One of my favorite late-round 2020 fantasy football receiver targets this year is Dolphins’ second-year receiver, Preston Williams. His rookie year was cut short after eight games due to a torn ACL, but he managed to rack up 32 receptions for 428 yards and three touchdowns on 60 targets. Extrapolate that over a full season and we would have seen a solid campaign with 64 catches for 865 yards and six scores on 120 targets. It would’ve been a solid rookie year for the undrafted rookie, especially since the Dolphins offense picked up their play at the end of the year after Williams was injured.
“Getting injured — it’s not my first rodeo with the ACL, the knee injury,” Williams said. “I just knew I needed to work as hard as I could to get back in time for camp. I just came here every day, stayed here the whole summer, all offseason, worked my ass off. Now I’m getting my reps at practice, so I’m just happy to be out there with the guys.”
When looking at Williams, his 6-foot-5 frame stands out immediately as a red-zone beast. His talent was on display in flashes last year when the Dolphins had their moments of looking like a competent team. Guys with his combination of size and speed are pretty rare, but when given the chance, he’s shown that he can make plays. Firmly settled behind DeVante Parker as the Dolphins’ WR2, Williams should benefit getting matched up with CB2s and safeties keeping an eye on Parker.
His quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, has been impressed with Williams’ camp thus far:
“Preston is very unique, just in terms of his physical qualities — the height, the weight, the speed, how nimble he is, all that stuff, his ability to track the ball — and having to sit out, you always kind of look for the silver lining or maybe the positives in a situation that isn’t so positive,” Fitzpatrick said.
“So him getting hurt last year, he was also just able to take a step back and watch a little bit and learn the game a little bit more and I know he worked his butt off all offseason and that was really apparent as we came back, just in seeing him and all the work that he put in, and he’s done a great job. I think his confidence is high right now.”
The Dolphins’ wide receiver room has suffered through a handful of COVID-19 opt-outs over the last few weeks, which is what should boost Williams’ target share in 2020. Both Albert Wilson and Allen Hurns will not be playing this season, which opens up a handful of targets for Williams and the rest of the Dolphins.
Last year. Parker and tight end Mike Gesicki dominated the target share after Williams’ ACL injury. But it looks like the talented wideout will be in line for a significant target bump amidst the hold outs and a potential sophomore breakout.
While we consider all the positive upside Williams possesses this year, we still have to keep in mind the inherent risk of him coming off an ACL injury. While many overcome this injury no problem, it’s best to keep an eye on his progress during camp. With his current ADP of a 12th round receiver, I’m more than willing to draft Williams as a late-round flier with huge upside.
Currently ranked as The Wolf’s WR50 on our 2020 Fantasy Football Big Board, there seems to be plenty of upside surrounding Preston Williams in 2020, making him a legitimate Penny Stock in the double-digit rounds of drafts this year.
