Broncos' Javonte Williams: Effective as pass catcher
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Williams rushed the ball 11 times for 17 yards in Sunday's 13-6 loss to the Steelers. He added five receptions on five targets for 48 yards.
Williams operated as the clear lead back for Denver, but he found no room to run against the stout Steelers defense. He made up for that as a dump-off target for Bo Nix, with the highlights of his day coming on 14 and 13-yard receptions in the fourth quarter. Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin should both have substantial roles out of the backfield moving forward, though the offense's lack of effectiveness is likely to prevent big performances from either in the short term.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Week 1 was bad for Williams, and I hope it's not a sign of things to come. He had eight carries for 23 yards and one catch for no yards on two targets at Seattle, and he was outplayed by Jaleel McLaughlin, who had more carries (10) and total touches (15). After a positive training camp and preseason, Williams looked poised for a quality campaign, but it started in horrific fashion. And it won't get any easier in Week 2 against Pittsburgh. At best, Williams is just a flex in the majority of leagues, and McLaughlin is also a risky flex play against the Steelers.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Garners nine touches in loss
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Williams rushed eight times for 23 yards and caught one of two targets for no gain in Sunday's 26-20 loss to the Seahawks.
Williams was out-touched by fellow running back Jaleel McLaughlin (15 touches for 24 yards) as neither back stood out against last year's 31st-ranked rushing defense. Williams should remain a significant part of the Broncos' backfield committee as the team hunts for its first victory against the Steelers next Sunday.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: RBs to Start
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Williams has excelled in training camp and the preseason, and he should do well in this matchup with the Seahawks to be at least a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues. He'll lead Denver in carries and potentially catches, and last year Seattle was No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. I like Jaleel McLaughlin as a sleeper this week also, but Sean Payton will likely lean on Williams to take pressure off rookie starter Bo Nix in his first NFL start.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: QBs to Start
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Williams has excelled in training camp and the preseason, and he should do well in this matchup with the Seahawks to be at least a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues. He'll lead Denver in carries and potentially catches, and last year Seattle was No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. I like Jaleel McLaughlin as a sleeper this week also, but Sean Payton will likely lean on Williams to take pressure off rookie starter Bo Nix in his first NFL start.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Receiving TD called back Sunday
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Williams rushed three times for 17 yards and caught his only target for 15 yards in Sunday's 27-2 preseason win over the Packers.
Williams also had a would-be 14-yard touchdown catch on the opening drive wiped out by an illegal forward pass penalty on rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Denver's offense has moved the ball well with Nix under center in the preseason, which bodes well for Williams' outlook heading into the regular season. Williams has started the Broncos' first two preseason games, but it remains to be seen if the starting running back will get any usage in next Sunday's preseason finale against the Cardinals.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Five touches in preseason opener
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Williams rushed four times for 15 yards and caught one of his two targets for five yards in Sunday's 34-30 preseason win over the Colts.
Williams played just nine snaps as the starter in the Broncos' first preseason game. The veteran running back was unable to get much going with such little playing time, but his limited usage in the opener should hint at his secure spot atop the depth chart ahead of Samaje Perine, Jaleel McLaughlin and rookie Audric Estime. Williams continues to receive high praise from the Denver coaching staff while his surgically repaired knee could be stronger than it was in a disappointing 2023 season. The 24-year-old also lost weight this offseason in an attempt to improve his conditioning, which could help him to get back to the form of his impressive rookie season.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Suiting up in preseason opener
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Williams is warming up to play with the first-team offense in Denver's preseason opener versus Indianapolis on Sunday, Ryan McFadden of The Denver Post reports.
The Broncos are set to play most of their starters Sunday, though Williams is unlikely to see the field for more than a series or two. The running back is poised to lead Denver's backfield in 2024 after tallying 774 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 217 attempts along with 228 yards and two more scores on 47 catches across 16 regular-season contests last year. Williams reportedly lost weight in the offseason in an effort to improve his conditioning.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Looks sharp at practice
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Head coach Sean Payton noted that Williams " looked real sharp" at practice Wednesday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.
Payton added that Williams has lost some weight since last season, and Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com relays that the running back currently checks in at around 220 or 221 pounds. Per Troy Renck of Denver 7 News, Williams sought to trim down this offseason based on feedback from Payton, and the 2021 second-round pick's apparent improvements in conditioning can only help him maintain his perch atop a Broncos backfield depth chart that also includes Samaje Perine, Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Finds end zone
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Williams rushed nine times for 32 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 27-14 loss to the Raiders. He also caught seven of nine targets for 43 yards.
Williams found the end zone from two yards out during the fourth quarter. That play marked his fifth total touchdown of the campaign, and Williams finished with 217 rushes for 774 yards on the ground and 47 grabs on 58 targets for 228 yards through the air in 16 games. With the Broncos seemingly set to acquire a new starting quarterback this offseason, the team also has a decision to make on Williams, whose current contract expires after next season.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: RBs to Sit
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Williams has scored 10.9 PPR points or less in six of his past seven games, including just 8.8 PPR points in Week 17 against the Chargers. He's shared playing time with Jaleel McLaughlin and Samaje Perine more in the past two games than he has since Week 6, and this isn't an easy matchup. In Week 1 against Las Vegas, Williams had 13 carries for 52 yards and four catches for 5 yards on six targets. Since Antonio Pierce took over as interim head coach, Breece Hall (10.5 PPR points), Raheem Mostert (10.3 PPR points) and Austin Ekeler (7.8 PPR points) have struggled against the Raiders, and Williams should be used as just a flex option at best in the majority of leagues for Week 18.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Struggles with 18 touches
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Williams rushed 15 times for 41 yards and caught all three of his targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 16-9 win over the Chargers.
