Jamaal Williams didn’t take long to find a new team, as the veteran runner signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Saints. His former team, the Lions, had already signed David Montgomery to replace him in the backfield.
Williams is coming off a career season, posting 1,066 rushing yards, 17 rushing touchdowns a Detroit franchise record and NFL best, and 225.9 fantasy points. That’s 80 more points than his previous career best, which came in 2019.
What’s more, his 17 rushing scores were four more than he had in his entire NFL career during the previous five seasons (13). Williams will now play the “Mark Ingram role” in the Saints offense, splitting some of the early-down and goal-line work with Alvin Kamara. He could play an even bigger role in the offense if the NFL suspends Kamara for an incident in Las Vegas during the 2022 Pro Bowl.
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If that happens, Williams could very well push for RB2 value while Kamara is out. For now, I see him as a potential flex starter with a limited ceiling with Kamara in the mix. He’ll also be one of the league’s best fantasy handcuffs at the position.
As for Kamara, I’d avoid him in fantasy drafts as anything more than a risk-reward RB2. His numbers have declined since Drew Brees retired two years ago, and Williams is younger and frankly better than Ingram at this point in their careers.
In fact, Kamara could completely bust if the NFL suspends him, and Williams takes a bigger role in the offense like we saw him do in Detroit ahead of D’Andre Swift.
