Jamaal Williams - Fantasy Points Outlook

Basic Stats

RB DET

#36 Running Back

127 Projected Points

ADP: Not Available

Bye: 9

Experience: 4 Yr(s)

Age: 26

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 215

40 Time: 4.59

Weekly Outlook

Low Floor

4.8

DS Projection

7.6

Consensus

38 other sites
9

Med Ceiling

10.8

Rest of
Season

7.6

Week 6 Projections

Rush Yds	Rush TDs	Rec	Rec Yds	Rec TDs	Fantasy Pts
47	0.3	1.5	11.4	0	7.6

Weekly Writeup

After a big Week 1, Williams has finished 39th, 24th, 46th and 38th among RBs in half-PPR points. He's settled in as a high-floor, low-ceiling RB3.

Rest Of Way Outlook

Rush Yds	Rush TDs	Rec	Rec Yds	Rec TDs	Fantasy Pts
43	0.2	2.1	15	0.1	7.6

Week 3
Williiams continued to see significant work despite playing behind D’Andre Swift. Willams was on the field for a season-high 49% of the snaps with some snaps having both of the RBs on the field at the same time. Since the game was close throughout, his 12 carries represented a season high, and even though the Lions had to throw a bit more late in the contest, it was Swift seeing 7 targets to just 2 for Williams.

He should continue to be a lock for at least 40% of the snaps played each week, and it’s reasonable to think he can also remain involved enough in the offense to match the minimum of 10 touches he’s had in each game so far. However, after seeing 9 targets in a Week 1 game that the Lions ran 92 plays, he’s seen just 5 targets over the last 2 games, turning those into 5 catches for 38 yards. Playing him as a flex is ideal, though he should have a solid number of RB2 weeks as well.

Week 2
Williams carried the ball 7 times for just 25 yards against his former team. He also caught all 3 of his targets.

This was the second week in a row where Williams and teammate D’Andre Swift saw similar opportunities despite a sizable snap and route advantage for Swift.

Going forward, if Williams is going to see double-digit opportunities, he will be a usable option in most weeks. He won’t win you a week by any means but should be fine enough if you are in a pinch. Now if the volume shifts to resemble the difference in snap rates between he and Swift, Williams could become someone who is tough to trust.

At this point he is a hold but be ready to cut bait if things change from an opportunity perspective.

Week 1
True to their word, the Lions coaching staff gave Williams almost as much work as D’Andre Swift, as Williams’ 17 touches was just 2 shy of his teammate. He was efficient as both a runner and receiver, but the 9 targets he saw was largely due to a game script that had the Lions down as much as 28 points. He was able to convert a rushing TD with less than 2 minutes left in the game to give him an excellent fantasy performance.

Going forward, this Week 1 usage may be a bit misleading. Williams saw just a 42% snap share while Swift played 68% of the time, so this could be more of a 1-2 punch than a 1A-1B situation. Of course, we have just 1 week of data. But based on that, WIlliams may be more of a solid flex than strong RB2. If the Lions make a weekly habit of falling behind on the scoreboard, the potential targets and receptions would raise his floor and ceiling.

Preseason Player Analysis

What You Need to Know:

You’ve probably read or heard some version of new OC Anthony Lynn classifying his RBs. Here’s his full quote (from The Athletic):
- “Jamaal is what I’d call a classic ‘A’ back. I like to break the backs down into A and B. My ‘A’ backs are normally my bigger backs. They can run between the tackles, block probably a little better than a ‘B’ back. They can also run the perimeter. I can leave those guys in there for all three downs. My ‘B’ back comes in, he’s a guy that sometimes I want to use in space more. He’s my speed-in-space guy. I feel like Jamaal would be an outstanding ‘A’ back. I like his energy, I like his pad level and the way he runs the football between the tackles.”
In the same article, Lynn credited Williams as presenting surprisingly good route-running and pass-catching ability.
Williams ranked 20th in Pro Football Focus’ rushing grades last season among 63 RBs with 75+ carries -- well ahead of D’Andre Swift at 46th. Williams’ 2020 rushing grade came in well ahead of his marks from the previous 3 seasons, but he has improved that number each year.
Swift (19th) beat Williams (32nd) in receiving grade, among 61 RBs with 20+ targets.
Williams rated near the top of the position as a pass-blocker over his 1st 3 seasons, before earning a poor grade in that area in 2020.
Football Outsiders rated him 15th in receiving DYAR and 16th in DVOA among 50 qualifying RBs. (Swift checked in 9th and 13th, respectively.)
Swift also topped Williams in FO’s rushing metrics: 16th vs. 26th in DYAR and 14th vs. 22nd in DVOA. Both backs rated above replacement/average level in each phase.
The Lions return just 2 players who reached 40 targets for the team in 2020.

