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. Preston Williams was an undrafted free agent last year, but also apparently did enough to bring down the fantasy football value of everybody else on the team. He’s coming off a torn ACL, but he still has plenty of upside for 2020 fantasy football leagues.
Preston Williams ADP and AAV:
Standard: WR52, 131 overal
PPR: WR50, 135 overall
Average Auction Value: $1
Preston Williams Statistics:
| Year | 2019 |
| G | 8 |
| GS | 7 |
| Tgt | 60 |
| Rec | 32 |
| Yards | 428 |
| TD | 3 |
| Tgt/G | 3.75 |
| Rec/G | 2.00 |
| Rec% | 53.3% |
| Yds/Tgt | 7.13 |
| Yds/Rec | 13.38 |
| Year | 2019 |
| Std Pts | 58.8 |
| HPPR Pts | 74.8 |
| PPR Pts | 90.8 |
| Pts/G | 7.4 |
| HPPR Pts/G | 9.4 |
| PPR Pts/G | 11.4 |
| Pts/Tgt | 0.98 |
| Pts/Tgt (HPPR) | 1.25 |
| Pts/Tgt (PPR) | 1.51 |
| Year | 2019 |
| Air Yards | 818 |
| aDOT | 13.6 |
| YAC | 84 |
| YAC/Tgt | 1.40 |
| YAC/Rec | 2.63 |
| YAC% | 19.6% |
| AYMS | 31% |
| Tgt MS | 21% |
Preston Williams Overview:
ACL recoveries aren’t what they used to be. It used to be that an ACL tear usually meant that part of your next season was in doubt, but no longer. Now, guys like Preston Williams, who tore his ACL more than half of the way through 2019, is expected back for week one of the 2020 season.
In his rookie 2019 season, Williams came on as a force last year underneath Ryan Fitzpatrick. Let’s throw out the trash passes he received from Josh Rosen and focus on the five games that Williams played with Ryan Fitzpatrick last year. In those five games, Williams played on a 112 target, 70 reception, 906 yards, 9.5 touchdown pace last year. For those of you keeping track at home, that’s incredibly good. Granted, two of his three touchdowns came against the Jets right before he tore his ACL and went down for the season. Still, that pace raises more than a few eyebrows, especially when you consider that he can play in the slot and outside, as well. It’s likely that Williams rarely comes off the field in 2020.
Preston Williams Draft Strategy:
Preston Williams Auction Value: $1
Draft Ranking: Find out for your league settings in a Beersheet!
Preston Williams’ hot rookie campaign cut short by injury, with amazing projected numbers from a chopped up season, is exactly the reason why he’s a hot sleeper. Williams has some downside, yes. Namely, he’s on the Miami Dolphins. Also, DeVante Parker and Mike Gesicki played well enough to command a bigger part of this offense after Williams went down with an injury. Also, past injuries are the top predictor of future injuries.
Despite all this, I am in on Preston Williams this year at his price. Why not, right? He’s basically free, going as a WR5 in twelve-team leagues as a depth bench piece. If something goes sour with his knee recovery, you can always move on from him, but he’s a low-downside, high-upside pick toward the end of your draft. You can take Preston Williams or Justin Tucker, for example. Though maybe… I mean… Tucker is the #1 kicker.
Best Case Scenario:
Preston Williams comes back and balls out under Ryan Fitzpatrick, then Tua Tagovailoa. He ends the year as a top-24 wide receiver.
Worst Case Scenario:
The big “Tank For Tua” lever gets stuck and the Dolphins continue to tank. Preston Williams is forced to get passes from Josh Rosen all season long. He self-tears his ACL to end his suffering.
[Statistics are sourced from pro-football-reference.com and airyards.com]
