{"id":66111,"date":"2019-06-01T09:09:47","date_gmt":"2019-06-01T13:09:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=66111"},"modified":"2019-08-12T06:07:16","modified_gmt":"2019-08-12T10:07:16","slug":"damien-williams-fantasy-football-2019-outlook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/06\/01\/damien-williams-fantasy-football-2019-outlook\/","title":{"rendered":"Damien Williams Fantasy Football 2019 Outlook"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nobody saw their fantasy football stock rise more throughout 2018 than Damien Williams<\/a><\/strong>. After starting the year buried on the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> depth chart, the former Miami Dolphin burst onto the scene late in the year. Taking over the starting job in Week 15, Williams finished as the RB2 in half-PPR scoring after becoming the lead back. Williams is in position to remain the starter, but can he extrapolate his success into a full 16-game season?<\/p>\n

2019 Fantasy Football Draft Headquarters<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Fantasy Football 2019 Outlook: Damien Williams<\/strong><\/h2>\n

2018 Recap<\/h3>\n

On paper, Damien Williams was everything the Chiefs needed to close out the 2018 season. After releasing Kareem Hunt<\/a><\/strong> and benching Spencer Ware<\/a><\/strong>, the former fifth-round pick became one of the brightest stars in the league. Over the final three weeks of the regular season, Williams recorded 203 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 34 attempts (5.97 YPC) to go along with 14 receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets. This impressive run made him the RB2 in half-PPR scoring, and he continued his success into the playoffs. During Kansas City\u2019s two-game playoff run, Williams recorded 159 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries and 10 receptions for 91 yards and two touchdowns.<\/p>\n

These statistics are obviously impressive, and Williams never had a bad fantasy performance as a starter. However, it\u2019s worth noting that this success came in a considerably small sample. Prior to joining the Chiefs, Williams averaged just 3.6 yards-per-carry during his four years with Miami. The grand majority of his NFL career has been unremarkable, so what made him so good in 2018?<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the underlying numbers suggest Williams didn\u2019t magically transform into a better running back overnight. Opposing defenses were concerned about stopping Patrick Mahomes<\/a><\/strong> and Kansas City\u2019s aerial attack that they devoted basically no resources to stopping the run. Williams faced an average of just 6.4 men in the box per carry, easily below the league-average rate. Additionally, he didn\u2019t make guys miss, as he ranked 112th<\/sup> in yards created per carry. Basically, he only got the yards allotted to him by the offensive line.<\/p>\n

2019 Projection<\/h3>\n

Damien Williams had a perfect situation in 2018, but that favorable environment might not be there in 2019. For one, Tyreek Hill<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s status is still very much in the air. As of this posting, Hill is still under investigation for his role in the child assault case. Keeping the focus solely on fantasy football, it\u2019s hard to imagine Hill not serving a significant suspension, at the very least.<\/p>\n

Without Hill, this offense is completely different. Patrick Mahomes will make teams respect the pass, but Kansas City won\u2019t have a game-breaking weapon to beat defenses over the top. Because of this, teams should be able to devote more resources to stopping the running game. Williams has yet to prove he\u2019s capable of making plays on his own, and his production could take a serious nosedive without Hill.<\/p>\n

Williams will enter the year as the starter, but it might not stay that way for long. The Chiefs signed Carlos Hyde<\/a><\/strong> in free agency to serve as the backup, but he could take over as a starter if Williams struggles. Say what you will about Hyde, but everyone would have called him the superior back one year ago.<\/p>\n

Hyde doesn\u2019t offer much as a pass-catcher, so the surprise star could be sixth-round rookie Darwin Thompson<\/strong><\/a>. Thompson offers upside as both a runner and a receiver and is already standing out<\/a> in practices.<\/p>\n

Damien Williams Average Draft Position<\/h3>\n

As of this posting, Fantasy Football Calculator has Williams as the 22nd<\/sup> overall pick in half-PPR scoring formats. This lands him just behind guys like Nick Chubb<\/a><\/strong> and Mike Evans<\/a><\/strong> and just ahead of players like Adam Thielen<\/a>, T.Y. Hilton<\/a><\/strong>, and Marlon Mack<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Quite frankly, this is probably too high to take Williams. While he had a great run in 2018, almost all of his success was due to his situation. Williams had a high snap percentage and capitalized against defenses who only cared about stopping the pass. Additionally, his success came in a small sample, so fantasy owners should be wary about the minuscule data.<\/p>\n

With Tyreek Hill presumably gone, defenses won\u2019t have to devote as many resources to stopping the pass. Hill\u2019s speed made defenses defend every inch of the field, and they won\u2019t have to do that anymore. With more defenders closer to the line, Williams will look more and more like his pre-Kansas City form. He\u2019ll see a heavy workload to start the season, but don\u2019t be surprised if he has an Alex Collins<\/a><\/strong>\u2013esque fall from grace.<\/p>\n

2019 Fantasy Football Draft Headquarters<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>