Off a second two touchdown game of the season in Week 3, Lions running Jamaal Williams is among the top fantasy football waiver wire adds for Week 4.
The viral celebration of a touchdown during Sunday’s game to the Minnesota Vikings took center stage, but that shouldn’t overshadow what Lions running back Jamaal Williams did in the game.
That score was his second of the game, as he had 87 yards on 20 carries along with two receptions for 20 yards. Entering Monday night, he is fantasy RB2 in standard and 0.5-PPR scoring (RB3 in full PPR) for Week 3.
Williams is already firmly on the fantasy football waiver wire radar for Week 4. But Monday morning brought this injury update on backfield mate D’Andre Swift from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
#Lions RB D’Andre Swift suffered a shoulder sprain in Sunday’s loss to the #Vikings, per source. It’s not expected to require surgery. But Swift could miss some time.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 26, 2022
Swift also told Kyle Meinke of MLive he re-injured his ankle, which landed him on the injury report each of the last two weeks, on Sunday.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Jamaal Williams is an absolute must-add
Williams is tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns with four now, as he also scored twice against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. He has at least 11 carries in all three games this season, with over 50 rushing yards in each of the last two as Swift operated at less than full strength.
Week 4 brings a good matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, who will enter the week in the bottom-five of the league in fantasy points allowed to running backs. So Williams, if Swift is able to play, is a solid flex option in 12-team leagues. If Swift is out, as seems expected, Williams would push into RB2 consideration against the Seahawks.
Without knowing how much time Swift will miss, assuming he does miss time, with a couple tough matchups after this week (Week 5 against the New England Patriots and Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys), it’s a little harder to tab Williams’ fantasy outlook on each side of the Lions Week 6 bye. But workload alone, with a tilt toward him as Detroit’s preferred goal line back even when Swift is healthy, puts him at least on the flex radar until further notice.
Williams, with a nod to Swift’s durability concerns that have resurfaced, is fairly widely owned in fantasy leagues. But he’s definitely available enough to check on his availability in your league, and he’s very high on any broader list of waiver wire adds for Week 4.
Jamaal Williams Yahoo! Ownership: 61%
Jamaal Williams ESPN Ownership: 44.3%