Williams will be part of the Saints' running back committee in 2023, a deeper and more talented group than the one he led in Motown a year ago. With the Lions, Williams had 274 touches and over 1,100 total yards with a ridiculous 17 touchdowns (13 from two yards or closer). In New Orleans, Williams will likely share carries with Alvin Kamara for most of the season and isn't even promised a short-yardage goal-line role since Taysom Hill has excelled there. Williams has additional upside for the first three weeks while Kamara is suspended, but he'll likely still share touches with rookie Kendre Miller. Point is, Williams is in a much messier situation this season without the guarantee to score even eight times. If you draft accordingly and take him after 100th overall, you should be satisfied with him as a solid bench RB.
Saints' Jamaal Williams: Shifts to injured reserve
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Williams, who was already ruled out ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Packers due to a hamstring injury, was placed on injured reserve Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Williams reportedly "tweaked" his hamstring in Monday's win over the Panthers and failed to practice all week, but the prevailing sentiment was that the veteran would be in store for just a one-game absence. However, after moving to injured reserve, Williams will now be sidelined for at least four games, with the Saints' Oct. 19 contest versus Jacksonville representing his earliest return date. By that point, Alvin Kamara will be far past his three-game suspension to begin the season, and rookie Kendre Miller (hamstring) -- who is making his NFL debut Sunday -- could make a case to push Williams for work on rushing downs. With Kamara serving the final game of his suspension Sunday, expect Tony Jones, Miller and quarterback Taysom Hill to serve as the Saints' main options on the ground.
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Saints' Jamaal Williams: Out this week
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Williams (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday's game in Green Bay.
Williams as a September lineup option didn't work out how drafters imagined, with 52 total yards Week 1 followed by an early exit due to the hamstring injury Week 2. He'll now miss one game and possibly more, before returning to a Saints offense that will have Alvin Kamara back from suspension. Fantasy utility at some point this year is still a distinct possibility, though it may now rely on the possibility of Kamara missing time due to an injury rather than the guarantee of his three-game suspension. For Week 3, the Saints have Tony Jones and Kendre Miller on hand for RB snaps, in addition to the ever-present options of giving Taysom Hill more carries and/or Derek Carr more pass attempts.
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Saints' Jamaal Williams: Absent again Friday
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Williams (hamstring) wasn't spotted during the media-access portion of Friday's practice, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Williams thus is poised to go down as a non-participant for a third consecutive session due to the hamstring issue that he picked up Monday at Carolina, and the Saints may even clarify his status ahead of Sunday's game in Green Bay upon the release of Friday's injury report. If Williams is unable to go this weekend, some combination of Tony Jones, rookie Kendre Miller and practice-squad members Kirk Merritt and Jordan Mims will handle running back reps for New Orleans, with Taysom Hill also on hand for carries.
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Saints' Jamaal Williams: Sits out walk-through practice
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Williams (hamstring) didn't take part in Wednesday's walk-through practice, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Williams left Monday's eventual win at Carolina in the second quarter and was unable to return. On Tuesday, head coach Dennis Allen said that Williams will require "some time" to get past his hamstring injury, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. It's thus no surprise that Williams is opening Week 3 prep with no activity. If Williams is limited or sidelined Sunday at Green Bay, the Saints likely will roll with Tony Jones as their lead option on the ground, with Taysom Hill (knee) and potentially Kendre Miller (hamstring) also mixing in for change-of-pace work.
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Saints' Jamaal Williams: Expected to miss time
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Williams (hamstring) could miss Sunday's game against the Packers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Williams tweaked his hamstring in Monday's victory over the Panthers and head coach Dennis Allen suggested Tuesday the running back would miss "some time", although how much time remains unclear. Kendre Miller (hamstring), Tony Jones and the versatile Taysom Hill are all candidates to see more work in the backfield if Williams is indeed sidelined. Alvin Kamara (suspension) will also return in Week 4 and should immediately move into the top spot on the depth chart.
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Saints' Jamaal Williams: Return doubtful
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Williams (hamstring) is now considered doubtful to return to Monday's game against the Panthers, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.
Williams originally was considered questionable to return, so he is not trending in the right direction. He exited the game in the second quarter after recording 29 yards on nine carries. As a result, Tony Jones currently is the only healthy and available running back on the roster. However, the Saints have also been utilizing packages around the versatile Taysom Hill.