Williams' struggles continued after he finished with a per-carry average below three yards for the third game running. Unlike last week against the Patriots, the tailback was unable to offset his poor rushing production with a trip to the end zone. Jaleel McLaughlin (8-44-0) finished as the Broncos' leading rusher and continues to outproduce Williams both on the ground and also as a backfield receiver. The latter should still produce double-digit touches against the Raiders in Week 18, but he has done little in recent weeks to inspire confidence in fantasy managers or DFS players.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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Look, the matchup is not the problem -- the Bolts have let up 12-plus PPR points to a running back in all but four games this year. But with the newfound uncertainty in the Broncos offense, I'm not sure Williams is best positioned to be the one to benefit. Williams scored last week, but he also fumbled and had his second straight game with under 15 touches and under 30 total yards. The big games for Williams have been few and far between, and last week's snap distribution between Williams, Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin was closer than it's ever been. And then there's Jarrett Stidham taking over -- he's more of a downfield thrower than a check-downer, which could cost Williams some valuable targets. He makes me nervous to the point where I'm OK starting Ty Chandler, Zamir White (assuming Josh Jacobs is out), Ezekiel Elliott and Najee Harris over Williams.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Score masks poor production
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Williams had 11 carries for 24 yards and a touchdown while catching all three of his targets for a loss of five yards in Sunday's 26-23 loss to the Patriots.
Williams finished with negative receiving yards and 20 or fewer yards from scrimmage for the second game in a row. He also coughed up his first fumble of the season. Unlike last week's dud against Detroit, the 23-year-old was able to offset the low yardage total with a short touchdown run in the first quarter. Williams also caught one of Russell Wilson's successful two-point attempts in the fourth quarter to give another boost to his managers' fantasy scores Sunday. Despite his recent struggles, Williams figures to lead Denver's backfield against the Chargers on Dec. 31.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Held to 20 yards
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Williams rushed the ball 12 times for 27 yards in Saturday's 42-17 loss to the Lions. He added two receptions on two targets for minus-7 yards.
Williams led the backfield with 14 total touches, but it was still a disastrous performance. His longest rush of the day went for only eight yards, while eight of his carries went for two yards or fewer. Positively, Williams has at least 16 touches in seven of his last eight games, so he should carry a significant workload into a Week 16 matchup against New England.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Scores first rushing TD since 2021
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Williams rushed 17 times for 66 yards and a touchdown while catching three of four targets for 25 yards in Sunday's 24-7 win over the Chargers.
Williams opened the scoring from three yards out with his first rushing touchdown since Week 16 of the 2021 season. He finished with at least 20 touches for the fourth time in the last six games, while Jaleel McLaughlin and Samaje Perine combined for seven carries. The robust workload can be attributed to both Williams being up to speed after tearing his ACL last year and the Broncos playing from ahead more often. Denver has won six of its last seven games heading into Saturday's tough test in Detroit.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Sleeper RBs
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Williams has actually scored 10.1 and 10.0 PPR points in each of his past two games against Cleveland and Houston, but it feels like he's been worse than that. He does have at least three catches in five of his past six games, but he's still searching for his first rushing touchdown of the year. The Chargers matchup is favorable since they've allowed three running backs to score at least 13.2 PPR points in their past four games, and Williams should be considered a low-end No. 2 running back in Week 14.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Held to 70 total yards
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Williams rushed the ball 13 times for 46 yards in Sunday's 22-17 loss to the Texans. He added three catches on three targets for 24 yards.
Williams maintained the clear lead-back role, though he still fell short of 20 touches for the second time in his last five games. He was inefficient with his opportunity and was limited to under four yards per carry for the fifth consecutive contest. While it's positive that Williams has multiple catches in every game in that span, he's shown to be an unexplosive rusher in a mediocre offense, making him difficult to trust on a weekly basis.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Held in check by Browns
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Williams carried the ball 18 times for 65 yards and caught three of six targets for six yards in Sunday's 29-12 win over the Browns.
The third-year back saw more than 20 touches for the third time in the last four games, but Williams wasn't able to do much with the volume. He also missed a chance to pad his production when Samaje Perine vultured a three-yard TD run in the first quarter while Williams was briefly sidelined with a neck issue, but per Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post, he returned for the next drive. The six targets tied his season high, and he continues to provide a solid PPR floor by catching multiple passes in five straight games and nine of 10 this season. Williams will try to take advantage of a more generous opponent in Week 13 when the Broncos travel to Houston.
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Broncos' Javonte Williams: Struggles with 13 touches
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Williams rushed 11 times for 37 yards and caught both of his targets for 16 yards in Sunday's 21-20 win over the Vikings.
Williams had a rough go of things on the ground against the Vikings, who have been stingy against the run this season (94.0 yards/game). The 23-year-old was also coming off consecutive games with 20-plus carries, so perhaps the talented back finally hit a wall after successfully returning from major injury this past offseason. Williams still operated as Denver's lead back, with no other RB recording more than one carry Sunday. Things won't get any easier for Williams in Week 12, as the Broncos prepare to face the Browns' top-rated defense next Sunday.