Draft Sharks Bottom Line:

Even if you believe D’Andre Swift to be the superior talent -- and we do -- there’s room for both him and Williams to factor heavily into the 2021 Lions offense. New OC Anthony Lynn has indicated he will have Williams on the field plenty and praised his ability in basically every area of RB play.

Williams’ range of outcomes for this season includes leading Detroit in carries. The sheer possibility of that makes him a solid value at RB40. Beware of further ADP climbing, though, as Williams has already moved up amid the Lynn buzz.

Recent Shark Bites View All Shark Bites »

ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms that Lions RB Jamaal Williams (hip) is expected to play vs. the Vikings today. He was limited in practice all week, but we never sensed any concern about Williams' status. He should be ready for his usual role today.

View all Jamaal Williams Shark Bites »

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero is told that Lions RB Jamaal Williams will start and "carry the load" vs. the 49ers today. RB D'Andre Swift is expected to be used mostly on 3rd downs, per Pelissero. That's contrary to RB Duce Staley saying earlier this week that Swift won't be on a snap count. But it's worth remembering that Swift didn't practice much in August due to groin trouble. Consider this a shaky backfield to invest in this week.

View all Jamaal Williams Shark Bites »

Lions OC Anthony Lynn suggested in an interview with The Athletic that RB Jamaal Williams will play a bigger role than fantasy drafters are expecting. “Jamaal is what I’d call a classic ‘A’ back,” Lynn said. “I like to break the backs down into A and B. My ‘A’ backs are normally my bigger backs. They can run between the tackles, block probably a little better than a ‘B’ back, they can also run the perimeter. I can leave those guys in there for all three downs. My ‘B’ back comes in, he’s a guy that sometimes I want to use in space more. He’s my speed-in-space guy." D'Andre Swift -- who's going 11 rounds ahead of Williams in ADP -- would be the 'B' back in this scenario. No one should be expecting the 212-pound Swift to be a true workhorse. But he averaged 16 touches over his final 6 games last season and seemed in line to at least see that much work in 2021. It's worth noting that Detroit's new coaching staff inherited Swift but went out and acquired Williams in free agency. This backfield split will be worth monitoring closely this summer. Swift carries some risk at his mid-2nd-round ADP, while Williams looks like a nice value in the 13th.

View all Jamaal Williams Shark Bites »

RB Jamaal Williams has agreed to a 2-year deal with the Lions worth "up to" $7.5 million, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Williams saw regular usage in both the run and passing game with the Packers, averaging 125 carries and 30.5 receptions across 4 seasons. His contract terms don't suggest he'll threaten D'Andre Swift's expected lead role in the backfield. We'll see about Williams vs. Kerryon Johnson, though, under new HC Dan Campbell and his staff. Williams turns 26 in April.

View all Jamaal Williams Shark Bites »

Packers RB Jamaal Williams (quad) isn’t listed on the final injury report and will return for Sunday’s game vs. the Bears. We’re curious to see how reps are split between Williams and A.J. Dillon behind Aaron Jones after the rookie’s Week 16 breakout. Neither Williams nor Dillon can be trusted in Week 17 fantasy lineups.

View all Jamaal Williams Shark Bites »

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