X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Is Jameson Williams Worth Drafting Coming Off an ACL Injury?

Jameson Williams fantasy football rankings rookies wide receivers NFL draft sleepers

Rookie WR Jameson Williams is bound to be a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft but what is his fantasy football value coming off an ACL injury? Deepak Chona uses his medical expertise to evaluate Williams.

Brutal luck for Jameson Williams. The top wide receiver prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft tore his ACL playing in the College Football Championship Game for Alabama.

It’s reasonable to be skeptical of Williams’s doctors publicly stating that he’s going to get back to his sub-4.3 speed. Are they being honest or mostly having their patient’s back?

In this case, probably both.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

ACL Recovery

Wide receivers after ACL tears tend to lose a step in the initial return, but gain it back over the course of their first 12-18 months after surgery. We saw Odell Beckham Jr. this year put up strong numbers about a year after his ACL injury (timing confounded by the trade to the Rams dynamite offense). Rams teammate and now record-holder Cooper Kupp is three years removed from his surgery and clearly thriving as a star wide receiver.

The take-home message is that young players in their prime tend to recover, and without much lasting deficit from ACL surgery. The injury is associated with shorter careers and fewer total games played over the course of NFL careers, but that effect is also less drastic in first-round draft picks, like Williams projects to be.

So when will we see Jameson Williams back? Probably not in time for the start of the season. The earliest realistic return timetables are in the 8-9 month range, but given his young age and large draft capital investment it’ll take to acquire him, it would be a shocker to see anyone try to rush Jameson Williams back to the field.

Instead, we’d expect this to be closer to the average for wide receivers in our database – 10 months – and perhaps longer. That would push Williams into November around week 10 before making his debut. Factor in a game or two to test the waters before he hits your starting lineup, and you're realistically able to count on him for about 1/3 of your 2022 fantasy season.

 

Fantasy Takeaway

Now the interesting question becomes what will happen to Williams’ draft stock going forward. NFL draft guru Todd McShay says that Williams is still the top receiver in this year's NFL draft. Former quarterback turned NBC analyst Chris Simms describes Williams's route-running as superior to Jerry Jeudy, and Mel Kiper Jr. says that Jameson was a guaranteed top-10 pick prior to going down with the ACL.

The talent is undeniable, and the player couldn't be more compelling. It's hard to imagine that 1,600 yards, 19 yards per catch, and 15 touchdowns against the best college defenses in the country not translating to the modern NFL. Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson are the most recent SEC rookies to enter the draft with similar college stats, and we all know how their debut seasons turned out.

But wide receiver is a heavily dependent position. The quarterback must be competent, the offensive line must pass protect for long enough to let routes develop, and there have to be other offensive threats to prevent defenses from locking in on a single pass-catcher. With that in mind, this ACL tear may ironically increase Williams's value once he comes back to the field. Kiper Jr. and most other high-level draft analysts project Williams to be selected towards the end of the first round. Who typically picks there? Good teams with strong quarterbacks and solid offensive systems.

There are tons of possibilities here, but Green Bay, Kansas City, Buffalo and New England have been amongst the most commonly proposed landing spots based on positional need, draft slot, and ammo to trade up. Any of those teams - and ESPECIALLY the first three - makes Jameson Williams a star the instant he steps on the field.

Dynasty owners, you need to keep this man at the top of your target list. Patience for ~3 months of the upcoming season could very realistically be rewarded with 10 years of top-10 production. Re-draft teams with a keeper slot, generous roster limits, and/or an IR spot should similarly be on the lookout for Jameson Williams at the top of their late-round selection list. Unless the people who make a living analyzing NFL prospects are ALL wrong, there's a strong chance Williams is producing Pro Bowl numbers in an effective offense during fantasy playoff season.

