Who Should I Start? Jameson Williams or Ricky Pearsall

Friday, December 5, 1:48 AM

Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams converted nine targets into seven catches for 96 receiving yards during Thursday's Week 14 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Each of those three statistics either tied or singlehandedly set team-highs in the Detroit victory. Williams capitalized on increased opportunities to produce with Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) less than 100 percent. St. Brown was still heavily involved, but Williams had more targets and yards than his talented receiver teammate, and the two tied for playing time with 57 snaps. The 24-year-old has now posted at least 16.6 fantasy points (PPR) in five of his last six games, with the lone exception being a zero-catch dud in Week 12. During that six-week span, he ranks as the overall WR12 in fantasy points per game, as well as the WR1 in total fantasy points. Even if St. Brown is back to 100 percent next week against the Los Angeles Rams, Williams should still be viewed as a fringe top-12 fantasy receiver and a must-start in all leagues.

Friday, December 5, 8:42 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has not had the second-year breakout that many were predicting back in training camp. Injuries have been a big issue yet again, as he didn't return from a PCL sprain in his knee until Week 11 after getting hurt in Week 4. In three games since his return, the 25-year-old former first-rounder has caught only five passes for 20 yards on nine targets. Overall, he's sporting a 25-347-0 line in seven games. It's not like he hasn't been on the field since his return, as he's played at least 75% of the snaps in all three games. Fantasy managers who have hung onto Pearsall will be hoping that the Niners will devise a plan to get him more involved when they come out of their Week 14 bye to face the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Dec. 14. Better days could be ahead, but Pearsall is likely to continue to struggle for a high target share in an offense that has plenty of mouths to feed between Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Jauan Jennings.