Who Should I Start? Jameson Williams or Ricky Pearsall

Friday, May 30, 12:41 PM

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that the team is expecting wide receiver Jameson Williams "to have a huge season." The Lions are expecting more from Williams after his breakout season in 2024 in which he caught 58 of his 91 targets for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 regular-season games (11 starts). The 24-year-old former 12th overall pick in 2022 out of Ohio State battled injuries in his first two NFL seasons and also was hit with a suspension before finally realizing his potential last year. He also had 11 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown as a rusher. While fantasy managers have come to love Williams' big-play potential in one of the highest-scoring offenses in the NFL, it's going to be hard for him to maintain significant targets in an offense that lost offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Detroit could emphasize the deep passing game more often, but Williams will be more of a boom/bust WR3/flex.

Thursday, May 29, 6:04 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (hamstring) is dealing with a hamstring injury and likely won't return to practice until training camp at the end of July, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. It doesn't sound like it's a serious injury for Pearsall, the but Niners won't take any chances with last year's first-rounder after he also dealt with hammy issues going into his rookie season in 2024. The 24-year-old pass-catcher then suffered a gunshot wound to his chest and didn't make his NFL debut until Week 7. He's expected to have a key role in the offense in his sophomore season with Deebo Samuel Sr. no longer in town and Brandon Aiyuk (knee) unlikely to be ready for the start of the season, but Pearsall is going to lose valuable reps this offseason to gain chemistry with quarterback Brock Purdy. Pearsall could still be ready for Week 1, but this news doesn't do anything to dispel the notion that Pearsall is injury-prone.