Antonio Williams
Antonio Williams
The Washington Commanders can’t seem to get all their key wide receivers healthy for a game lately. In Week 4, Terry McLaurin was out due a hamstring injury that happened late in the practice week. In Week 5, it’s Stefon Diggs who will be out as he also deals with a hamstring issue, and McLaurin is listed as questionable himself.
With McLaurin out in Week 4, opportunity of course knocked for others. Rookie Antonio Williams was the primary beneficiary, as he set a season (and of course career)-high in offensive snaps (44) and snap share (68.8 percent). He was also, according to Pro Football Focus, second on the team in routes run with 30.
A dismal looking stat line, three catches for 21 yards, shouldn’t obscure that Antonio Williams also had eight targets in that game against the Indianapolis Colts, with rookie seventh-round pick Athan Kaliakmanis playing most of the game at quarterback for Washington. He also had what would’ve been an impressive 87-yard touchdown negated by an illegal shift penalty.
Antonio Williams Is a Viable Fantasy Draft Throw for Week 5
Antonio Williams
Oct 4, 2026; Tottenham, ENG; Injured Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels walks off the field after the Commanders’ game against the Indianapolis Colts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The most prominent piece of news for Antonio Williams and the entire Commanders’ offense in Week 5 against the New York Giants is the return of quarterback Jayden Daniels. He will wear a brace on his injured non-throwing elbow, and his history against the Giants is quite good from a fantasy production perspective.
Back in Week 1, the last full game Daniels played, Williams had four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.
While Diggs has been officially ruled out, McLaurin can be considered “highly questionable” for Sunday’s game. He did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday, before getting in a limited session on Friday. If he does play, it’s fair to assume he’ll be pretty limited and/or on a snap count.
As for the transferability of Williams’ role from being similar to McLaurin in Week 4 to possibly similar to Diggs’ role in Week 5, he has lined up on the outside for 72 snaps and in the slot for 58 snaps so far this season (according to PFF). That alignment has also been mixed nicely between both sides of the formation.
However it looks, with Diggs out and McLaurin all but sure to be at less than full capacity if he does play, Williams is in line for a substantial role on Sunday.
The Giants are in the middle of the pack in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers so far this season. However, at least one opposing wide receiver has had at least six receptions and double-digit fantasy points (full PPR) against them in each of their last three games. If they can’t make Daniels uncomfortable, there’ll be an extra layer of good for whoever is catching his passes.
In deeper leagues, McLaurin fantasy managers could consider a late waiver wide add of Williams as a fallback option. As of this writing he is available in 93 percent of ESPN and Yahoo! leagues.
On the DFS side, Williams is a nice bargain at $5,200 on FanDuel this week. On DraftKings, he’s an even better bargain at $3,800.
The Last Word
Practically regardless of McLaurin’s availability on Sunday, Antonio Williams is a viable plug-and-play as a flex option in deeper fantasy leagues with a slight lean toward non-PPR formats. If McLaurin is inactive, which again appears to not be out of the question, Williams’ appeal will rise into WR3 territory along the same line (a lean toward non-PPR formats) with a push toward potential viability in 12 and 14-team leagues.
For DFS, bargains with a path to upside are always on the radar when putting together lineups. At the wide receiver position for Week 5, Antonio Williams is very appealing at his price point within the promise of another uptick in his role. He won’t have to do a lot to return value based on what he costs, and he feels like a lock to do a good bit more than that.
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