Jameson Williams’ Value to Detroit Lions Has Never Been Higher
While fantasy managers are gnashing their teeth in frustration over Jameson Williams’ lack of double-digit scoring, his value to the Detroit Lions has never been higher.
Oct 5, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Detroit Lions tight end Sam Laporta (87) and wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) react after a touchdown during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium.
Jameson Williams’ Value to the Detroit Lions Has Never Been Higher
Last year’s career-best season ranked Williams 59th on ESPN Fantasy’s PPR Top 300. He recorded over 1,000 yards receiving on 58 receptions, seven touchdowns, and another 61 yards on 11 carries with one touchdown.
During the preseason, when asked about Williams, Coach Dan Campbell gave a glowing response, “Listen, he’s had a good spring…there’s so much versatility with him. There are so many things we can do with his routes on the outside. We can do things inside, but just with his speed, and he’s gotten so much stronger. His ability to stop, put his foot in the ground. When you can run like he can run, and now you’re beginning to see where you can stop on a dime, you talk about a hard cover. The sky’s the limit for him.”
Williams’ Lack of Fantasy Production
Fantasy managers who drafted him as one of their top picks were salivating with the expectation of another breakout year. Williams earned his 2024 fantasy managers 212.2 PPR fantasy points. Instead, this season his production suffered. Drops, near misses, and fewer targets have resulted in a total of 39.4 fantasy points. Through the first five weeks, Williams nabbed only 11 of 21 targets for 223 yards with one touchdown. In the Lions’ 34-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 5, Williams caught two of eight passes.
Part of the reason for Williams’ reduced production is the increased coverage he draws. Following his breakout season last year, opposing defenses recognize the deep vertical threat he poses and scheme to limit that possibility.
Jamo’s Multiple Threat Capability
However, while the points haven’t materialized in fantasy, it doesn’t mean Williams isn’t earning his huge contract extension in other ways. OC John Morton has repeatedly addressed the value of wide receivers blocking in the run game. “We’ve got wideouts that can block. They’re the best in football, and a lot of teams see a loaded box like that, they’re just throwing it. But not with our guys. It’s pretty impressive what our wideouts do. That’s the reason why we’re one of the tops in the run game, because of what they do.”
Quarterback Jared Goff echoed Morton’s enthusiasm, referencing how much it fires up the team. “Yeah. That’s cool. I mean, that’s the DNA of our team, and the DNA of the guys that they continue to bring in here are guys that do that. When you see guys like Saint and Jahmyr and David (Montgomery) and Jamo do it over and over and over again, it’s like everyone has to do it; they don’t have a choice. It’s cool. It’s part of our culture, and those guys continue to do it, and it helps, it really does. It springs some of those runs and some of those long downfield plays and gets them in the end zone.”
Williams Has Seen His Share Of Good and Bad Calls
The Lions invested a great deal of faith in Williams, trading up to acquire him 12th overall in the 2022 draft. However, an ACL injury in his first year and off-field gambling issues had fans questioning the wisdom of that move. Following his involvement in the 2023 gambling scandal that saw older team participants released, management gave him a second chance. However, despite flashes of speed and downfield mobility, Williams didn’t play much of a role in Ben Johnson’s offensive scheme in his first two years. That changed during his stellar 2024 season. Learning from that experience, the former Alabama standout went on to become one of the NFL’s leading receivers.
Nonetheless, one horrific play call from last season involving Williams stands out. Late in the postseason game against the Washington Commanders, the Lions were behind when Johnson called for Williams to throw a pass. He threw an interception, the Commanders scored, and went on to win the game 45-31.
Recently, Johnson, the Chicago Bears head coach, acknowledged his error in judgment. “I felt like within that setting, that as good as that (Commanders) offense was clicking, you know, you feel a little bit of pressure on offense to go score for score and you don’t want to fall behind by two scores against a good team like that,” Johnson said. “So, might have been a little bit more aggressive with the play calls and got away from the game plan a little bit based on how that game went.”
A Mature Veteran And Lions Role Model
Now, Williams is pairing his talent with a new level of maturity and leadership. In his fourth year, Williams is now a veteran in the receiving room. He is seen as a mentor by the young receivers who come to him with questions. Williams is grateful that now he is the one with the experience and the answers, “They’re coming to me asking what’s going on. And I got the right answers for them. So, it feels good being that guy, that role model for them.”
When asked about Williams’ contributions and growth this season, Campbell acknowledged the difficulty in getting open due to the attention he attracts from team defenses. “Yeah, well, he gets a lot of attention put his way when he’s out there…It’s not always the easiest thing if you’re a receiver.”
But Campbell paid Williams a big compliment for how he contributes in other ways, noting, “He didn’t let it affect him, and he was going to help those other guys downfield, he was going to help our runners, and he did. He showed up in a big way; he was physical in the run game. So, he’s a team guy and we appreciate that about him.”
