Michael Wilson | ARI (at LAR)
69) Tre Tucker | LV (at NO)
70) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs. LAC)
71) Mike Williams | PIT (vs. KC)
72) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (at CIN)
73) Andrei Iosivas | CIN (vs. DEN)
74) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (vs. ATL)
75) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs. LAC)
76) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (at PHI)
77) Malik Washington | MIA (at CLE)
78) Brandin Cooks | DAL (at PHI)
79) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at CHI)
80) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (vs. ARI)
81) Adonai Mitchell | IND (at NYG)
82) Alec Pierce | IND (at NYG)
83) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (at MIN)
84) Allen Lazard | NYJ (at BUF)
85) Van Jefferson | PIT (vs. KC)
86) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (at PHI)
87) Darius Slayton | NYG (vs. IND)
88) Ricky Pearsall | SF (vs. DET)
89) Jamison Crowder | WAS (vs. ATL)
90) Tyler Boyd | TEN (at JAX)
91) Troy Franklin | DEN (at CIN)
92) Kevin Austin Jr. | NO (vs. LV)
93) Mack Hollins | BUF (vs. NYJ)
94) Tutu Atwell | LAR (vs. ARI)
95) Jalen Nailor | MIN (vs. GB)
96) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (at PIT)
97) Michael Woods II | CLE (vs. MIA)
98) Justin Watson | KC (at PIT)
99) Devin Duvernay | JAX (vs. TEN)
100) Greg Dortch | ARI (at LAR)
101) Dante Pettis | CHI (vs. SEA)
102) Lil'Jordan Humphrey | DEN (at CIN)
103) Curtis Samuel | BUF (vs. NYJ)
104) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. DAL)
105) Cedrick Wilson Jr. | NO (vs. LV)
106) Tylan Wallace | BAL (at HOU)
107) DJ Chark | LAC (at NE)
108) River Cracraft | MIA (at CLE)
109) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (vs. ATL)
110) Jalin Hyatt | NYG (vs. IND)
111) Ja'Lynn Polk | NE (vs. LAC)
Lions at 49ers Trends and Insights
Detroit Lions
Team: The Lions are unbeaten on the road, and success on the road has been a common trait on Super Bowl winners ... the past five Super Bowl champions won 81.3% of regular season road games
QB: Much gets made of the home/road splits for Jared Goff, but his QB+ in Detroit this year (81.1) is nearly identical to his grade away from his loyal fans (80.8).
Offense: The Lions and Bears combined for 557 yards of offense in the first half on Sunday. That’s the fourth most in a game this season – it’s the third most in a Lions game this season.
Defense: The Lions held the Bears to 20% on third downs, the fifth time this season that they have held an opponent to that rate or lower.
Fantasy: Amon-Ra St. Brown is the first Lion with multiple seasons of 100 catches,1,000 receiving yards, and 10 touchdown catches. How many players would you draft ahead of him in 2025?
Betting: The Lions' seven straight long rest spots have gone over the total, and they have covered 10 of their past 12 such games.
San Francisco 49ers
Team: In 2019, the 49ers made the Super Bowl and followed it up by winning seven fewer games than the year prior. They are 6-9 this season after making the Super Bowl last season (2023 regular season: 12-5 record).
QB: Brock Purdy’s birthday is on December 27th and one of his wishes will be to cure his recent struggles under pressure (last two games: nine-of-23 for 93 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions).
Offense: San Francisco has converted just 51.8% of their red zone trips into touchdowns this season, down from 67.2% a season ago.
Defense: The 49ers are allowing 31.1% more points per drive this year than last year (allowing a touchdown on 24.4% of drives)
Fantasy: Deebo Samuel Sr. has produced 15% below PPR expectations this season, the lowest rate of his otherwise very efficient career. His points per target (1.57) also sits at a career low, and his expected points per game are down 6.4% from a season ago.
Betting: San Francisco has failed to cover five straight long rest games (0-2 this season).