Jameson Williams’ sleeper appeal has dropped significantly. The NFL announced that he’s one of four members of the Lions who’s been suspended for violations of the league’s gambling policy.
Per a league announcement, receiver Quintez Cephus and defensive back C.J. Moore have been suspended indefinitely. Williams and another receiver, Stanley Berryhill, have been suspended six games each. Shaka Toney, a third-year defensive end for Washington, was also hit with an indefinite suspension. (Toney, who is not related to Kadarius Toney, played on most special teams last year).
The Lions have released Cephus and Moore; per reports, they bet on NFL games. Williams and Berryhill, according to the team, placed bets on other sports from the team’s facilities (hence the lighter suspensions).
Williams is the only notable player of the four. Neither Berryhill nor Moore was originally even drafted. Berryhill hasn’t yet played in an NFL game, while Moore has started only once in four years (he got on the field for 106 plays last year). The Lions picked Cephus in the fifth round in 2020; he missed most of last year with a torn ACL after catching 20 and 15 passes in his first two seasons.
Williams, on the other hand, was viewed by most as the best receiver in last year’s draft. He tore his ACL in a national semifinal game against Georgia, limiting his ability to contribute in his first season, but the Lions selected him 12th overall anyway. Oddly, the most notable gambling suspension last year was also a wide receiver who played his college ball at Alabama – Calvin Ridley.
Prior to this suspension, I had considerable interest in Williams as a sleeper receiver. He’s healthy now, and he showed some playmaking ability at the end of his rookie season. His first catch resulted in a 41-yard touchdown against the Vikings (that one wasn’t too special – seemed to come against a coverage bust). Three weeks later, Williams looked plenty fast on a 40-yard end-around against the Bears. And in Detroit’s final game he caught a crossing route on a flea flicker that turned into a 65-yard touchdown, but that one was nullified by a hold.
I’m expecting Williams will be hitting on some long plays for the Lions. He won’t be as busy as Amon-Ra St. Brown (who’s established himself as a star receiver) but I was thinking Williams was going to make more big, impactful plays. I’m in a league that’s touchdown only, with players getting double value for scores from 50-plus, and I thought Williams was going to fit really nicely in that one.
But those plans can be put on hold now. Williams is down for over a third of the season, so I suppose they’ll be opening with Josh Reynolds in that role now. (They also had DJ Chark last year, but he signed with Carolina.)
—Ian Allan