Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams only has 25 catches on his NFL résumé, but fantasy football managers are enticed by his big-play upside (15.8 yards per catch for his career) and increased role as he enters his third season.
Is a Williams explosion on tap for 2024, or are we looking at more of a DFS specialist who will have as many downs as ups?
Should You Select Jameson Williams at His Current ADP?
ADP: 115th Overall (WR47)
I view Williams as a player that can earn you the top seed, rather than being a league winner.
Williams could put you in a position to win your league, but with a game that could be impacted by weather against a developing defense in Week 16 (Chicago Bears) and an elite defense in Week 17 (49ers), Williams’ run of strong production could come up just short.
Right now, Williams is priced outside of the top 100, something that I don’t think has any chance of sticking come draft time. That puts him in the Rome Odunze and Courtland Sutton class of wide receivers, one that I think he’s well ahead of.
I rank Williams as my sixth-best receiver in the NFC North (ahead of the secondary Packer options and Jordan Addison), which puts him inside the top 40 at the position in ADP.
You’ll need to get the temperature of the room at your draft specifically, but I’ll be aggressively targeting Williams the moment my starting lineup is in place.
Williams’ Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
We spend all offseason sifting through profiles and situations to uncover the best value plays on the board. Who is going to be this season’s Kyren Williams, Jayden Reed, or Tank Dell? If we can identify major breakout seasons, we put ourselves in a position to win at the highest of levels, as we have more room for error in the early rounds.
For me, Williams is exactly the type of player who fits that mold. No, I don’t expect him to look like a finished product in his third NFL season, and no, weekly consistency isn’t projectable at this point. But all the arrows are pointing in the right direction, and this is a profile that I’d much rather be a day early on than a day late.
Let’s start with what we know. We know that Williams’ role was expanded during the playoff push and into the postseason. We know that he provided a highlight play on the biggest of stages (a 42-yard TD run against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game).
Jameson Williams with the slick grab 🙌
( 🎥 @Lions) pic.twitter.com/VFCWw3vBom
— ESPN Fantasy Sports (@ESPNFantasy) May 31, 2023
We also know that the Lions are an offense we can count on and will be returning much of the same talent that impressed last season. And we know that Detroit plays an indoor-heavy schedule this season and that speed-oriented players thrive in weather-proof situations.
That’s a lot of positive momentum for Williams, and that doesn’t include the lack of true target competition behind Amon-Ra St. Brown at the receiver position. Skeptics will point to an offense run by Jared Goff that already has an alpha receiver, a star tight end, and a versatile backfield as one that has volume limitations.
They’re not wrong. Projecting Williams for 7+ targets per game isn’t wise, but why can’t he flirt with 5-6?
Over the past two seasons, Gabe Davis averaged a tick under 5.5 targets per game, and Deebo Samuel checked in at just over 6.5. Both were in similar situations where a trio of teammates demanded priority in the passing game.
I’m not saying Williams is Davis or Samuel, but I think the usage could be something in that range. If that’s the case, we could be looking at a receiver who helps you earn the top seed in your league.