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Saints' Jamaal Williams: Questionable to return
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Williams is questionable to return to Monday's matchup with the Panthers due to a hamstring injury, Augusta Stone of the Panthers' official site reports.
Williams exited the game in the second quarter after accumulating 29 yards on nine carries. With Kendre Miller (hamstring) and Kirk Merritt (coach's decision) both inactive, Tony Jones currently is the the team's only healthy and available running back. It remains to be seen if Williams will be able to return.
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Saints' Jamaal Williams: Start Him (Lineup Decisions)
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There really isn't much else to say. If you start Williams you're hoping he continues to play a lot and see a lot of work in what should be a favorable game script against a suddenly suspect Panthers run defense. He's a better start in non-PPR but I'd use him in either format over any Commanders running back, any Eagles running back, any Bills running back or any Bears running back.
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Saints' Jamaal Williams: RBs to Start
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Keep an eye on Kendre Miller (hamstring) and if he can return in Week 2 after sitting out the Week 1 game against Tennessee. If he's out against the Panthers, Williams should be a solid No. 2 running back in all leagues against the Panthers. With Miller out and Alvin Kamara suspended against the Titans, Williams played 75 percent of the snaps and had 20 total touches (two catches on two targets). He only managed 52 total yards, but I expected him to struggle against a tough Titans defense. Carolina's defense isn't as good against the run, and Atlanta just abused the Panthers for 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, along with nine catches for 46 yards and a score on nine targets. This could be Williams' best game of the year.
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Saints' Jamaal Williams: Buoys running game in season opener
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Williams compiled 18 rushes for 45 yards and caught two targets for seven yards during Sunday's 16-15 win versus Tennessee.
Williams accounted for all but nine of the Saints' 27 rushing attempts with rookie running back Kendre Miller (hamstring) inactive Week 1. The veteran was used sparingly in the first half, totaling six carries and one catch for 22 total yards. However, he got much more involved during the second half as the Saints focused on the ground game more with 20 rushing attempts compared to 13 passing attempts. Williams' rushing workload should remain extensive while Alvin Kamara is suspended until Week 4, though it's unclear how the team will split carries if Miller is healthy Week 2.
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Saints' Jamaal Williams: In line for leading role
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Williams will serve as the Saints' lead running back Sunday against the Titans with Kendre Miller (hamstring) inactive, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Once news broke in early August of Alvin Kamara's three-game suspension to begin the season, Williams at least was poised to share backfield work with Miller, a rookie third-round pick. But Miller hasn't been able to practice since late August due to a hamstring injury, leaving the bulk of RB reps to Williams. The only New Orleans backs that are active Sunday are Kirk Merritt and Tony Jones, while Taysom Hill also may get the occasional carry. Williams is coming off a career-best campaign in which he notched 274 touches for 1,139 yards from scrimmage and 17 rushing TDs in 17 games, so he's primed to keep the momentum going in the early going this year.
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Saints' Jamaal Williams: RBs to Sit
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The positive for Williams this week is Alvin Kamara (suspension) is out and Kendre Miller (hamstring) is either out or limited. He should get a significant workload as the lead running back for the Saints. However, Taysom Hill will likely get his share of touches, and he could obviously work at the goal line as well. And this matchup could be brutal since the Titans run defense is among the best in the NFL and finished No. 2 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to running backs in 2023. I'm fine with Williams as a flex, but I wouldn't get over-excited about him with Kamara out and Miller injured.
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Saints' Jamaal Williams: Not in line to play Sunday
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Williams is among the key Saints players who are not expected to play in Sunday's preseason game against the Chargers, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Per Underhill, primary running back Alvin Kamara (suspension) is also slated to watch Sunday's game from the sideline, as just about the entire team's starting offensive skill players will not suit up. This includes quarterback Derek Carr and super-utility player Taysom Hill. Rookie Kendre Miller does appear set to play, as he's fully suited up with a brace on his injured right knee, according to John Hendrix of SI.com. Running backs Darrel Williams, Kirk Merritt (hamstring) and Ellis Merriweather are all in uniform pregame as well, per Hendrix, and it's likely these three will filter in behind Miller as part of the Saints' rushing rotation Sunday.
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Saints' Jamaal Williams: Lead back while Kamara's suspended
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Williams is set to begin the 2023 season atop New Orleans' running back depth chart, as Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports that Alvin Kamara will be suspended for the first three games of the season for his role in a 2022 altercation in Las Vegas.
