Jameson

Williams

Per Woodyard, Williams “has noticed Morton’s aggressiveness in his approach to taking deep shots down the field,” and “this is one of the major areas that Williams feels that he has improved since last season.” Williams described his diversified downfield route tree as being “more polished,” as he gets “better with cuts and angles.” While more deep shots do appear to be incoming, fantasy managers should note that Jared Goff downplayed the number of changes being made from last year to this year, and “remains confident the Lions can continue to execute at the highest level.” Maintaining the status quo to some degree would be a smart move for Morton, with the Lions having led the league in points per game (29.0) over the last three years.

While this development was expected, St. Brown’s comments confirm that Lions training camp will be worth following closely this summer. Prior reports indicated Morton could increase the Lions’ downfield passing rate this season, potentially leading to a larger role for Jameson Williams. Jahmyr Gibbs finished as the overall PPR RB1 last year despite totaling just the eighth-most touches (302). Could Morton shift more of the backfield’s workload toward him this year? Stay tuned.

This subplot had a brief little surge ahead of the draft that led nowhere, but the Lions did trade up to take Isaac TeSlaa in the third round of the draft. While the team has publicly prioritized extensions for Aidan Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph, GM Brad Holmes has been more muted while talking about Williams. Williams is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract ahead of his fifth-year option. The actions here are speaking loudly to the idea of dealing Williams after getting one more productive year out of him. It should be said, none of this speculation impacts Williams’ fantasy value this season, and coaches have raved about him all offseason in John Morton’s more downfield-focused attack. But the Lions have not appeared to prioritize a Williams extension and this could shape up to be the last dance for him in Detroit.

Campbell giving props to his starters is nothing new. The Williams drumbeat has been marching onward all offseason and has no end in sight. Jahmyr Gibbs is one of the most electric backs in the NFL. It’s no surprise he’s standing out in padless practices. The most interesting name of the bunch, outside of a handful of defenders Campebll also shouted out, is LaPorta. The third-year tight end took a step back in 2024, going from 86 receptions for 889 yards as a rookie to 60 grabs for 726 yards and three fewer touchdowns. LaPorta got a slow start to the year and was then hampered by ankle and shoulder injuries. After making noise in early offseason practices, it’s safe to assume this is the healthiest he has been since his rookie season. Even if LaPorta’s target volume is capped by the surrounding talent in Detroit, his involvement as a red zone weapon alone keeps him in the middle of the TE1 mix.

Williams showed his full potential as a playmaker for the Lions in 2024. The former first-round pick posted career-highs in receptions (58), receiving yards (1,001), and receiving touchdowns (7) while averaging an explosive 17.3 YPR. Hopes appear sky high for Williams heading into this season after new offensive coordinator John Morton said he expects a “breakout year” for him in 2025, and Campbell added this week that the “sky’s the limit” for the speedster. Williams’ success on the field resulted in him averaging 13.7 PPR per game for fantasy managers last season, although he only produced a top-24 week in 40 percent of his games. He may remain a bit of a boom-or-bust option next season, but he has a chance to be an impactful player on deeper rosters as a home run threat WR3/WR4.

Morton spent the 2022 season serving as a Lions senior offensive assistant before heading to Denver to serve as the Broncos’ pass game coordinator from 2023-2024. While Jared Goff (7.0) and Bo Nix (7.8) operated via similar aDOTs last year, Nix’s 126 passes thrown 15-plus yards downfield rank third among NFL QBs and hold a 23-pass edge over Goff, whose 103 qualifying attempts rank 13th. Increasing the Lions’ downfield passing frequency would benefit speedster Jameson Williams, who Morton talked up as a breakout candidate last week. Williams finished as the PPR WR22 last season.

Morton said he’d never “been around someone that fast,” then quickly corrected himself to note that Jahmyr Gibbs is also that fast. Williams came on strong last year with a 58/1001/7 receiving line, but offensive coordinator praise could mean even more targets are coming. It would likely come at the expense of Amon-Ra St. Brown’s production if Williams were to truly break out, though there’s plenty for St. Brown to give and still be a top-flight fantasy wideout. It’s risky to read too much into statements like this in the offseason, but the new offensive coordinator telling you he thinks it’ll be a breakout year for Williams is certainly noteworthy.

In his first full season as a pro, Williams flashed the potential the Lions hoped to see when they selected him No. 12 overall in 2022. The former Alabama product tallied career highs in receptions (58), receiving yards (1,001), and receiving touchdowns (7), while averaging 17.3 YPR. Now under contract through the 2026 season, the Lions will get at least two more years of Williams at an affordable price before they would have to consider offering him a long-term extension.

Previous reports had Williams as a possible trade candidate ahead of the draft, but nothing came of them, and Holmes made it clear that a trade was never on the table. Detroit ultimately took Ohio State DT Tyleik Williams with the No. 28 pick, adding to a front seven that was crushed by injuries in 2025. Williams will remain the team’s WR2 for the upcoming season, offering an elite weekly ceiling despite his limited role in the Detroit offense. The Lions are expected to pick up Williams’ fifth-year option, keeping him under contract through the 2026 season.

Brad Holmes was demonstrably less enthusiastic about re-signing Jameson Williams as compared to the extensions he said he was going to negotiate with Kerby Joseph and Aidan Hutchinson this offseason, per The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy. It probably comes down to what the Lions could command in return for Williams, who has two years left on his contract after Detroit picks up his fifth-year option. We’d find it hard to believe they’d just deal their No. 2 wideout away without being in position to land one of the best receivers in this draft and replace him right away. We’re skeptical that the Lions would do this a year early, but we can’t entirely rule it out.