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: Not on injury report
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Williams (leg) isn't listed on the Lions' Week 17 injury report ahead of Sunday's game against the Bears.
Williams suffered an apparent leg injury in the third quarter of this past Saturday's 37-23 loss to the Panthers, and though he was able to return to the contest in the fourth quarter, he didn't receive any carries or targets the rest of the way, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. As It turns out, the leg issue wasn't serious enough for Williams to appear on the injury report four days later, suggesting he might have been in line for touches had the Lions not been down by three or more scores for most of the second half. In any case, Williams will continue to split backfield work with D'Andre Swift and Justin Jackson this weekend against the Bears.
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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.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: Bottled up again
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Williams rushed 13 times for 33 yards during Sunday's 20-17 win over the Jets.
Williams again did most of the dirty work between the tackles while going without an opportunity in the passing game for the sixth time in the past seven games. Meanwhile, D'Andre Swift saw eight carries to go with nine targets, showing how much differently Detroit is using its top two tailbacks. With Williams a non-factor as a receiver, he'll need to start finding the end zone again to help fantasy managers during the fantasy playoffs. Up next is a Week 16 matchup against a Panthers defense ranking 21st in yards allowed per carry (4.5) and 26th in rushing touchdowns allowed (16) through 14 games.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: RBs to Sit
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Williams showed you in Week 14 against Minnesota what a disaster his Fantasy production could be when he doesn't score a touchdown. He had 16 carries for 37 yards against the Vikings, and he finished with three PPR points. Williams hasn't caught a pass since Week 8, and he's been saved by his rushing touchdowns. Now, he scored a touchdown in each of the four prior games to Week 14, with six touchdowns over that span, and he could easily fall into the end zone again in Week 15 at the Jets. But the Jets have allowed just two rushing touchdowns since Week 7, and D'Andre Swift should continue to take work away from Williams. He's only worth using as a flex, with his value higher in non-PPR leagues.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: No touchdowns in Week 14 win
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Williams rushed 16 times for 37 yards and failed to secure his only target in the Lions' 34-23 win over the Vikings on Sunday.
Williams surprisingly logged 10 more carries than backfield mate D'Andre Swift, who appeared to be taking over the lead-back role based on his Week 13 usage against the Jaguars. However, Williams could do little with the opportunity, repeatedly running into a brick wall of a Vikings defensive front. The Lions backfield is a tough puzzle to solve for fantasy managers heading into a critical time of the season, and a Week 15 road matchup versus the Jets isn't exactly a welcoming scenario in terms of bouncing back from Sunday's lackluster effort.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: Finds end zone again Sunday
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Williams rushed 11 times for 35 yards and a touchdown in the Lions' 40-14 win over the Jaguars on Sunday.
Williams was able to record his league-leading 14th touchdown on a one-yard scoring run in the first quarter. Backfield mate D'Andre Swift ultimately outpaced Williams by three carries and also drew six targets, so the latter's fantasy outlook is somewhat unsettled heading into a Week 14 divisional showdown against the Vikings.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: Another rushing touchdown
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Williams rushed 18 times for 66 yards with one touchdown and one lost fumble during Thursday's 28-25 loss to the Bills.
Williams continued to handle the lion's share of work out of the backfield and extended his league-leading touchdown total (13) along the way. With Detroit seemingly keen on keeping D'Andre Swift as fresh as possible going forward, Williams should continue to handle a heavy workload down the stretch, though one that may not involve much heavy lifting as a receiver given Swift's proficiency in that area. Up next is a middling Week 13 matchup against a Jaguars defense allowing the eighth-fewest yards per carry (4.2) and the 11th-fewest rushing touchdowns (nine) in 2022.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: Pacing NFL in rushing TDs
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Williams (illness) carried the ball 17 times for 64 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's 31-18 win over the Giants.
