Williams is likely to become Chicago’s starting running back if David Montgomery misses time. So is he worth starting in fantasy football? Let’s figure that out.
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Player Profile
Williams is 29 years old and in his seventh NFL season. Really, though, I should be calling him 29 years young. He has only received 456 touches at this point in his career, or roughly 65 per season. Williams shouldn’t have a shortage of gas left in the tank.
Williams went undrafted out of Oklahoma in 2014, but he offered quite a bit of upside as a strong, fast running back who could contribute in the passing game. He stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 225 pounds. He ran a 4.45 40-yard dash in 2014. He also put up 16 reps on the bench press, an impressive number for a running back.
Through four games, Williams has touched the ball 24 times for 114 yards and a touchdown. He is big enough to handle work on the goal line, but he is also a proven pass-catcher, which makes him an interesting candidate to be a three-down back in Chicago’s beat-up backfield.
State of The Offense:
Chicago is in a tough spot. The whole world seemingly wants Justin Fields to lead the offense, yet head coach Matt Nagy adamantly plans to start a healthy Andy Dalton.
Truthfully, I don’t think that it will matter much for Damien Williams’ fantasy prospects. Chicago’s offensive line isn’t great. They only have one lineman (Jason Peters) with a run-blocking grade above 62, per ProFootballFocus, and David Montgomery ranked 27th in the NFL in yards before contact per attempt before his injury.
Inside the red zone, Dalton and Fields have combined for just 10 passes. Nagy has called 13 running plays inside the 20-yard line. It gets even worse when you move the margins. Inside the 10 yard line, the Bears have attempted three passes and four runs.
Mostly, that tells us that Chicago’s offense isn’t often in great field position. That lowers Williams’ ceiling.
Williams’ Outlook:
Of Chicago’s three running backs to play a down this season (Montgomery, Williams, and Khalil Herbert), Williams has the highest grade from ProFootballFocus (78.9). He has averaged more than 4.7 yards per carry over his last three seasons, too.
I am intrigued by his versatility as both a bruiser between the tackles and a pass catcher. I’d be surprised if sixth-round rookie Khalil Herbert ate into Williams’ workload to a degree other than simply being his backup.
Sure, Damien Williams has never earned a “starting” role, but no evidence indicates that he isn’t an above-average running back in the NFL.
I’d start Williams next week against the Raiders. After that, his next two games will come against the Packers and Buccaneers, both of which have proven to be tough matchups for opposing running backs. If you’re adding Williams, next Sunday is probably the day to play him.
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TJ Horgan is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from TJ, check out his archive and follow him @tjhorgantv.