HOLY CRAP, IT’S HAPPENING! IT’S FINALLY FREAKING HAPPENING!
First off, I would like to start by saying I hope you all bought low on my guy Javonte Williams. Because your window to buy-low, yeah that’s been slammed shut.
Unfortunately, it took a Melvin Gordon injury for the Broncos to unleash Williams as the workhorse, but boy did he shine bright. In Gordon’s absence, Williams set career highs in snap rate (78%), opportunities (32), and scrimmage yards (178). In his first ever start, he finished as the RB1 on the week with 28.8 PPR.
The rookie did it all. He accumulated 102 rushing yards on 23 carries and added another six receptions for 76 yards and a score. He proved on a national stage against the Chiefs that he has three-down workhorse capabilities.
“I was very impressed with Javonte,” Teddy Bridgewater said. “He did a great job of executing everything we asked of him tonight, whether it was protections, running the ball [or] catching the ball out of the backfield.”
I know, I know, if you have been anxiously waiting for this day since July like I was, it’s very easy to let your emotions get the better of you. But Denver has shown no signs of taking the leash off Williams when Gordon is healthy. This backfield likely remains split down the middle which means both backs are in RB2 contention every week.
But with matchups against the Lions, Bengals, Raiders, and Chargers the next four weeks, both should be in your starting lineup for the rest of the season. The three opponents rank third, fourth, and sixth, respectively, in most fantasy points allowed to RBs. These are smash matchups for the Denver backfield.
2022 FANTASY OUTLOOK
As for next season… is Williams a top 5 RB in fantasy football? Gordon is in the final year of his contract and the high draft capital spent on Williams leads us to believe that he is the long term plan at RB. Assuming the Broncos don’t do anything stupid, how high is too high to rank Williams? I mean how many running backs can you definitively say that you would rather have? Obviously the body of work is incredibly small, but it’s fantasy football! Sample sizes are almost always small. I know it’s absurdly early for this kind of thing but it’s certainly fun to think about.
If you’re still not on the bandwagon, I gotchu. Only four running backs this season have had a game with over 20 rush attempts and 9-plus targets (yes this is a bit cherry picked but the list is impressive). The list: Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, David Montgomery, and Williams. He’s the next great fantasy running back and we hope you bought the dip while you had the chance.
Javonte Williams ranks RB16 overall (-5 vs ECR) on The Wolf’s Rest of Season Rankings. He also comes in at RB6 on The Wolf’s Week 14 Rankings.
