If you drafted Jameson Williams and started him against the Saints in Week 1, you're probably not too happy about his mere 4 catches for 45 yards. That landed Williams outside the top 40 across fantasy formats for the week. But his 9 targets ranked second on the team, one ahead of TE Sam LaPorta. Williams landed eighth among WRs in expected PPR points for the week.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: If Usage Continues, Production Will Follow
It's one game, but Williams leading LaPorta is worth noting. He topped the tight end just twice in targets among their eight full shared outings last year and tied him once. LaPorta led Williams 17.8% to 15.6% in target share before going down for the season.
Williams' Week 1 target share (23.1%) ranked 20th among WRs for the week. Anything in that area would mark improvement for Williams, who ranked just 49th among WRs in target share last year and 50th the season before.
His 90.2% route share for Week 1 also lined up with last year's 88%.
Williams' big-play speed will always make him capable of outscoring his usage, which he did each of the past two years. But any enhancement to his target share -- or even just target count if Detroit throws more often -- would only make him easier to keep in fantasy lineups.
Williams and the Lions travel next to Buffalo for a Thursday night game against a defense that yielded 31 points and 381 total yards to the Texans in Week 1. That should be another good spot for Detroit, with potential shootout conditions boosting the passing-game upside.
