Jamaal Williams is having himself a season, is he not? A league-high 14 touchdowns for a running back who’s started only half of Detroit’s games.
It’s around the goal line where Williams does his most notable work. They’ve got a good offensive line, and they like to emphasize the run in that part of the field. He’s a more durable, power-oriented runner than teammate D’Andre Swift.
After 13 weeks, Williams inside the 5-yard line has carried the ball 10 more times than Joe Mixon and over twice as many times as every other running back in the league. That’s including official carries and also 2-point conversions.
| MOST CARRIES INSIDE 5-YARD LINE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Att | Yards | Avg | EZ |
| Jamaal Williams, Det. | 25 | 32 | 1.3 | 12 |
| • Jalen Hurts, Phil. | 18 | 11 | .6 | 8 |
| Joe Mixon, Cin. | 15 | 18 | 1.2 | 5 |
| Nick Chubb, Cle. | 12 | 13 | 1.1 | 7 |
| Dalvin Cook, Min. | 11 | 15 | 1.4 | 5 |
| Saquon Barkley, NYG | 11 | 19 | 1.7 | 6 |
| Miles Sanders, Phil. | 11 | 23 | 2.1 | 6 |
| Derrick Henry, Ten. | 11 | 15 | 1.4 | 8 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 10 | 14 | 1.4 | 6 |
| Leonard Fournette, T.B. | 10 | 14 | 1.4 | 3 |
| Devin Singletary, Buff. | 9 | 17 | 1.9 | 4 |
| Christian McCaffrey, Car.-S.F. | 9 | 10 | 1.1 | 3 |
| • Justin Fields, Chi. | 9 | 20 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Jonathan Taylor, Ind. | 9 | 8 | .9 | 3 |
| Travis Etienne, Jac. | 9 | 8 | .9 | 4 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson, N.E. | 9 | 4 | .4 | 2 |
| Antonio Gibson, Was. | 9 | 3 | .3 | 3 |
| Khalil Herbert, Chi. | 8 | 7 | .9 | 2 |
| • Joe Burrow, Cin. | 8 | 15 | 1.9 | 4 |
| Melvin Gordon, Den. | 8 | 9 | 1.1 | 2 |
| Josh Jacobs, LAR | 8 | 6 | .8 | 3 |
| Jeff Wilson, S.F.-Mia. | 8 | 4 | .5 | 2 |
| James Conner, Ari. | 7 | 10 | 1.4 | 3 |
| • Kyler Murray, Ari. | 7 | 8 | 1.1 | 4 |
| Dameon Pierce, Hou. | 7 | -5 | -.7 | 2 |
| Isiah Pacheco, K.C. | 7 | 9 | 1.3 | 2 |
| Breece Hall, NYJ | 7 | 7 | 1.0 | 2 |
| Najee Harris, Pitt. | 7 | 12 | 1.7 | 2 |
| Tony Pollard, Dall. | 6 | 6 | 1.0 | 2 |
| Cordarrelle Patterson, Atl. | 5 | 12 | 2.4 | 3 |
| • Josh Allen, Buff. | 5 | 9 | 1.8 | 3 |
| D'Onta Foreman, Car. | 5 | 12 | 2.4 | 3 |
| Kareem Hunt, Cle. | 5 | 7 | 1.4 | 2 |
| D'Andre Swift, Det. | 5 | 4 | .8 | 3 |
| James Robinson, Jac. | 5 | 1 | .2 | 0 |
| Jerick McKinnon, K.C. | 5 | 1 | .2 | 0 |
| Kenneth Walker, Sea. | 5 | 4 | .8 | 2 |
—Ian Allan
4 Reader Comments:
Don McCown
Great column; wasn't aware of such the disparity between Jamaal & the rest of the league's backs. This discussion of Jamaal prompted me to not only comment on the article but ask you about Jamaal a bit more closely. Reviewed Wednesday's "Weekly" & I'll obviously review tonight's update.
Being playoff bound this weekend, is Jamaal the clear-cut choice at my FLEX spot (standard ESPN scoring) out of he, Najee & Travis Homer? (providing of course, my other rostered backs are my current 2 starters - Pollard & Foreman).
Thanks much, Ian - I'm only in the playoffs because of yours and Andy's consistent and stellar content.
Ian Allan
David Weissmiller
Ian Allan