Jameson Williams will miss the next 2 weeks for violating the NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Substances (PES) policy.
The news of Jameson’s suspension is a big blow to the breakout Wide Receiver and the surging Lions. Williams, in just 6 games this season, has nearly doubled his career stats. With 361 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns and a staggering 21.2 Yards per Catch (No. 2 in the NFL), Jameson had answered the question of “Who will be Detroit’s number two wide receiver?”.
In his absence, the Lions will look to lean into their Top four rushing offense and super-star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to compensate for the lack of a deep threat. We should expect to see St. Brown receive the lion’s share of the vacated targets and take his already dominating 29.3% target share north of 30%.
There is an interesting opportunity, however, for a struggling Tight End to re-emerge. Sam LaPorta has been a fantasy football bust so far, coming in as the TE21 through 7 weeks after being drafted as the TE1 most of the off-season. Williams is leaving behind a 17.3% target share while LaPorta is at a lowly 9.8% (No. 30). Offensive Coordinator, Ben Johnson will be looking to the young Tight End to get him going again, following his breakout rookie season.
In deeper leagues, Kalif Raymond comes around as an interesting prospect. He looks to slot in to the Jameson Williams role as the field stretcher and offers big-play potential off of the Play-Action pass. In the past two weeks Raymond has earned 10 targets, more than both LaPorta and Jameson combined. He’s no more than a dart throw flex in the deepest of leagues but the way this offense works, there is boom potential waiting to happen.
While this news is a hit to the expected efficiency of the Detroit offense near term, we should still see fantasy boosts to Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta as the primary pass catching options. Not against the Titans in Week 8, but Kalif Raymond will be a sneaky GPP play in DFS Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers in what will be a high-scoring affair.
Justin Owens | @JOwens_FF
Detroit Lions wide receiver Tim Patrick has just 10 catches...
Detroit Lions wide receiver Tim Patrick has been elevated ...
Detroit Lions wide receiver Tim Patrick has been elevated ...
The Broncos announced they’re cutting Tim Patrick and Samaje Perine while keeping undrafted free agent Blake Watson on the 53-man roster.
Tim Patrick was quickly signed to the Lions practice squad with the intention to elevate him to the 53-man roster and give him an opportunity to play on Sundays. While Patrick was getting hyped up as a potential starter for the Broncos, his situation ends as a wash with him landing on a better offense but having a harder path to contribute.
Samaje Perine figures to find work as a depth player in another offense, and a potential return to the Bengals playing behind Zack Moss and Chase Brown shouldn’t be ruled out. While we’ll ned to figure out where Perine will land, it’s safe to assume he won’t be a relevant fantasy contributor in 2024. No running back was targeted in the two-minute offense more than Perine last year, so look for Jaleel McLaughlin and rookie Blake Watson to soak up those targets as the change-of-pace backs on the Broncos roster.
Blake Watson is a deep fantasy sleeper who went to Memphis and displayed tremendous explosiveness and pass catching ability. At one point in the offseason, Head Coach Sean Payton said the vision was similar to what he had with Alvin Kamara when they signed Blake Watson. While he’ll be the clear RB4 behind Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime, Watson could see more opportunity throughout the season as injuries occur.
Denver Broncos WR Tim Patrick suffered a torn Achilles tendon in practice.
Tim Patrick spent the entire 2022 season on Injured Reserve after suffering a torn ACL in the offseason. The 2017 UDFA was often referred to as the best all-around receiver due to his combination of size, speed, blocking, and route running. Patrick will likely miss the entire season.
With Tim Patrick on IR and K.J. Hamler being waived with a heart condition, rookie 2nd-Rounder Marvin Mims is primed for a starting role in 3WR sets. The first pick of the Sean Payton era was expected to mix in as a situational-deep threat early in his career while serving as the Broncos’ Punt Returner. Now it appears that Marvin Mims may be headed for a Brandin Cooks-type rookie year, a rookie season that saw Cooks finish as the WR22 in points per game.
