If you thought about benching Jameson Williams again this week, think again.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell shook things up on the teams offense in Week 10, taking over play-calling from offensive coordinator John Morton. It resulted in one of the Lions' most explosive games of the year, handing Jared Goff a three-touchdown, 300+ passing yard performance and a team-high 119 receiving yards for Williams.
It was the receiver's first game since Week 2 when he cracked 100 receiving yards, and a week after Morton had apologized for not figuring out the best way to incorporate the Lions' speediest weapon into his scheme.
Campbell's takeover of the offense has suddenly thrust Williams back into the fold, making him a fantastic option for fantasy managers looking to get him back into their starting lineups.
Williams' fantasy value saved, avoids cursed regression label from analyst
NBC Sports' Denny Carter offers a list of regression candidates ahead of each week of the NFL regular season, and Williams had previously made an appearance on Carter's list as a perfect regression target for fantasy owners. This week, Williams is on the opposite side of the spectrum.
***"Assuming Campbell keeps offensive play calling duties to himself — a good assumption, I’d say — Williams’ Week 10 usage probably means he’ll be more than a splash-play dependent WR3/4 in 12-team fantasy leagues. More aggressive passing and more intermediate looks for Jamo could do the impossible: Vault him into low-end WR2 territory,"***wrote Carter of Williams' brand new value.
READ MORE: The Lions' offensive resurgence against the Commanders is no fluke
Williams is already rostered by 87 percent of fantasy users on Yahoo and 86 percent of users on ESPN, so it's a matter of seeing the value in promoting him back to the starting lineup for Week 11 rather than picking him up on the wire. However, the Lions are also set to face off against a tough Philadelphia Eagles defense.
They're currently allowing 209.3 net passing yards per game, which is just 14th in the league. They also just held the Green Bay Packers to 176 passing yards, getting to Jordan Love three times.
We know the Lions' offensive line has been a question mark for the last few weeks given the regression of Graham Glasgow at center, and now it's in an even more precarious situation without starting left guard Christian Mahogany. But, Kayode Awosika held his own in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders, so perhaps Detroit can keep Goff clean enough to continue to incorporate Williams fully back into the game plan.
If the Lions want to continue to piece together performances like what they had in Week 10, they must have Williams involved for explosive plays and cross routes. It's why it seems wise to bet on Williams to have a productive fantasy performance against the Eagles, regardless of their defensive prowess.