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Fantasy football players want to know when, if at all, they should pull the trigger on wide receiver Terrance Williams in their 2014 draft.
Williams finished the 2013 season only ranking 40th in standard scoring leagues, but he did average 12 points per game between Weeks 5-8. The 24-year old receiver also produced eight or more points in six games during the season, where as top-20 wide receiver T.Y. Hilton only recorded five games with eight or more points.
The writing staff for Dallas Cowboys’ website provides some great insight on what type of changes new offensive play-caller Scott Linehan will bring to the table, but it doesn’t appear that things should drastically change. The general consensus seems to be that Linehan is known for getting the ball to his playmakers, however, and that would appear to benefit Dez Bryant more than any other receiver.
Since 2010, data shows that Bryant may not be the biggest barrier for the fantasy success of Williams.
| 2010 | ||||
| Receiver | Targets | Receptions | Receiving Yards | Touchdowns |
| Miles Austin | 119 | 69 | 1041 | 7 |
| Jason Witten | 128 | 94 | 1002 | 9 |
| Dez Bryant | 72 | 45 | 561 | 6 |
| 2011 | ||||
| Receiver | Targets | Receptions | Receiving Yards | Touchdowns |
| Jason Witten | 117 | 79 | 942 | 5 |
| Dez Bryant | 103 | 63 | 928 | 9 |
| Laurent Robinson | 81 | 54 | 858 | 11 |
| 2012 | ||||
| Receiver | Targets | Receptions | Receiving Yards | Touchdowns |
| Dez Bryant | 138 | 92 | 1382 | 12 |
| Jasson Witten | 150 | 110 | 1039 | 3 |
| Miles Austin | 188 | 66 | 943 | 6 |
| 2013 | ||||
| Receiver | Targets | Receptions | Receiving Yards | Touchdowns |
| Dez Bryant | 160 | 93 | 1233 | 13 |
| Jason Witten | 111 | 73 | 851 | 8 |
| Terrance Williams | 74 | 44 | 736 | 5 |
The good news is that the Cowboys’ offense can feed a lot of mouths. Quarterback Tony Romo isn’t going to spread the ball around to a ton of targets like Sam Bradford, and he clearly focuses in on three specific pass catchers each season.
The targets are there for Williams to take a step towards fantasy relevance, but Jason Witten might have something to say about that. Since 2010, the 32-year old tight end has either finished with the most or second-most receptions for the Cowboys. It appears that Witten, and not Bryant, will be William’s biggest detractor in touchdowns and receptions.
According to fantasyfootballcalculator.com, the current ADP of Williams is in the seventh round. With who is left on the board at the receiver position at that pick, Williams is worth taking a gamble on to see if he can take Witten down a notch in 2014.
As long as Romo stays healthy, the targets seem to be there for Williams to have a fantasy relevant season, and find himself as a more consistent WR3 option.
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