Javonte Williams — 2026 Fantasy Outlook

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Williams' 2022 season was cut short in Week 4 when he tore an ACL in his right knee after just 23 snaps, finishing with 280 yards and 16 catches across four starts before going down.

He returned for the 2023 opener but struggled to find his rhythm, managing just 36 carries for 138 yards and eight catches for 42 yards through his first three games. A quad injury led to an early exit in Week 4 and cost him another start. He steadied over the back half of the season, averaging 12.28 PPR fantasy points per game across his final 12 matchups with four strong outings in Weeks 8 (18.80), 10 (21.00, 14 (18.10), and 18 (20.50). Even so, he never topped 85 rushing yards in a single game and posted underwhelming efficiency numbers across the board (3.6 yards per rush and 4.9 yards per catch).

His 2024 season followed a familiar pattern of early promise and late irrelevance. Denver gave him 131 touches over his first nine games (nearly 15 per contest), producing 11.26 PPR fantasy points per game with a highlight showing in Week 7 (111 combined yards with two touchdowns and three catches). But the Broncos drastically scaled back his role in the second half of the season, feeding him just 69 touches over the final nine games, including the playoffs, effectively removing him from fantasy relevance.

His big-play limitations remained a persistent theme, with a 3.7 yards-per-carry average doing little to inspire confidence. Despite the underwhelming body of work, Williams still managed to finish 30th among running backs in PPR scoring with 160.10 points.

In his fifth season in the NFL, Williams developed into the power runner the fantasy market once thought he would be. Dallas gave him 287 touches across 16 games, and he ran with passion and fight, leading to career highs in carries (252), rushing yards (1,201), and touchdowns (2). His yards per carry (4.8) were well above his previous resume (4.0), highlighted by gaining 3.3 yards after contact.

Williams' best fantasy value came over his first eight games (18.83 FPPG) due to scoring nine of his 13 touchdowns over this span. He scored 17.90 PPR fantasy points or more six times to open 2025, a threshold Williams failed to break for the remained of the year.

Over his final eight starts, Williams averaged 17.4 touches and 12.05 PPR fantasy points per game. Dallas barely used him in the passing game (11/44/1 on 17 targets). He played through neck and shoulder issues in December. The Cowboys re-signed him to a three-year deal for $24 million in February.

In his fantasy career, Williams is batting .200, meaning he has one hit over five chances. Is his success repeatable? I believe so, and better defensive play by the Cowboys should lead to more fourth-quarter carries when Dallas plays from the lead. He should also be on the field enough to catch at least 30 passes with double-digit scores. Based on this, Williams needs to gain about 1,200 combine yards to pay his ADP bills in 2026.