NFL Experience: 14 Years
Drafted by the Carolina Panthers in Round 1
College: Memphis
2013 Statistics | Games | Att | Yards | AVG | Fantasy Points |
| 15 | 291 | 843 | 4.2 | 137.60 |
Best Performance
Week 15 vs. New York Jets: 81 rush yards, 87 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown
Talk about saving your best for last, as Williams put up a monster of a game in the third to the last regular season game of 2013. His best not only worked for fantasy football owners as he rewarded 22.80 fantasy points but Williams played a key role in the Panthers win of 30-20 against the New York Jets. After some dumpy weeks of performance, Williams suddenly came to life.
Best Four-Game Stretch
Weeks 14-17: 406 total yards, one rush touchdown and one receiving touchdown
Yes, it did take until nearly the end of the season to get Williams fueled up. However, for the Panthers, this is where they needed optimum performance from Williams the most. The Panthers pulled off three wins in this four game span, earning them their bye-week privilege to become rested and ready to face off against the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of playoff games.
Fantasy owners received two high-reward weeks during this period of time and two so-so weeks, where hopefully Williams didn’t cause too much damage to fantasy teams.
Lowest Statistical Standpoint
Week 11 vs. New England Patriots: 25 total yards, zero touchdowns
Even though the Panthers claimed victory over a disgruntled Patriots, edging them out 24-20, this had little to do with anything Williams did on the field, as he really couldn’t gain much momentum against the Patriots rush defense. For fantasy owners, who played Williams, he added a pitiful 2.50 fantasy points to your score. You would have done better with a second kicker on your team if that was allowed in fantasy football.
2013 Season at a Glance
Williams, who surely wasn’t drafted in 2013 until late rounds, performed about as expected. Ranked 22nd among running backs last season, Williams offered a mixed bag from week to week where his fantasy points ranged anywhere from 2.50 to 22.80.
It was the lack of Williams' touchdowns that really devalued him most. Three rushing scores and one receiving touchdown in 15 games is nothing to go home and tell mom about. Unfortunately for Williams, the Panthers quite often used their powerful fullback, Mike Tolbert for fourth downs, who scored five times rushing and had two receiving touchdowns.
2014 Outlook
I would expect the 2014 forecast for Williams to remain about the same as his blasé performance of last year. The Panthers like to mix it up and rely upon their passing game fairly heavily, which limits Williams’ carries. Plus you cannot discount the Panthers stud, mobile quarterback, Cam Newton, who stole six rush scores of his own last year.
Fellow running back, Jonathan Stewart, is now healthy and Tolbert, the goal line sniper, who just participated in his first Pro Bowl, doesn’t seem to be going anywhere soon. This makes for one crowded running back roster, which will bite into Williams’ fantasy value in 2014. He really doesn’t offer anything more than flex depth in 2014 fantasy drafts.
Next Up: #93, Marvin Jones, Wide Receiver, Cincinnati Bengals