The only way I don't want Jameson Williams is if my roster size is small and I'm drafting with only this year in mind. Otherwise, I strongly suspect that the rest of the fantasy community is about to undervalue this stud.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Yegor Sharangovich35 mins ago

Recovering From Broken Foot
Corbin Carroll38 mins ago

Stays Hot Versus Cubs
Michael Busch43 mins ago

Continues Impressive Start To Season
Rasmus Andersson46 mins ago

Played With Broken Fibula
Pete Alonso52 mins ago

Stays Hot On Saturday
Semyon Varlamov53 mins ago

Expects To Be Ready For Next Season
Rafael Devers58 mins ago

Smacks Three-Run Homer
Owen Power1 hour ago

Avoids Surgery
James Wood1 hour ago

Has Big Day On Saturday
Rasmus Ristolainen1 hour ago

May Miss Start Of Next Season
Mickey Moniak1 hour ago

Knocks In Four Runs
Evander Kane1 hour ago

Close To Being Cleared For Action
Gunnar Henderson1 hour ago

Swats Homer In Win
Kyle Connor1 hour ago

Caps Off Three-Point Effort With Game-Winner
Mason Miller1 hour ago

Registers Sixth Save
Nathan MacKinnon2 hours ago

Leads Avalanche To Game 1 Victory
Cedric Mullins3 hours ago

Goes Yard In Orioles' Victory
Fernando Tatis Jr.3 hours ago

Stays Hot Despite Padres' Defeat
Matt Chapman3 hours ago

Powers Giants To Saturday Night Success
Landen Roupp3 hours ago

Earns Second Win Of The Season
Dylan Crews3 hours ago

Launches A Pair Of Home Runs At Coors Field
MacKenzie Gore3 hours ago

Mystifies The Rockies In Masterful Coors Field Start
Mike Trout4 hours ago

Hits Two Home Runs In Saturday's Loss
Luis Severino12 hours ago

Works Eight Innings On Saturday
Chad Patrick12 hours ago

Posts Quality Start In Loss
Brent Rooker12 hours ago

Hits Go-Ahead Homer
TJ Friedl12 hours ago

Has Four-Hit Game
Ramón Laureano12 hours ago

Ramon Laureano Homers Twice Off The Bench
Griffin Conine12 hours ago

Suffers Dislocated Shoulder
Max Pacioretty16 hours ago

Available For Playoffs
Jake McCabe16 hours ago

Available For Sunday's Game 1
Oliver Bjorkstrand16 hours ago

Will Not Play In Round 1
Matthew Tkachuk16 hours ago

Logs Full Practice Saturday
Jonathan Drouin16 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Miro Heiskanen16 hours ago

Upgraded To Day-To-Day
Gabriel Vilardi17 hours ago

Out On Saturday
Jaylen Brown17 hours ago

Not Expected To Be Limited On Sunday
Irv Smith21 hours ago

Houston Re-Signs Irv Smith Jr.
Ja Morant2 days ago

Cleared To Play Friday
Brandon Williams2 days ago

Available Against Grizzlies
Anthony Davis2 days ago

Will Play Friday Night
Gary Trent Jr.2 days ago

Available For Game 1 Against Pacers
Taurean Prince2 days ago

Returns To Bucks Lineup Saturday
NFL2 days ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Waived With Non-Football Injury
Isaiah Stewart2 days ago

To Return For Game 1
Ausar Thompson2 days ago

Available For Game 1
Rui Hachimura2 days ago

On Track To Play Saturday
Austin Reaves2 days ago

Ready To Go For Game 1
NFL2 days ago

Bills Release Armani Rogers, Branson Deen
Luka Dončić2 days ago

Luka Doncic Removed From Injury Report
LeBron James2 days ago

Listed As Probable For Game 1
Ben Sheppard2 days ago

Probable For Saturday's Game 1
NFL2 days ago

Kolton Miller Absent From Raiders' Voluntary Offseason Program
Kevin Durant2 days ago

