In fantasy football drafts this year, even with all the offseason buzz around him, Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams remained a value play based on the upside he offered (ADP of WR48 in 0.5-point PPR). Questions about his consistent place in the pecking order for targets and touches in the Detroit offense were easy, and spot-on until we saw it in games.
In Week 1, Williams had five catches for a career-high 121 yards against the Los Angeles Rams, highlighted by a 52-yard touchdown. He followed that with five catches for 79 yards in Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with a 50-yard reception.
According to Fantasy Points Data, Williams has a 35 percent first-read target share so far this season.
Entering Week 3, Williams is fifth in the league with 20 targets. In fantasy terms, with 28 rushing yards on two carries, he is WR6 in 0.5-point PPR thus far. That kind of target volume doesn't feel sustainable, but Williams seems sure to be a consistent factor and follow through on all the breakout buzz.
Jameson Williams is already being tabbed as a weekly fantasy starter
With injuries hitting like they have already, it's fair to assume a chunk of Williams' fantasy managers don't have two, or three accounting for a flex spot, wide receivers they'd start over him right now. Whether he was in said lineups in one or both weeks thus far feels like a separate conversation.
In his Week 3 "Start 'Em, Sit 'Em" wide receivers, Michael F. Florio of NFL.com has Williams as a start against the Arizona Cardinals.
"Williams followed up his explosive (five catches for 121 yards, TD; one carry for 13 yards) with a strong 5-79; 1-15). Sure, it was a bit of a step down from his performance in the opener, but Williams is proving he has a safe floor and high ceiling through two games. He was targeted at least nine times in each game and was the first read on a team-high 35 percent of Jared Goff’s throws, per Fantasy Points Data. He seemingly has surpassed Sam LaPorta to become the No. 2 option behindAmon-Ra St. Brown. He even leads the Lions with three end-zone targets (there’s only been four total). Williams brings huge upside and is quickly becoming a weekly must-start option."
Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus hit a similar note about Williams this week.
"According to PFF's strength of schedule chart, the Lions have the week's best matchup for wide receivers against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have the second-lowest team coverage grade this season. Williams might already be at the point where we can start him in most weeks, but it’s particularly safe to start him against this Cardinals defense."
The Cardinals have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to wide receivers (0.5-point PPR) entering Week 3, further fortifying Williams as a virtual must-start this week.
It feels aggressive for Williams to be mentioned as a weekly fantasy starter two games into the season. But here he is, and even if/when he has some target share/first read target share regression it'll be hard for his fantasy managers to bench him anytime soon; if at all from here on out the rest of the season.