Javonte Williams Injury Updates | Shark Bites

Broncos RB Javonte Williams didn't just let you down with his production in Saturday night's loss to the Lions. He saw his playing time and route participation tumble. It started with Denver putting Jaleel McLaughlin on the field to open the game. Williams took over for the second possession and still led the backfield in playing time and touches. But his 48% playing time for the game marked his lowest since a Week 6 return from a quad injury. That followed three straight games of 60%+. His biggest dip came in the passing game. Williams ran a route on just 25.7% of QB Russell Wilson's dropbacks. That marked a significant fall vs. three straight outings of 40.5% or more. Williams ran just nine routes vs. eight for Samaje Perine and five for Jaleel McLaughlin. Combine that with now seven straight games of averaging less than 3.9 yards per carry, and it's tough to see Williams as more than an "if you need him" starter for a Week 16 matchup with the Patriots. We'll see about his role and performance in that game before declaring his usability for a better matchup with the Chargers in Week 17. Perine drew just 1 target for the game but caught it for 11 yards and averaged 6.2 yards across his 6 carries. That followed a 5-catch Week 14 and couldn't have hurt his chances at getting playing time the rest of the way. McLaughlin garnered just 4 touches for the game. He has topped 6 touches just once in his past eight games.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Browns with a neck injury. We'll update his status when we know more. Williams' absence leaves Denver's backfield to Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin.

Update: Williams returned on Denver's second possession.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams (quad) is not listed on the final injury report for Thursday night's game vs. the Chiefs. He put in full practices on Tuesday and Wednesday, so it doesn't look like that injury will be an issue tomorrow. Williams was sitting 31st among RBs in PPR points through three weeks. He's just a RB3 or flex in Week 6 fantasy lineups with the Broncos 10.5-point underdogs.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams (quad) was listed as a full participant in Tuesday's practice. He was also full last Friday before missing the Jets game, so this doesn't necessarily mean that he'll play vs. the Chiefs on Thursday night. We'll see how Williams is listed on the final injury report tomorrow.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams (quad) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. He seemingly has a chance to play vs. the Jets this weekend. We'll see what Williams does on Friday and how he's listed on the final injury report.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams did not practice on Wednesday. He's listed on the injury report with a quad, rather than the previously reported hip. Regardless, Williams is in real danger of missing this weekend's game vs. the Jets. His absence would leave Denver's backfield to Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams suffered a hip injury in the first half of Sunday's game vs. the Bears and is questionable to return. We'll pass along an update when we get one. Williams' absence leaves Denver's backfield to Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin.

Update: Williams has been ruled out.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams led the backfield in snaps, carries, and targets in Week 1, his first regular-season game since October's multi-ligament knee injury. Williams played 48% of the offensive snaps, carried 13 times for 52 yards, and caught four of six targets for five yards. That's 19 total opportunities to RB Samaje Perine's 12 and RB Jaleel McLaughlin's one. It was encouraging usage for Williams coming off that devastating injury. His volume should only grow going forward.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams is not listed on the Week 1 injury report. He'll play on Sunday vs. the Raiders -- his first regular-season game since last October's multi-ligament knee injury. HC Sean Payton said Wednesday that Williams will have a "big role" this weekend. "I haven’t put together a [snap] number for him," Payton added. "He’s moving well. He’s strong and healthy." We're still expecting Williams to at least open the season in a fairly even committee with RB Samaje Perine. But Williams should see enough work to at least be a RB3 or flex play in Week 1.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams played in Saturday night's preseason game -- his first live action since last October's multi-ligament knee injury. He carried three times for 12 yards and caught four of five targets for 18 yards. Williams didn't do anything spectacular but certainly didn't look limited coming off the injury. "I just wanted to get tackled again and see how it goes," Williams said afterward. "That’s the biggest hurdle I feel I have left.” He added that he feels "100 percent" and is "good to go" for Week 1. Williams still figures to be limited at least early on this season. But he continues to trend in a positive direction.

Per NFL Network's James Palmer, Broncos RB Javonte Williams "hasn't been limited in any capacity so far in camp" as he returns from a torn ACL and LCL suffered in Week 4 of last season. Palmer also adds that despite being given an off day tomorrow, Williams plans to dress in full pads and engage in conditioning on the side. It's only the beginning of August, but to see a player returning from a multi-ligament injury being given the green light is just about the best news possible. Williams, who we have lower down in our current RB rankings, is starting to put together a case for being a riser up draft boards. We'll be cautiously optimistic for now. There's still a lot of time between now and Week 1 of the regular season. Hopefully, Williams doesn't press himself too hard and risk a setback. Check back for further updates on the third-year RB.

Per James Palmer of NFL Network, Broncos RB Javonte Williams has been cleared for contact to open training camp. Williams, who tore his ACL and LCL against the Raiders in Week 4 last year, also avoided landing on the PUP list to begin camp just seven months after surgery. These pieces of news certainly bode well for his chances to make a fantasy impact as the lead back in a Sean Payton-led offense. Any RB returning from a multi-ligament injury requires keeping a close eye on, so we'll be sure to watch his progress as we get closer to the beginning of the season. We have Williams placed conservatively in our current RB rankings, but he could be a riser if we get further positive reports further into August.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams (knee) practiced in a limited capacity during Thursday's OTA session, HC Sean Payton said. These are half-speed, pad-less practices -- and it's unclear exactly what "limited" entails. But the fact that Williams was on the field at all after October's multi-ligament knee injury is encouraging. Payton said earlier this month that he expects Williams to be ready for training camp. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his rehab.

Broncos HC Sean Payton said Saturday that he expects RB Javonte Williams (knee) to be ready for the start of training camp. "His rehab is going well," Payton said. "A good chance he’s ready. Hopefully might not start on PUP." Williams is working back from October's multi-ligament knee injury. GM George Paton was optimistic about Williams' availability for Week 1 back in February but was non-commital when discussing the situation again in April. It's unclear if Williams has made significant progress over the last month or if Payton is wearing rose-colored glasses. Williams carries substantial risk until we see him back on the field, but he's reasonably priced at an 8th-round price tag in Underdog drafts.

Broncos GM George Paton said Thursday that RB Javonte Williams (knee) will be back at some point during the 2023 season but doesn't know exactly when. That's a much different tune than Paton was singing back in February, when he said Williams was “on track” to be ready for Week 1. Williams tore his right ACL, LCL, and posterolateral corner in October -- a much more complicated injury than a standard ACL. We'll continue to track his rehab. But, at this point, fantasy drafters should not be expecting Williams to be ready for the start of the season. We currently project him to play 14 games.

The Broncos have agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million deal with RB Samaje Perine. This contract also includes an additional $1 million in potential incentives. Perine makes a lot of sense for the Broncos given the uncertain recovery timeline for RB Javonte Williams, who tore his ACL in Week 4 of 2022 vs. the Raiders. Even if Williams is able to recover in time to play a majority of the 2023 season, Perine stands to shoulder a decent amount of the rushing workload in a Sean Payton-led offense that historically uses a committee approach at RB. The Broncos have invested heavily in their offensive line this offseason as well, inking large contracts with T Mike McGlinchey and G Ben Powers so far. How much this move impacts fantasy will depend on the health of Williams, but this move is far from insignificant, especially if the Broncos don't spend any more on the RB position this offseason.