The Detroit Lions enter the 2025 NFL season facing uncertainty after Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson departed to become the Chicago Bears’ Head Coach. In response, Detroit appointed John Morton, a seasoned coach with experience under prominent NFL minds, to lead the offense. This shift raises questions about how the team’s playmakers, especially wide receiver Jameson Williams, will fit into a new offensive structure and whether Williams can achieve his anticipated WR1 fantasy breakout.
Amid the coaching change, Jameson Williams’s potential rise as one of the NFL’s most explosive receivers is gaining traction. Entering his fourth year, Williams has flashed impressive ability but has yet to fully realize the WR1 status many expected when he was selected 12th overall in the 2022 draft. The 2025 season could be his true breakout, propelled by growth in skill, opportunity, and a fresh offensive approach.
Reflecting on Jameson Williams’ Growth During the 2024 Season
Coming off a challenging start to his NFL career—including significant time lost due to an ACL injury in his rookie year and multiple suspensions—Williams showed important progress in 2024. Despite these setbacks, he ended the season ranked as the 19th best wide receiver in fantasy, a major step forward.
Williams’s strongest stretch came in the second half of the season after returning from a suspension in Weeks 8 and 9. From Week 10 through Week 18, he ranked as the 12th best wide receiver, positioning himself at the cusp of WR1 performance. This period demonstrated his ability to compete among the league’s top receivers when fully available.
What 2025 Could Hold for Williams and the Lions
Looking ahead, 2025 may represent Williams’s first full, uninterrupted professional season, allowing him to build on his prior experience. While Johnson’s departure signals potential schematic shifts, John Morton’s track record inspires confidence. Morton, known for developing Bo Nix’s passing breakout in Denver in 2024, brings experience working alongside legendary coaches like Sean Peyton, Jon Gruden, and Lane Kiffin.
Lions Tight End Sam Laporta praises Morton as a “brilliant mind,” a sentiment that should reassure fans about the offensive design moving forward. Already, Morton is vocal about his expectations for Williams:
“Unbelivable. In the meetings, attention to detail, I’m so excited to see him this year. It’s gonna be a breakout year, so I can’t wait.”
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) May 13, 2025
Despite retaining key skill players from the previous season, Detroit’s offensive line faces challenges in 2025 after Center Frank Ragnow retired and Guard Kevin Zeitler left via free agency. Pro Football Focus (PFF) forecasts the offensive line’s ranking falling from a top-five unit in 2024 to 13th in 2025, which may reduce run-game efficiency and push the offense to rely more heavily on passing.
Jameson Williams’ Target Share and Offensive Role Expansion
During the 2024 season, Williams secured 18.9% of Detroit’s targets, second only to Amon-Ra St. Brown. However, a significant portion of targets—over 15%—were allocated to lesser options like Tim “Fireball” Jones and Kalif Raymond, which indicates an inefficient target distribution for those players. As Williams further develops chemistry with quarterback Jared Goff, it’s likely he will command a greater share of passes.
Conservatively projecting Williams to maintain his target share from Weeks 10-18, at 19.7%, and combining that with ESPN analyst Mike Clay’s forecast of 559 pass attempts by Goff (up from 539 in 2024), Williams could see approximately 110 targets. Although not dramatically higher, this volume sets a solid foundation for increased production.
Focus on Efficiency: Average Depth of Target and Receiving Yards
PlayerProfiler data shows Williams’s average depth of target (aDOT) declined each season: from 16.6 yards in his rookie year (with limited targets) to 11.4 yards in 2024. This trend suggests the Lions are using him beyond deep routes, incorporating more intermediate and short-yardage plays—which enhances opportunities for yards after catch (YAC).
Morton’s intent to largely preserve the offense’s overall style in 2025 means Williams should maintain a similar aDOT level. Importantly, Williams ranked highly in key efficiency metrics last year, including fifth in receiving yards per target (11.0), sixth in yards per catch (17.3), and seventh in fantasy points per target (2.33). His career-best 64% catch rate in 2024 is expected to improve slightly with more experience and rapport with Goff.
Assuming Goff completes 69% of his passes next season, Williams could catch around 76 passes, totaling roughly 1,315 receiving yards if he repeats his 17.3 yards-per-catch average. Nearly half of his yardage stems from 8.6 yards after catch, ranking second among receivers only to Marvin Mims in YAC last year, underscoring his explosiveness beyond just route separation.
Touchdown Potential and Scoring Outlook
Despite his size and athletic ability, Williams managed only one red zone touchdown in 2024. Still, his overall touchdown rate of 12% on 58 receptions is comparable to players like DeVonta Smith, Jayden Reed, Pat Freiermuth, and Marvin Harrison Jr., indicating a sustainable scoring ceiling.
While improved red zone usage could boost his touchdowns, potential decreases in long-yardage scores may balance the total. Maintaining a 12% touchdown rate on projected 76 receptions results in about nine touchdowns for the 2025 campaign, a strong contribution to fantasy value.
Implications for Jameson Williams’ 2025 WR1 Fantasy Breakout
Detroit’s offense features multiple weapons, including a two-headed rushing attack, a talented tight end, and star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown opposite Williams. Still, there remains significant opportunity for Williams to emerge as a true WR1 option. A season line of 76 receptions, 1,315 yards, and nine touchdowns would yield approximately 223.5 half-PPR fantasy points—figures that ranked seventh among wide receivers last year.
Additional value from rushing plays could further elevate Williams’s fantasy impact. The critical questions will be his availability for all 17 games, avoidance of further suspensions, and continued development into a dependable, dynamic offensive threat under John Morton’s leadership.
If Williams meets these conditions, he could join St. Brown as one of the NFL’s rare dual WR1 tandems, transforming Detroit’s passing game in 2025 and providing fantasy managers with a high-ceiling asset.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. What did Jameson Williams test positive for?
A. Jameson Williams received a two-game suspension for breaking the performance-enhancing substances (PES) policy. He tested positive for a “stimulant, diuretic, or masking agent.” This offense is considered minor under the rules set by the NFL and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).
Q. Did Jameson Williams wear 18?
A. Williams decided to switch back to the number he wore in college at Alabama. Last year, he opted for No. 9 after discussing it with Matthew Stafford. Before that, he wore No. 18 as a tribute to Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson.