Aside from a few setbacks, Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams made significant progress in his third season, both on and off the field. He matured as a person and developed into a more well-rounded pass catcher, and the outcomes reflected that.

From a fantasy football standpoint, Williams did experience some inconsistency, which was expected heading into the 2024 season. However, he still ended up as a low-end WR1 (WR10 in standard scoring, Weeks 1-17) or WR2 (WR23 in full PPR) across all scoring formats.

If not for two missed games and a couple of notably poor weeks, where he finished outside the top 100 fantasy wide receivers for the week, his performance would have been even better. He definitely lived up to the potential of a WR4 average draft position (ADP).

Williams could have even more to offer next season. From a fantasy perspective, it’ll be intriguing to see where his ADP stands this summer.

Nic Bodiford of Pro Football Focus recently analyzed potential WR1s for fantasy in 2025. The key criterion was not finishing as a WR1 (top-12 in PPR scoring; Weeks 1-17) this past season. The top two on the list (Puka Nacua and Nico Collins) were obvious picks, as both missed significant time due to injury this season.

Alongside Zay Flowers and Xavier Worthy, Williams made the cut for the list.

Bodiford highlighted Williams’ effectiveness with downfield throws and after the catch this year.

He also pointed out that Williams will likely never surpass Amon-Ra St. Brown as the Lions’ primary target. However, it was significant that Williams’ target share spiked in a couple of games late this season (23.5 percent in Week 17; 24.2 percent in Week 18), and according to Bodiford, “among Detroit pass catchers in Weeks 16-Wild Card Weekend, his 13 first-read targets ranked third.”

Williams’ role as a runner for the Lions is also noteworthy (11 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown this season), which could be a fantasy advantage if it continues with new offensive coordinator John Morton calling the shots. He also recorded 91 targets in 15 games this season, so 100-plus targets next season is definitely a possibility.

If not for the two missed games due to suspension and those underperforming weeks, Williams might have finished as a WR1 in fantasy this year. Therefore, the path to achieving that next season, as emphasized by Bodiford, seems clearly within reach.