Signing with the divisional rival Detroit Lions, RB Jamaal Williams has an excellent opportunity to be an RB2 for fantasy football managers.
I believe Jamaal Williams will be very relevant in fantasy football in Detroit, but it didn’t start that way. I probably wasn’t the only person who was surprised when Williams signed with the Detroit Lions this past free agency period. The Lions drafted an excellent young running back in D’Andre Swift in 2020, and aren’t exactly known for being a winning franchise. For fantasy fotoball purposes, it’s muddied up the backfield a bit. But there are reasons to have hope if you’re a Williams owner.
Opportunity
With the Lions moving on from both Adrian Peterson and Kerryon Johnson this offseason, there are plenty of touches to be had. The two were responsible for over 200 touches; and while D’Andre Swift plans to be the lead back, Williams can easily surpass 100 rushing attempts.
There’s room in the passing game as well (especially with OC Anthony Lynn – but more on him later). The Lions lost Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones in free agency, and it’s doubtful a large majority of the receiving role will fall on T.J. Hockenson and their bevy of WRs with unknown potential.
Lest we forget, D’Andre Swift has already had an injury scare in his early career. In 2020, Swift suffered a concussion against the Washington Football Team that caused him to miss three games. Concussions are a scary topic due to the CTE concerns that have been raised over playing football.
What’s most worrisome is that Swift still wasn’t sure he had a concussion three weeks later; and that Adrian Peterson was having concerns about him during that same time period.
Lions fans already know what it feels like to lose a very talented RB due to head injuries in Jahvid Best. I’m not hoping that this happens, but concussions lead to ‘injury prone‘ players more than actual injures. This could lead the Lions’ brass to try and preserve their young RB, and rightfully so.
Offensive Coordinator Anthony Lynn
Anthony Lynn may not be considered an excellent head coach, but he’s a true running back whisperer. Everywhere Lynn goes, his RBs have success. He finds creative ways to involve his players, giving them maximum opportunity to excel, and putting them into positions to score.
When Lynn has had two excellent running backs on his team, he’s used them. Through 2018-19, he made both Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler fantasy football relevant. In 2018, Melvin Gordon was the RB8 (5th in FPPG) and Ekeler was the RB25 (T-24th in FPPG). 2019 saw similar success. This time it was Ekeler at RB4 (6th in FPPG) and Gordon as the RB23 (but 14th in FPPG).
Lynn has a tendency to use multiple RBs throughout his coaching career; as this following graph shows (shout out to Eli Grabanski; the creator of the graphs used in this piece, puting in a lot of effort to put together this data).
Lynn also got both running backs involved in the passing game. Gordon would average 5.5 and 4.6 targets per game in ’18 and ’19, with Ekeler averaging 3.8 and 6.75 in those same respective years.
Jamaal Williams hasn’t been asked to be much of a receiver with his time in Green Bay (his 45 targets in 2019 were a career-high), but he’s shown to be more than competent when called upon.
It isn’t hard to envision Jamaal Williams putting up a Melvin Gordon-2019 season, in 2021. At least with Anthony Lynn at OC, we know what his potential ceiling could be.
Quarterback Jared Goff
The last piece to the puzzle is the new quarterback for the Detroit Lions, Jared Goff. Goff isn’t a mobile quarterback, and that should mean more targets to running backs. Goff had his best years as a passer when he targeted his RBs at a higher average (than the Rams norm).
Jared Goff’s not getting any younger, and the likelihood of him being more mobile in this offense isn’t plausible. He isn’t a terrible quarterback, but for the team to have success they’ll need the ball out of his hands quickly; whether passing or handing off. You can be sure the Lions’ staff knows that as well (especially with the current receiving group).
Some may believe that this will only benefit Swift, but given the coaching tendencies combined with the strengths of the quarterback, it makes sense that both running backs can, and should prosper in this offense.
Final Thoughts
With a current RB ADP in the 40’s, Williams could end up a steal for fantasy football owners. There isn’t any real competition behind him, and I’ve discussed the benefits of the current coaching staff for potential production. In leagues where I have D’Andre Swift, I also try and draft Williams. Not only for the ‘handcuff’, but because I believe there can be actual fantasy football production there.
Don’t be surprised if the Lions rely on both running backs in the following seasons. Jamaal Williams may not be a ‘sexy’ name to have on your roster, but the opportunity to provide a Gordon-like presence to Swift shouldn’t be understated.
2021 Prediction: 138 rushing attempts, 652 yards, 3 TDs. 55 targets, 41 receptions, 270 yards, 3 TDs.