Williams signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Saints in the offseason after leading the NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns as a member of the Lions last season. He's expected to handle the majority of backfield touches while Kamara serves his suspension, though rookie third-round pick Kendre Miller will also be looking to carve out a role.
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Saints' Jamaal Williams: Draws added competition for touches
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Williams will be accompanied by 2023 third-round pick Kendre Miller (knee) as the primary contenders for New Orleans' No. 2 running back spot, John Sigler of USA Today reports.
Williams arrived in New Orleans as one of the team's splashiest additions of the offseason, signing with the team after he tallied a career-best rushing season with the Lions in 2022. The 28-year-old's arrival was very significant for the Saints backfield, as the team lacked a consistent No. 2 running back behind Alvin Kamara for much of last season. Williams' path to a role as the team's secondary rusher is much murkier now that Miller has been added to the mix. The 215-pound rookie out of TCU was a key cog in the Horned Frogs' run to the College Football Playoff last season, accumulating 1,399 yards and 17 touchdowns across 224 carries. Miller will be limited to begin the Saints' offseason program while he recovers from an MCL injury suffered in December. Nevertheless, he's still expected to be cleared for full participation prior to training camp, per Sigler, which could lead to an intriguing positional battle between Miller and Williams. Kamara is also still set to begin trial July 31 after he was charged with conspiracy to commit battery and substantial bodily harm stemming from a February 2022 incident. Should Kamara be forced to miss games in the 2023 campaign because of this case, then both Williams and Miller could vie for roles as the Saints' primary rushers.
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Saints' Jamaal Williams: Heading to Big Easy
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The Saints and Williams agreed to terms on a three-year, $12 million contract Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
After racking up an NFL-high and team-record 17 rushing touchdowns for the Lions last season, Williams will move on to the third organization of his career. With New Orleans, he'll be the clear second option out of the backfield behind Alvin Kamara, but Williams should nonetheless earn his typical allotment of short-yardage and goal-line work. Moreover, the 2017 fourth-round selection offers the team a reliable option to turn to in the event that Kamara ends up facing any NFL discipline stemming from a February 2022 incident that has Kamara slated to appear in court in July, per ESPN.com.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: Mutual interest in new contract
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General manager Brad Holmes said Wednesday that Williams and the Lions have begun negotiations on a new contract with mutual interest, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.
Williams is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in roughly two weeks, but Holmes said contract negotiations have already begun and "there's a mutual interest to hopefully get [Williams] back." The veteran running back, who will turn 28 in April, had a career-high 1,066 rushing yards across 17 games in 2022 and led the NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns, and has clearly demonstrated an ability to excel in Detroit's scheme. Williams has additionally made it clear that he would like to remain with the Lions, so there's reason to believe that both sides could come to terms on an agreeable deal.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: Leads NFL with 17 TDs
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Williams rushed 16 times for 72 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 20-16 win over Green Bay.
Williams finished the regular season in style with two more touchdowns to add to his league-leading total of 17 rushing scores this year. In addition to becoming a touchdown monster in 2022, the veteran back also eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing plateau for the first time in his six-year career. Williams will enter the upcoming offseason an unrestricted free agent, and his impressive play should have plenty of suitors lining up for the 27-year-old.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: Totals 157 yards
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Williams rushed 22 times for 144 yards with one touchdown while securing his only target for 13 yards during Sunday's 41-10 win over Chicago.
The Lions offensive line dominated the Bears defensive front all game long, allowing both Williams and D'Andre Swift to post big numbers in the box score. Considering Williams totaled just 81 rushing yards in his three previous games, this gaudy production was a handsome reward for fantasy managers who stuck with Williams during fantasy championship week (in most settings). With Detroit needing a win in Week 18 to lock up a playoff spot, look for Williams to again handle a heavy workload in the cold weather of Green Bay.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: Misses final quarter of Week 16
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Williams suffered an apparent left leg injury late in the third quarter of Saturday's 37-23 loss to the Panthers and didn't return, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.
Williams appeared to suffer the injury on a third-down reception with 3:53 remaining in the quarter. Given that Detroit trailed by 18 points when Williams exited, it's possible he was withheld from the remainder of the contest due to D'Andre Swift being the team's preferred back in the hurry-up offense. Williams finished Saturday's contest with seven carries for 11 yards and two receptions for three yards.