Capitals’ Hendrix Lapierre Looking to Make Permanent Jump to NHL
The Washington Capitals’ 23-year-old center Hendrix Lapierre has made the opening night roster out of training camp and is looking to take up permanent residence in the capital city this season. The highly-skilled Gatineau, Quebec native looks to have pushed Connor McMichael from his third-line center role back to the wing on the second line.
Lapierre has a lot to prove this season. Last year, he made the Capitals’ opening night roster, even after an unimpressive training camp, and he followed it up with a disappointing first half of the season. The Capitals kept him on until right before the holiday break in December, when former Capital Lars Eller took his place. This season, Lapierre is playing on a one-year contract and is no longer waiver-exempt. For the time being, it looks like he’s won his spot back on the big club, but now he has to keep it.
A Risky Draft Selection
Lapierre was selected 22nd overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to his draft year, he was regarded as a “top-ten talent” but slipped in the draft rankings due to three concussions suffered over a 10-month period. After his third concussion sidelined him for the majority of the 2019-20 season, Lapierre was diagnosed with a craniocervical traumatic injury that mirrors concussion symptoms, for which he received treatment in the spring of 2020.
To acquire Lapierre, the Capitals traded their 24th and 80th overall picks to the Calgary Flames to move up in the draft order. Largely considered a risky pick, the Capitals had Lapierre on their radar for some time and were willing to take the chance on the crafty centerman.
“I know he’s had a rough year with injuries,” former Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan told Tarik El-Bashir of The Atlantic. “We’ve had our doctors (and) our trainer check him out as we went through the whole draft process. There probably is a little risk there. But I thought at our pick, where we were at, the upside just made up for it. He’s a skilled player (with the) potential to be a top-six centerman. He has real good character, a real good personality. There are a lot of positives about the player. We’re excited we were able to get him and I guess it is just the upside with the risk just makes sense for us” (from ‘Henrik Lundqvist buzz heats up; Caps first-rounder Hendrix Lapierre’s ‘upside,’
Back and Forth to Hershey
After his first NHL training camp at the start of the 2021-22 season, Lapierre played six games with the Capitals before returning for his final year of junior hockey in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The next season, he was assigned to the Capitals’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hershey Bears, at the completion of camp. In his first professional campaign, he recorded 30 points in 60 games and helped the Bears capture their 12th Calder Cup title, scoring the game-tying goal in the seventh game of the Final.
In the 2023-24 season, Lapierre started the season in Hershey but was called up on a number of occasions to join the big club, recording 22 points in 51 games with the Capitals. He was reassigned to Hershey for their playoff run where he collected 22 points in 20 games as the Bears once again hoisted the Calder Cup. Lapierre was named playoff MVP as he led all players in scoring.
In the 2024-25 season, Lapierre appeared in the first 27 games for the Capitals, winning a spot out of training camp, but he only recorded eight assists before being assigned to Hershey for the remainder of the year. The Capitals were not impressed with his lackluster performance and ended up getting Eller to fill his spot. Lapierre was a point-per-game player for the AHL club for the remainder of the season before their quest for a third championship was halted by the Charlotte Checkers in the division finals. In July 2025, he signed a one-year contract with the Capitals for $850,000.
Lapierre spent the summer working on his game at Amped Hockey in Ottawa, and the results seem to be speaking for themselves. He looks quicker, grittier, and more determined to make the team this year. He’s clearly not taking anything for granted. “I put in a lot of work in the summer,” Lapierre told
Preseason Success
Lapierre has come back strong to start the 2025-26 season, racking up seven points in his four preseason games with the Capitals, including two three-point nights.
“He had a good camp. You can tell he looks a little quicker, there’s some jump there,”
Lapierre’s exceptional play has forced the Capitals coaching staff to reconsider Connor McMichael’s presumed place as the team’s third center. McMichael had his breakthrough season in 2024-25, scoring 26 goals and 57 points playing the wing. Lapierre’s success has worked out well for both players, with McMichael playing on the second line with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Tom Wilson (who he had great success with last season) and Lapierre centering Anthony Beauvillier and Ryan Leonard.
Lapierre had tough competition at camp this season, with several players on a mission to prove themselves. Sonny Milano, who missed almost all of last season due to injury, is entering the final year of his three-year contract. He made the team, but was a healthy scratch for the opener against the Boston Bruins. Ivan Miroshnichenko was hoping to crack the lineup this year, but was sent back to Hershey at the end of the preseason. So too did rookie Andrew Cristall, who, despite a strong showing at camp the last two years, failed to make the team.
Lapierre will need to play consistently well to keep his position with the Capitals this season. With a lot of talent in Hershey just waiting for an opportunity, he’ll need to maintain the mental strength and determination he’s demonstrated these last weeks all season long.
