Since being drafted in the first round at No. 12 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams has gotten off to a disappointing start to his career.
Williams spent the majority of his first season in the NFL recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in college, which led to him catching just one pass over six games.
Then, in 2023, the Alabama product missed the first four games of the year due to a gambling suspension before finishing with 24 catches for 354 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games.
Despite all that, there are reasons for optimism for Williams, who is primed for a breakout campaign in 2024. Let's take a closer look at why that's the case.
Jameson Williams fantasy football outlook
Ceiling: High-end WR2
Floor: Flex
For the first time in his career, Williams is having both a normal offseason and a normal start to his regular season. Further, the 23-year-old has had an outstanding offseason, with head coach Dan Campbell noting how much better Williams has looked.
“And we’re two practices in (to OTAs) and if you said, ‘Give me one player that is the most improved from that start to finish in that time,’ and Jamo would be that guy right now,” Campbell said, per Erik Schlitt of Pride of Detroit. “He is a man on a mission, and I’m just going to leave it at that.”
Williams' standout showing during the offseason program continued in training camp, where he was routinely playing at a high level in practice. Of course, that doesn't guarantee he'll carry that into the regular season, but it's a good sign for him nonetheless. The Lions haven't played their starters in the preseason, so we haven't seen Williams in actual game action yet.
Williams will play second fiddle to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who is the clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver, and budding star tight end Sam LaPorta will also soak up plenty of targets.
However, quarterback Jared Goff threw the second-most passes in the NFL last season, so there will be plenty of opportunities for all three to eat. Adding to that, the Lions did not adequately replace Josh Reynolds, who departed in free agency, so Detroit has 40 receptions and 608 yards to replace.
St. Brown isn't the only one Williams will have to contend with for targets, as the Lions have a budding star tight end in Sam LaPorta, also. But after quarterback Jared Goff threw the second-most passes in the NFL in 2023, there should be plenty of opportunities for everyone to eat.
Williams has the potential to be a high-end WR2 if what we've seen this offseason translates into the regular season. Even if things don't go totally according to plan, he should still be able to return flex value.