Williams battled through an illness during practice this week en route to his fifth multi-score game of the season. The veteran back passed Nick Chubb (11 touchdowns) for the league lead in rushing touchdowns in one fell swoop with this incredible three-touchdown day. D'Andre Swift (eight touches for 32 yards and a TD) has been listed as fully healthy for two weeks running now, indicating that Williams is still the head of Detroit's three-pronged rushing attack with Justin Jackson (10 touches for 77 yards) sprinkled in. Williams' fantasy managers should continue rolling out their RB1 with confidence heading into a Thanksgiving tilt against the Bills on Thursday.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: Possible Bust (Lineup Decisions)
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The primary appeal for Williams is his touchdown scoring, which is above average considering his role and the offense he's in. He also seems automatic for 15 touches per week even though he's splitting with two other teammates. But the Giants run defense has been pretty good, and Williams has some pretty dangerous downside if he doesn't score. You'll start him as a No. 2 running back, but expectations should be lowered. I would start James Conner and Cordarrelle Patterson over him, but not D'Onta Foreman or Kenyan Drake.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: Returns to practice
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Williams (illness) was a full participant at Thursday's practice.
Williams sat out the Lions' first practice of the week Wednesday after falling ill, but his ability to take every rep a day later clears the way for him to suit up this Sunday against the Giants. Though D'Andre Swift (ankle/shoulder) has been practicing fully this week and is on pace to be available for the fourth consecutive game, he could still be relegated to a complementary role while playing at less than 100 percent. Swift's snap shares have ranged between 16 and 52 percent over the past three contests, while Williams' share has dipped no lower than 39 percent over that stretch. Williams has out-carried Swift by a 50-13 margin in those games, but Swift has quadrupled Williams' target count (12 to three).
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: Absent Wednesday due to illness
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Williams didn't practice Wednesday due to an illness.
Williams has been the Lions' most-used running back this season, earning between 12 and 24 touches in each of the team's nine games. With nine touchdowns, he sits in a tie for third in the NFL with the Titans' Derrick Henry, but an illness now is affecting Williams' practice reps. At the same time, D'Andre Swift (ankle/shoulder) managed a full session Wednesday, so a changing of the guard in the backfield could be in store Week 11. Williams' status nonetheless will be one to watch closely as Sunday's game against the Giants approaches.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: Leading rusher in Week 10 win
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Williams carried the ball 16 times for 59 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-30 win over the Bears.
It wasn't an efficient effort, but Williams scored his ninth TD of the year in timely fashion, giving the Lions the lead with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter. With D'Andre Swift still not looking 100 percent, Williams remains the safest option in the Detroit backfield heading into a Week 11 clash with the Giants.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: RBs to Start
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Williams had an empty stat line in Week 9 against Green Bay because he failed to score a touchdown or catch a pass. He did have 24 carries for 81 yards and got a two-point conversion, but you would like more Fantasy production with that much work. He should rebound this week against the Bears, who have allowed a running back to score at least 12 PPR points in eight games in a row, including seven with at least 16 PPR points. D'Andre Swift is also worth using as a low-end starter or flex, but Williams should continue to lead Detroit's backfield in playing time and hopefully production. Williams could be a top-10 Fantasy running back in all leagues if he scores a touchdown in this matchup.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: Handles lion's share of touches
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Williams rushed 24 times for 81 yards and was not targeted in the passing game in Sunday's 15-9 win over Green Bay.
D'Andre Swift (ankle/shoulder) suited up in a limited capacity (five touches for 50 yards) for the second week in a row, allowing Williams to dominate the backfield touches once again. The 24 carries set a new high for the veteran back, as he remains heavily involved in the game plan regardless of Swift's availability. Williams has produced a standout 126/545/8 rushing line through eight games, and he will look to continue his career year against a struggling Chicago defense next Sunday.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: RBs to Start
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I'm still starting D'Andre Swift this week, but it wouldn't be a surprise if Williams is the better Fantasy option again. Against the Dolphins in Week 8, Williams had 10 carries for 53 yards and two touchdowns, along with three catches for 23 yards on three targets. Swift, in his first game back from a three-game absence with ankle and shoulder injuries, had five carries for 6 yards and five catches for 27 yards and a touchdown on five targets. He said he's still not 100 percent, but he should be fine for Week 9. Williams, who is second to Nick Chubb with eight rushing touchdowns, has now scored at least 15 PPR points in four of seven games this year. The Packers have allowed eight running backs to score at least 12 PPR points this season, and Williams would love to score against his former team.
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Lions' Jamaal Williams: Start Him (Lineup Decisions)
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Even with Swift on the field, Williams has kept a pretty steady diet of work and has the goal-line role on lock. Especially on a week where so many players are on bye, he fits into the No. 2 running back profile pretty easily. I'd start him over Kenyan Drake, David Montgomery and D'Andre Swift.
