Getty Tyrell Williams runs for a score against Houston in 2019.
This offseason, the Detroit Lions made an intriguing investment in wide receiver Tyrell Williams to boost their group, and it appears that move could be set to pay off quickly for the team.
If Williams is healthy, he could offer the Lions some major playmaking from the wideout spot, and that is something which could be enough to get him on plenty of radars across the league this season, including for those folks who play fantasy football.
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Recently, Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton took a look at picking out multiple sleepers across the league in terms of fantasy, and Williams made the cut on the list thanks to his ability to gain targets on his new team and perhaps even produce in a major way.
He wrote:
“The Detroit Lions turned over their wide receiver unit from last season, allowing Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. to walk in free agency. They also have a new quarterback in Jared Goff.
That overhaul creates risk for fantasy managers, but wideout Tyrell Williams could be a late-round steal.
Williams played under Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017 and 2018. He caught 84 passes for 1,381 yards and nine touchdowns during that stretch.
Williams missed the entire 2020 campaign with a torn labrum. Now that he’s healthy again, he could open the season in the lead role over oft-injured wideout Breshad Perriman, Quintez Cephus and rookie fourth-rounder Amon-Ra St. Brown.”
The Lions signed Williams to chip in at wide receiver, and if he is able to do more than that while putting up some bigger numbers, that would have to be considered a huge win for the franchise. It might also help serious fantasy football players along the way.
Top Lions Wideouts to Watch
While Williams might be singled out here, he is far from the only Detroit wideout to watch on the roster who could prove to provide good results. The Lions have plenty of new players in the mix, and nearly all will be intriguing at the position. The Lions have a special looking rookie in Amon-Ra St. Brown, and also have a veteran looking for redemption in the place his father used to play in Breshad Perriman. Additionally, the team has a second-year wideout who could break out in Quintez Cephus, and he is already looking like a good bet to do just that given his offseason work.
The entire group offers some major intrigue, and everyone at wideout understands they have to step up. Regardless of whether that happens or not, some folks still see the position as the biggest weakness the team is currently carrying around.
Williams’ NFL Stats and Highlights
Williams came into the NFL in 2015 as an undrafted free agent out of Western Oregon of the Los Angeles Chargers. He stayed there for the first four seasons of his career before signing with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2019, a spot he stayed for the last two seasons. In terms of production, Williams has bucked the odds for an undrafted free agent in the league, putting up 3,181 yards and 23 touchdowns. Injuries have intervened in his last two seasons, with a foot ailment in 2019 slowing his season and a torn labrum playing a role in 2020. With this in mind, Williams may have to take more of a “prove it” type deal, which is just what the Lions ended up giving him.
If Williams can bounce back, it would be easy to see how he could become an underrated force in terms of his fantasy football potential.
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