JamesonWilliams

News: 3 days agoWilliams concluded Lions training camp on a positive note Thursday, connecting with quarterback Jared Goff on a number of impressive contested catches throughout the day, Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News reports.

Spin: Touted as a standout performer during the Lions' earlier workouts of the summer, Williams authored another strong performance in a scrimmage-style practice to wrap up camp. On the Lions' opening drive alone, Williams beat cornerback Rock Ya-Sin for a 22-yard gain on the first play of the day, reeled off a 18-yard gain on a screen play to convert a third-and-12 and evaded tight coverage to make a sliding catch on a five-yard pass to the back end of the zone on a fourth-and-goal. Williams recorded another reception on a post route later in the day to convert a third-and-10, but the play was negated by a holding penalty. While No. 1 wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown remains Detroit's clear top target in 2026, Williams should still be in store for reliable weekly volume in a consolidated passing game that also includes Sam LaPorta (hip) and running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Heading into the summer, No. 3 wideout Isaac TeSlaa looked like a potential candidate to carve out a more notable role in his second season, but he didn't record a reception in either of his two preseason appearances and had a number of underwhelming performances during camp practices, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: The slow start to Williams' career is a thing of the past after the speedster delivered 1,000-plus-yard campaigns each of the past two seasons. After breaking out with a 22nd-place fantasy finish (25th PPG) in 2024, Williams set new career highs in targets, catches, yards and touchdowns en route to a 12th-place finish (19th PPG) last season. A lack of goal-line work (eight career end zone targets) and some drop woes (NFL-high eight in 2025) are drawbacks, but Williams' explosive-play ability has led him to finish sixth or better in yards per reception and yards per target each of the past two seasons. The 25-year-old remains one of Jared Goff's top targets in Detroit's high-scoring offense and is a fine fantasy WR3 target.