Trayveon Williams Fantasy Football Outlook - An Expanded Running Back Role in 2023?

Trayveon Williams is a name most NFL fans haven't heard, but we might get to know him better this year.

The 26-year-old led the SEC in rushing yards and touchdowns in 2018 before being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2019 draft. Since then, he has only gotten 47 carries in his four years with the Bengals.

However, Cincinnati has not added any running backs in free agency to replace Samaje Perine. Who will step up? Recent reports out of Cincinnati suggest that the former Aggie could be in for a much larger role in 2023.

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What Has Trayveon Williams Done in the NFL?

You wouldn't necessarily think Trayveon Williams was registering on the Bengals' coaching staff's radar just by looking at his yearly splits. He had no carries his rookie season, and his carry totals only declined each year from 2020 until now: from 26 to 15 to 6 last season.

However, those six carries were six more than Chris Evans got, and in fact, they were the third-most for any running back on the Bengals. Williams has officially passed Evans on the depth chart as the RB3. (Incoming rookie Chase Brown is RB2.)

In his limited usage, Williams has been productive. He has run for 238 yards on 47 carries, an average of 5.1 yards per carry. In two of his seasons, he averaged over 3.5 yards after contact per attempt. PFF gave him a 74.6 rushing grade and an 82.9 offensive grade in 2022.

Fun fact: This spring, Williams is co-teaching a class about name and likeness (NIL) rights at his alma mater Texas A&M's School of Law.

What is Trayveon Williams' Fantasy Outlook in 2023?

Trayveon Williams is a hard-nosed runner who doesn't stop churning his legs. It is hard for defenders to hang onto him. He has a way of getting where he wants to go that makes it look almost like he's doing magic.

None of that matters if he doesn't see touches. And while recent comments from the Bengals coaching staff are encouraging, we shouldn't put too much stock into them this early in the offseason.

But the Bengals drafted Chase Brown in round 4. Last season, the Bengals' RB1 and RB2 monopolized carries. Mixon and Perine got 76.4% of the team's total carries and 98.0% of all carries directed to running backs. The disparity wasn't so extreme in 2021, but the two top RBs still got well over 90% of the planned runs. So if Chase Brown maintains his spot as RB2, there just won't be much work available for Trayveon Williams.

Keep an eye on Williams in training camp and preseason to see if he can overtake Brown. Also, watch what the Bengals do about Joe Mixon. Barring anything crazy happening, Mixon will be the RB1 this season, but his status after this year is in doubt. If Mixon or Brown gets injured, Williams is a must-add.

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