Exactly how many games he’ll play as a rookie can’t be known yet, but Fantasy Pros has still tabbed Jameson Williams as the Lions’ top 2022 breakout candidate.
One thing is absolutely clear, and as it should be. The Detroit Lions are not going to rush rookie wide receiver Jameson Williams as he works his way back from a torn ACL. If that means he’s ready for Week 1, great. If the best path is to put him on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to start the season, costing him 4-6 games minimum, so be it.
Something between those two things seems most likely for Williams, with a debut somewhere around Week 4 or Week 5 after he’s been able to practice without restriction. From there, the focus will move to what he’ll be able to contribute to the Lions’ offense.
Fantasy Pros has named a top 2022 fantasy breakout candidate for each team, with input from four experts. Somewhere in that conversation for the Lions would be running back D’Andre Swift, but all four “Pros” went with Williams.
Fantasy Football: Jameson Williams to follow Amon-Ra St. Brown path?
Here’s the blurb Derek Brown of Fantasy Pros wrote about Williams.
It’s not a question of if but when Jameson Williams will make his presence known. Williams Sonic the Hedgehog-like speed and agility give him a sky-high ceiling weekly. This big-play penchant will help as the volume could be a concern in the early going as the Lions are stocked with playmakers. Detroit could be the home for the 2022 stretch run hero in fantasy.
– Derek Brown
If the idea of a young Lions’ receiver as a “stretch run hero in fantasy” sounds familiar, it should. After a slow start last year, Amon-Ra St. Brown was a league-winning player over the final stretch of his rookie season. Any way you slice Week 13-17 or 18, he was a top-five fantasy wide receiver.
Depending on what indications of his recovery progress say during training camp, Williams may go undrafted in a lot of redraft leagues. But he will then be on the radar as a potential waiver wire add, if only right away on watchlists or as a stash with an eye on when he’ll be able to play.
Williams’ full-fledged breakout will have to wait until at least his second season. But over the games he plays as a rookie, particularly later and further removed from his knee injury, he’s in line to offer a nice teaser sample.