"Big role" for Javonte Williams Week 1?

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 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 racked up 25 touches in Monday night's win at Buffalo. That included his second straight game of 21+ carries and third straight game with at least 3 receptions. Williams has seen his three largest touch counts of the season -- 18, 30, 25 -- over the past three games. The receiving work has stayed in line with earlier performances, while the carries have climbed significantly. Winning three straight games has certainly helped. Denver spent a surprising amount of time leading both the Chiefs and Bills the past two games. The defense seems to have improved quite a bit, delivering its four best weekly DVOA ratings over the past four games. That included the best performance of any defense -- by a wide margin -- in Week 8 against K.C. If that continues, it'll help Williams' chances of continued higher rushing volume. The Broncos get negative RB-scoring matchups with the Vikings and Browns the next two weeks, but expect competitive games to help Williams' touch counts. He'll likely land comfortably inside RB2 range in our rankings for those two contests, with greater matchup upside over the final five fantasy weeks.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams stayed busy with 27 carries in Week 8. He wasn’t efficient, mustering only 3.1 YPC against a Kansas City unit down LB Nick Bolton. Still, adding 3 targets, Williams easily set a season-high in touches. He even added a receiving score on a designed screen. With his health and role trending up, Williams profiles as a clear RB2 going forward. He’ll face Buffalo after a Week 9 bye.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams posted a mini breakout in Week 7. On a season-high 15 carries, he gained 82 yards (5.5 per attempt) while adding 3 receptions. Williams easily led the way in snaps (31) and narrowly edged Samaje Perine in routes (13 to 10) and targets (4 to 3). Jaleel McLaughlin remained a factor with 2 targets and 5 catches. Ultimately, Williams’ health looks to be on the rise, so there’s reason for optimism going forward. He’ll look for his first TD of 2023 this week vs. Kansas City.