If you were thinking about sending Jameson Williams back to your fantasy bench, you may want to reconsider.
In Week 10, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell took control of the offensive play-calling from coordinator John Morton — and the immediate impact was obvious. Detroit erupted for one of its best offensive outings of the season, with Jared Goff throwing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. Williams was the biggest beneficiary, erupting for a team-leading 119 receiving yards.
It was the first time since Week 2 that Williams had surpassed the 100-yard mark, coming just a week after Morton publicly admitted he hadn’t figured out how to properly highlight the young receiver’s skill set.
Campbell’s hands-on approach seems to have revived Williams’ season, restoring his fantasy relevance and making him a compelling lineup option heading into Week 11.
Williams Escapes the “Regression Candidate” Tag
NBC Sports analyst Denny Carter regularly lists players who are due for statistical regression, and earlier this year Williams landed on that list. This week, however, Carter sees him in an entirely different light.
Carter wrote that if Campbell continues calling plays — and he believes that’s likely — Williams’ Week 10 usage suggests the receiver could graduate from a volatile WR3/WR4 to someone with legitimate low-end WR2 upside in 12-team formats. More aggressive passing concepts and an increased number of intermediate targets could be the key to unlocking that.
Williams is already rostered in the vast majority of fantasy leagues (87% on Yahoo, 86% on ESPN), so the question for most managers isn’t whether to add him — it’s whether to start him. His next test, however, comes against a formidable Philadelphia Eagles defense.
Philadelphia is giving up 209.3 net passing yards per game, ranking 14th in the league, and just held the Packers to 176 yards while sacking Jordan Love three times.
Detroit’s offensive line has also dealt with its own issues, especially with Graham Glasgow’s recent struggles at center and the loss of left guard Christian Mahogany. Still, Kayode Awosika performed admirably in Week 10 against Washington, offering hope that the Lions can protect Goff well enough to keep Williams actively involved.
If Detroit wants to replicate its explosive Week 10 outing, Williams must be a central part of the attack — both as a deep threat and on crossing routes. That’s why betting on another productive fantasy day from him, even against a tough Eagles defense, seems entirely reasonable.
