Aaron Jones owners finally rejoiced when the Green Bay Packers finally started to give him a full workload. After going off week ten for 145 yards and two touchdowns, Jones was on his way to a productive fantasy season. That all came crashing down last week against the Chicago Bears when Jones left the game with a knee injury. He was subsequently placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Now, his fantasy owners will be looking to lock up his backup, Jamaal Williams. They will likely be nervous about starting him in the finals. He isn’t a must-start, but if there are no other options, fire him up.
Don’t Be Afraid to Put Jamaal Williams Into Your Fantasy Football Championship Lineups
Not Impressive, But Can Carry the Load
Williams began the season as the team’s starter while Jones served a suspension. Admittedly, the first two games without Jones were not very impressive. Williams failed to top 60 yards or score a touchdown in either game. It should be noted that he went up against the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings those games, two very good run defenses.
Williams technically kept the starting job until week six but saw his carries severely limited. He only topped ten carries once, week four against the Buffalo Bills, but only managed 2.5 yards-per-carry (YPC). Still, he’s shown flashes as a backup and looked fresh taking over for Jones against the Bears last weekend. His 12 carries for 55 yards gave him a solid 4.6 YPC.
Good Matchup and No Competition
This week Williams goes up against the New York Jets. They are dismal against the run, allowing 4.5 YPC and over 125 rushing yards-per-game. The Jets have struggled to move the ball at times with rookie quarterback Sam Darnold and are dealing with running back injuries of their own. Both Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell have been put on injured reserve, leaving third-string runner Elijah McGuire as the next man up. If Aaron Rodgers puts up points quickly, the team could get into chew-clock mode early, leaving plenty of opportunities for Williams to rack up fantasy points.
Plus, the Packers don’t have any other runners left to compete with carries. The Packers traded converted wide receiver Ty Montgomery to the Baltimore Ravens after he had some type of falling out with the team. Now with Jones done for the year, that leaves Williams as the last man standing. The team claimed Kapri Bibbs off waivers from the Washington Redskins, but he is more of a pass-catching back who shouldn’t steal much work from Williams.
Not Much Else Out There
Those who were relying on Jones in their championship match will probably not have many other options to replace him other than Williams. As usual, the position has been decimated by injuries, with many other big names like James Conner and Todd Gurley questionable to go this week as well. Those team owners probably put in a waiver claim for him as well. Whoever wins the sweepstakes will probably immediately put him in their lineups.
Other top pickups on waivers are players like Zach Zenner and Kalen Ballage, who are slitting backfields. McGuire of the Jets might be available, but he hasn’t looked overly impressive in his starts so far. He has also scored in two straight weeks, so the law of averages says he is a good bet to miss out on the end zone this week. With the limited options this late in the year, Williams will be forced into lineups. Still, team owners shouldn’t worry too much.
Last Word on Starting Jamaal Williams in the Fantasy Football Championship
Obviously, if a team has a more established option at running back, they should go with that player over Williams. With only a 3.7 YPC on the season, compared to Jones’ 5.5, Williams is an obvious downgrade. However, with a good matchup against the Jets this weekend, and no one to compete with him for carries, Williams has a safe floor. This makes him a solid RB2 or FLEX start. As long as expectations are tapered, he will not disappoint.
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