As we gear up to the start of the NFL season, Football Absurdity is going to bring you a comprehensive breakdown of every notable player that will be available in fantasy football drafts. If I had a fantasy football nemesis, it would be Damien Williams. He was going way too high in fantasy football drafts last year, but pointing that out had people literally searching “Damien Williams” on twitter coming in and calling you stupid and yelling at you. I was right that he wasn’t worth a second-round pick. Then, he ripped out my heart in the Super Bowl as he manhandled my 49ers to seal the game. I hate Damien Williams. That’s not true. I’m sure he’s delightful. I don’t hate the person, I hate the abstract concept of Damien Williams.
Damien Williams ADP and AAV:
Standard Scoring ADP: RB33, 86 overall
PPR Scoring ADP: RB38, 94 overall
Average Auction Value: $3
Damien Williams Statistics:
| Year | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| G | 11 | 16 | 11 |
| GS | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| Ru Att | 111 | 50 | 46 |
| Ru Yds | 498 | 256 | 181 |
| Ru TD | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Tgt | 37 | 24 | 28 |
| Rec | 30 | 23 | 20 |
| Yards | 213 | 160 | 155 |
| TD | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Touches | 141 | 73 | 66 |
| Opp | 148 | 74 | 74 |
| Total Yards | 711 | 416 | 336 |
| Year | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| YPC | 4.49 | 5.12 | 3.93 |
| Ru Att/G | 10.1 | 3.1 | 4.2 |
| Ru Yd/G | 45.3 | 16.0 | 16.5 |
| Tgt/G | 3.36 | 1.50 | 2.55 |
| Rec/G | 2.73 | 1.44 | 1.82 |
| Catch% | 81.1% | 95.8% | 71.4% |
| Yds/Tgt | 5.76 | 6.67 | 5.54 |
| Yds/Rec | 7.10 | 6.96 | 7.75 |
| Touches/G | 12.82 | 4.56 | 6.00 |
| Opp/G | 13.45 | 4.63 | 6.73 |
| Yds/G | 64.64 | 26.00 | 30.55 |
| Year | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Std Pts | 111.1 | 75.6 | 39.6 |
| HPPR Pts | 126.1 | 87.1 | 49.6 |
| PPR Pts | 141.1 | 98.6 | 59.6 |
| Pts/G | 10.10 | 4.73 | 3.60 |
| HPPR Pts/G | 11.46 | 5.44 | 4.51 |
| PPR Pts/G | 12.83 | 6.16 | 5.42 |
| Pts/Touch | 0.79 | 1.04 | 0.60 |
| Pts/Touch (HPPR) | 0.89 | 1.19 | 0.75 |
| Pts/Touch (PPR) | 1.00 | 1.35 | 0.90 |
Damien Williams Overview:
Andy Reid and I have being distrustful of Damien Williams in common. When Kareem Hunt had his ignominious exit from KC back in 2018, Spencer Ware was the first back to get the nod for Reid. He also signed the corpse of Charcandrick West off the street, but that didn’t work. He begrudgingly turned to Williams in the 2018 playoffs.
Then in 2019, Reid went out and got Carlos Hyde literally less than 24 hours after he became a street free agent, again putting Damien Williams’ production in question. Once LeSean McCoy became available, Hyde became a Texan and McCoy a Chief. Through all of this, people insisted that Damien Williams is Andy Reid’s preferred back. There was nothing to support it then.
And there is nothing to support it now. Andy Reid cut to the quick, taking Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. No longer content to find flotsam and jetsam to compete with D-Will, Reid drafted a first-round running back for the first time in his career. When asked how he views Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Andy Reid remarked that he’s “better than Brian [Westbrook].” It honestly doesn’t matter if you believe that CEH is better than Westbrook or not; the only person who matters thinks that could be the case.
There is one avenue to D-Williams having value this season: a struggles-filled camp from CEH in a shortened COVID offseason. That’s it. Otherwise, CEH is taking Williams’ lunch by week six, at the latest. CEH is flat-out better at everything, so even the “squint and you’ll see it” pass-catching role from Williams doesn’t exist. CEH had 55 receptions last year; Williams’ career-high is 30, and he’s 28 years old. Be like Andy Reid and look elsewhere.
Damien Williams Draft Strategy:
Damien Williams Auction Value: $0
Draft Ranking: Find out for your league settings in a Beersheet! (coming late June)
As I said, I am out on Damien Williams. Well, mostly… Here’s the thing: Damien Williams keeps having good partial seasons. Is it because he’s incapable of staying healthy? Probably. Is it because he isn’t actually capable of being a bell cow for a stretch of time, despite his fans saying otherwise. That tells me you can get some value out of Damien Williams, but once again, his ADP probably doesn’t flesh with his likely final product.
So, effectively, once again, I am finding myself with zero shares of Damien Williams. He is a ticking clock; his replacement is on the roster. Finally, mercifully, Reid will turn Williams into the place where he can thrive: as the short-side of the platoon. Now, the short-side of the platoon in Andy Reid’s KC offense has a lot of value, so this is probably the best role we can hope for from Damien Williams. It will allow him to score touchdowns and pop long plays without the danger of him breaking from overuse. He’s going a bit high for me for that price, but you could talk me into him a couple of rounds later, given KC’s situation.
Best Case Scenario:
Clyde Edwards-Helaire evaporates into a plume of smoke, as does every other street free agent running back. The Terrigen Mist hits and Damien Williams’ power is Wolverine’s advanced healing. Then we’re in business.
Worst Case Scenario:
Clyde Edwards-Helaire really, definitively, is his replacement in Kansas City and he’s relegated to a measly 150 touches (a career-high).
[Statistics are sourced from pro-football-reference.com and airyards.com]