To Houston Already Losing Steam
Lauri Markkanen2 days ago

Wants To Stay With The Jazz
NFL2 days ago

Ross Blacklock Let Go By New York
Bennedict Mathurin2 days ago

Expected To Play In Game 1 Saturday
Pascal Siakam2 days ago

Available For Playoff Opener
Tyrese Haliburton2 days ago

Returning From Two-Game Absence Saturday
Cade Cunningham2 days ago

Available For Game 1 Against Knicks
Josh Hart2 days ago

Back In Knicks Lineup Saturday
OG Anunoby2 days ago

Good To Go For Game 1
NFL2 days ago

Raiders Considering Drafting A Quarterback
Irv Smith2 days ago

Sticking With Texans
Ryan Lindgren2 days ago

Set To Return Saturday
NFL2 days ago

Texans Expected To Draft Wide Receivers
Greg Dortch2 days ago

Returning To Cardinals
Josh Manson2 days ago

Available For Game 1
Mark Andrews2 days ago

Could Be Traded Soon
Ondrej Palat2 days ago

To Return For Start Of Playoffs
David Savard2 days ago

Will Retire After Playoffs
NFL2 days ago

Raiders, Falcons Could Have Interest In Jalen Ramsey
Robert Thomas2 days ago

Good To Go Saturday
Matthew Tkachuk2 days ago

Expected To Return For Game 1
2 days ago

Raiders Are High On Ashton Jeanty
Rome Odunze2 days ago

To Hopefully Get More Involved
NFL2 days ago

Dolphins Could Draft A Quarterback
James Cook2 days ago

Could Stay Away From Voluntary Workouts
Jake Tonges2 days ago

Signs Exclusive-Rights Tender
Denver Broncos2 days ago

Broncos To Focus On RB Position In Next Week's Draft
Drew Lock2 days ago

Sam Howell, Drew Lock Expected To Compete For Backup Job
New York Giants2 days ago

Giants Leaning Toward Taking Best Player Available At No. 3
New Orleans Saints2 days ago

Ryan Ramczyk Announces His Retirement
Buffalo Bills2 days ago

Tre'Davious White Reunites With Buffalo
Lucas Glover4 days ago

Looks To Rebound After Poor Performance
Daniel Berger4 days ago

Looking To Continue Solid Play At RBC
Sepp Straka4 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At RBC
Justin Thomas4 days ago

Looking To Shake Off Poor Masters At RBC Heritage
Xander Schauffele4 days ago

Still Looking For Year's First Win At RBC Heritage
Maverick McNealy4 days ago

Is An Intriguing Play At RBC Heritage
Shane Lowry4 days ago

Looks To Shake Off Poor Masters Sunday At RBC Heritage
Will Zalatoris4 days ago

Eyes A Bounce-Back At RBC Heritage
Gary Woodland4 days ago

Could Add Some Surprise At Hilton Head
Sam Burns4 days ago

Hoping For Better Times At RBC Heritage
Sahith Theegala4 days ago

Still Trying To Put It All Together
Aaron Rai4 days ago

Might Be That Guy For Hilton Head
Robert MacIntyre4 days ago

All Or Nothing At RBC Heritage
Tom Hoge4 days ago

Still Playing Solid Heading To Hilton Head
Nick Dunlap4 days ago

Continues To Have Rough Stretch
Keegan Bradley4 days ago

Looks To Move On From Masters Performance
Matt Fitzpatrick4 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Option At RBC Heritage
Patrick Cantlay4 days ago

A Strong Play At RBC Heritage
Jordan Spieth4 days ago

Targets Another Strong RBC Heritage Showing
Collin Morikawa4 days ago

Eyeing Victory At RBC Heritage
Max Homa4 days ago

Breaks Through At The Masters
Alexander Volkanovski5 days ago

Reclaims Featherweight Title
Diego Lopes5 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 314
Paddy Pimblett5 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Michael Chandler5 days ago

Suffers TKO Loss
MMA5 days ago

Patricio Freire Gets Dominated In His UFC Debut
Yair Rodriguez5 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Bryce Mitchell5 days ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 314
Jean Silva5 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 314
Dominick Reyes5 days ago

Wins Third Fight In A Row
6 days ago

Austin Dillon Nabs His First Top-10 Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
6 days ago

Ryan Blaney's Bold Strategies Fall Flat, Still Musters A Top-Five Finish At Bristol
6 days ago

Christopher Bell Finishes In The Top 10 After Falling Back Midway At Bristol
6 days ago

Ty Gibbs Earns His First Top-Five Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
6 days ago

Chase Briscoe Quietly Scores First Career Top-Five Finish At Bristol
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF