Lions' Jameson Williams: Making progress entering Year 2
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Coach Dan Campbell said Thursday that Williams (suspension) is "miles ahead of where he was last year" and praised his activity in OTAs, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
Williams wasn't able to participate in last year's offseason activities due to a torn ACL, but per Twentyman he's now made significant improvements, with Campbell singling out his route running in particular. The speedster's ACL recovery hindered his production as a rookie, limiting him to just one catch (a 41-yard touchdown) in six appearances, in addition to one carry that went for another 40 yards. Now back to full health, Williams' big-play skillset could set him up as an extremely productive contributor in Detroit's offense alongside Amon-Ra St. Brown, but he'll first need to fully serve his six-game suspension for violation of the NFL's gambling policy.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Given six-game suspension
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The NFL announced Friday that Williams will be suspended six games for violation of the league's gambling policy, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Williams and Stanley Berryhill are being handed six-game suspensions for violating the NFL's gambling policy, while C.J. Moore, Quintez Cephus and Shaka Toney are receiving indefinite suspensions, minimum one year. Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com reports that the incident involving Williams and Berryhill occurred within team facilities, and involved online betting on non-NFL games. The surprising development throws a wrench in projecting Williams' prospects for the 2023 campaign, as he had been a popular breakout candidate after coming off a rookie season largely lost to injury. Though now fully recovered from his ACL tear, Williams will now have to wait at least six games before being able to get on the field and produce in the 2023 regular season.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Big play wiped out by penalty
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Williams played 14 of the Lions' 60 snaps on offense and failed to reel in his lone target in Sunday's 20-16 win over the Packers.
Though he went without any official receptions in the Lions' regular-season finale, Williams provided a glimpse of his vast potential on what would have been a 66-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter that was ultimately wiped out by a holding penalty. On the play in question, Williams found an opening in the defense behind Packers safety Darnell Savage, then jetted past Green Bay safety Adrian Amos on his way to what would have been his second career touchdown and third 40-plus-yard play. After the rookie first-round pick was cleared to make his season debut Week 13 upon completing his recovery from an ACL tear suffered this past January, Williams played less than a quarter of the snaps on offense in each of his six appearances while hauling in just one of his nine targets. Despite Williams' light use coming off the knee injury, general manager Brad Holmes said Tuesday that he maintains high expectations for the No. 12 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft heading into Year 2, per John Maakaron of SI.com. However, with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond all under contract for 2023 and with DJ Chark expected to work toward a new deal with Detroit, Williams will likely have to work his way up the depth chart in OTAs and training camp in order to claim a top-three role at receiver entering his second season.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Workload not increasing
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Williams was targeted once but did not catch a pass during Saturday's loss to Carolina.
Williams again logged less than 20 percent of the snaps with Detroit seemingly keen on not putting too much on his plate early on in his career. With this unlikely to change over the final two games of the season, the Alabama product will remain off the fantasy radar in Week 17 against Chicago.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: TD on first career catch
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Williams caught one of two targets for 41 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 34-23 win over Minnesota.
Williams looked like he could be in line for a big day after getting wide open for a long touchdown early on, but he ended up logging just 19 percent of the offensive snaps after seeing 11 percent in his professional debut last week. Meanwhile, Josh Reynolds (60 percent) remained the clear No. 3 option behind Amon-Ra St. Brown (87) and DJ Chark (85). While Williams could continue pushing Reynolds for a larger role down the stretch, Williams currently seems unlikely to be seeing enough playing time to be a reliable fantasy option.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Tiny role in pro debut
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Williams was targeted once but did not catch a pass during Sunday's 40-14 win over the Jaguars.
After talk of Williams potentially seeing time on special teams in his professional debut, the rookie was contained to just eight snaps on offense. Meanwhile, Amon-Ra St. Brown and DJ Chark each had their way with the Jaguars secondary in the blowout victory, giving the Lions no reason to rush Williams into heavy snaps. With that said, there is no denying the dynamic element that Williams could bring to the table as a third receiver in Detroit's offense, so look for Williams' role to only grow as the season goes on. Next up is a Week 14 matchup with a beatable Vikings secondary.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Expected to have special-teams role
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Williams (knee) will be eased into the Lions' offensive game plan in Sunday's game against the Jaguars and may also see some work as a gunner on special teams, Jay Glazer reported on "Fox NFL Sunday."
The Lions' decision to expose a key asset like Williams to special-teams coverage under any circumstance is puzzling, especially as he makes his season debut following an 11-month recovery from a torn ACL. Don't expect Williams to remain a contributor on coverage units for long, as the Lions eventually plan to have him as a full-time player on offense.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Uncertain for Sunday
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Coach Dan Campbell said Friday morning that the Lions hadn't made a decision on Williams (knee) for Sunday's game against the Jaguars, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.
Campbell said Monday it would be a "tall order" for Williams to play, but the Lions apparently are considering it...or at least giving their opponent that impression. The rookie returned to practice last Monday and is now almost 11 months removed from his ACL tear, so it won't be too surprising if he's activated from injured reserve Friday or Saturday to play in Sunday's game. If not, Williams' next chances to play will be Week 14 against Minnesota and Week 15 at the Jets. He'll likely be a part-time player for at least his first game, competing for perimeter snaps with DJ Chark, Kalif Raymond and Josh Reynolds.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Week 13 Waiver Priority List
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Williams now doesn't seem likely to make his NFL debut in Week 13 against Jacksonville, but hopefully he will play in Week 14 against Minnesota. When healthy, he could emerge as a weekly No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues. In the interim until Williams plays, you might consider adding D.J. Chark (15 percent rostered) for Week 13 against the Jaguars. It's a revenge game for Chark, and he just scored a touchdown in Week 12 against Buffalo with two catches for 16 yards on five targets. Williams is worth adding in all leagues for up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB, and Chark is worth adding for 1 percent.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Stashes (WR Preview)
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Williams is a priority stash for teams that have already locked up a playoff spot. He has as much upside as any rookie wide receiver in the Fantasy playoffs.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Week 12 Waiver Priority List
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The Lions opened the window for Williams to make his NFL debut, which could happen in the next three weeks. When active, it might take him some time to get adjusted to the NFL, but his potential makes him worth stashing if you have an open roster spot. He could be a solid complement to Amon-Ra St. Brown and eventually emerge as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver to close the season. He's worth adding for at least 5 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Likely for post-Thanksgiving debut
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Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday that he expects Williams (knee) to be designated for return from injured reserve at some point after Thanksgiving Day, making the team's Week 13 game versus the Jaguars his earliest possible debut date, Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com reports.
Campbell said it's possible that Williams practices before Thanksgiving Day, but added that he doesn't expect the rookie first-round pick to do so, much less take the field Nov. 24 versus Buffalo even if he is designated for return from IR prior to that game. Woodard relays that Campbell offered either Week 13 versus Jacksonville or Week 14 against the Giants as more realistic return targets for Williams, who Detroit has avoided rushing back from the ACL tear he suffered while playing for Alabama last January. The Lions have designated DJ Chark (ankle) to resume practicing Wednesday, so the receiving corps stands to receive a boost even before the rookie first-round pick is ready to contribute.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Season debut not imminent
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Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday that Williams (knee) is at least a month away from playing, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.
Williams remains on the the reserve/NFI list, where he began the season while he continues to recover from the ACL tear he suffered in January while playing for Alabama during the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. The rookie first-round pick still hasn't resumed practicing, and Campbell's latest update suggests that the earliest Williams will make his NFL debut is likely late November or early December. The Lions could also have DJ Chark (ankle) back from injured reserve by the time Williams is ready to contribute.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Won't return until after bye
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Williams (knee) is making progress in his recovery from a torn ACL, but head coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday that the Lions won't designate the rookie to return from the reserve/NFI list until after their Week 6 bye, Jeff Risdon of USA Today reports.
While Williams technically could come off the NFI list and play as soon as Week 5, the Lions never had much expectation for the first-round pick to contribute before the bye. Early feedback from the returns of Chris Godwin and Michael Gallup provides hope Williams can earn a role by midseason, as the two veteran wideouts -- both of whom played Week 4 -- suffered ACL tears not long before Williams fell to the same injury in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in January. Once he's ready, Williams will challenge for the perimeter snaps that have mostly gone to DJ Chark and Josh Reynolds so far.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Won't be ready Week 1
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Williams (knee) won't be ready for Week 1, though the Lions are pleased with his rehab progress, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Tampa's Chris Godwin tentatively appears on track for Week 1 after tearing his ACL in December, but guys who suffered the same injury any later than that -- notably Williams and Dallas WR Michael Gallup -- are expected to miss at least a game or two at the beginning of the season. In Williams' case, a cautious approach is especially likely given that he's rookie on a team that's considered a longshot for the playoffs. He'd be ruled out for the first four weeks of the season if the Lions were to leave him on the non-football injury list at the end of the preseason. Williams was the 12th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, making him the fourth receiver off the board less than four months after he suffered an ACL tear in the FBS National Championship Game.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Placed on non-football injury list
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The Lions placed Williams (knee) on the active/non-football injury list Sunday.
As expected, Williams won't be ready for the start of training camp and instead will continue his rehab from the ACL surgery he had in January. After investing the 12th overall pick on the wideout, the Lions likely will continue to exercise the utmost caution, but when the rookie eventually is cleared, he'll form a potentially dynamic WR trio with Amon-Ra St. Brown and DJ Chark.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Early season return possible
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Williams (knee) could have "a realistic timeframe" to make his NFL debut "late September early October," Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
Williams will be roughly eight months removed from having torn his left ACL when the 2022 regular season kicks off, and such injuries generally carry a recovery timeframe of at least nine months. However, the orthopedic surgeon who oversaw Williams' procedure recently indicated that the Alabama star's injury may have been less severe than most ACL tears, which led to Williams receiving a 5-to-7 month timeline. Williams has said he's targeting a return to on-field activity by training camp in August, which could be possible as long as he avoids any setbacks. Expectations for Williams to be available Week 1 could still be optimistic, but Twentyman said he believes the rookie first-round pick could be "on the field and making an impact" by Week 4.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Surgeon provides hope
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The orthopedic surgeon who oversaw Williams' reconstructive ACL surgery indicated that the receiver's knee injury didn't involve damage to other ligaments, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports. "Jameson's goal is to play first preseason game, obviously. I told him, I said, 'Look, depending on which team you go to, most teams are probably - they're going to be very conservative. You've got to understand that,'" Dr. Lyle Cain of Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center said.
Initially, the prospect of Williams being ready for training camp this summer seemed highly optimistic, given that he underwent knee surgery six-and-a-half months earlier. However, based on the comments from Williams' surgeon, his knee injury doesn't appear to be as severe as most ACL tears, which led doctors to prescribe a 5-to-7 month timeline for recovery that would align with the start of training camp. The fact that Williams has already resumed running and regained the range of motion in his knee provides evidence that his recovery is going smoothly. With that said, even if Williams remains setback-free, the Lions' coaching staff might still take a conservative approach with his return to the field come training camp. Fantasy managers should prepare accordingly, as it remains a possibility that Williams starts the 2022 campaign on the sidelines.
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Lions' Jameson Williams: Targeting training camp return
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Williams (knee) is hoping to participate in training camp, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.
Williams tore his ACL on Jan. 10 and will be over seven months removed from surgery by the time training camp commences this summer. Despite modern advancements in medical treatments, expecting him to be ready for the start of training camp seems optimistic, and it's not certain that he will even be able to work himself into individual drills before the preseason begins. In the end, fantasy managers will likely need to be patient with Williams as a rookie, with Meinke noting that the receiver most likely won't be ready for game action until October.
