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RB Javonte Williams, DAL (1 Viewer)

Broncos rookie Javonte Williams looks as advertised through two games, continuing to show growth

ENGLEWOOD — Facing a third and six with under five minutes to go until halftime and trailing the Jaguars 7-3, Broncos running back Javonte Williams did something you may have missed. 

He showed growth. 

The rookie, who struggled Week 1 against the Giants in pass protection, perfectly picked up a Jaguars blitz, allowing quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to deliver downfield for a first down. Thanks to Williams, that drive ended in a touchdown right before the half. He didn't stop there, rushing for 64 yards on 13 carries. 

https://twitter.com/robertmays/status/1440753336404217856?s=21

And according to Broncos running back coach Curtis Modkins, that's a rare feat for a 21-year-old to show that kind of learning ability this early in his first season. 

"The first game, he waited on it. This game, he went and got it," Modkins told The Gazette. "He's very conscientious and he also knows he wants to be better and he knows he doesn't have all the answers. He's willing to do what it takes and he's willing to be coached. He pays attention. And that may point toward more of the person he is than the player. He's a good person who wants to be better and who wants to be coached."

Through two games, Williams has been as advertised, even if his stats don't always reflect it. He's the work horse and mauler the Broncos were hoping for when they moved up in the second round to draft the North Carolina product.  

"You can tell on tape the guy's a football player," Modkins said. "He's fast, he was physical on tape, he was hard to tackle on tape. The run he had in the game, he did it in college, so you could see he was really hard to tackle, he had really good contact balance, he was good in protection in college. He was just a really, really good football player and you could tell by just watching three minutes of tape."

At North Carolina, Williams rushed for 2,297 yards and 29 touchdowns in three seasons — he totaled 1,140 yards and 19 touchdowns last season alone. Through two games with the Broncos, in which he's split reps with Melvin Gordon, he's rushed for only 109 yards and zero touchdowns, averaging just over 4 yards per carry. 

But while his rushing numbers aren't that high, he's been impressive when given the opportunity. According to Pro Football Focus, he's forced 11 missed tackles, which is the fourth most in the NFL among running backs. He only trails Cleveland's Nick Chubb (14), Minnesota's Dalvin Cook (14) and New England's Damien Harris (12), who each have at least five or more carries than Williams. 

"Pinball, bowling ball — those are probably all accurate descriptions," Modkins said when asked how to describe Williams. "I think that says the guy is really hard to tackle. He runs with a good center gravity that allows him to not have a big, huge target. So he's not showing his chest. He runs in a matter that allows him to really handle tacklers. And he's strong enough that some of them will bounce off of him."

Williams isn't one who cares much for the pinball or bowling bowl comparisons. He believes he's an all-round back.

But he also takes pride in running people over, like he did on a 16-yard carry against the Jaguars last Sunday.

https://twitter.com/broncos/status/1439665780463919105?s=21

"Honestly, I think it's just something that comes natural," Williams said. "Me, I'm always fighting for extra yards. It's just a mentality. Another thing that goes into that is I think the defense, they don't really wrap me up. They just kind of grab me or bulldoze me and I just don't go down." 

But maybe Williams' greatest trait — greater than being coachable and his ability to break tackles — is something that can't be taught or naturally gifted to him. It's his poise.

Following the Jaguars game, coach Vic Fangio said Williams is as calm as Bridgewater, which is high praise considering Bridgewater might be one of the calmest players in the entire NFL.

Modkins didn't go that far, but did say Williams' ability to stay in the moment and not get too confident or too down on himself throughout a game is something that will go a long way in his career — a career many in Denver believe will be special. 

"He is really unfazed," Modkins said. "He has some stuff to get better at and he has a ways to go, but as a young player, he's probably as poised as a player I've had. There's some really tough blitz looks in this league and he might mess it up on Wednesday and Thursday, but when it happens in a game, it's easy for him because he doesn't get too high, he doesn't get too low. And I think that's a good trait for a runner because during the course of a game it's up and down for a runner... He's pretty steady and I think that's a natural thing for him."  

As Modkins said, the rookie still has a ways to go. Williams himself admitted that, saying he's still adjusting to the speed of the NFL. 

But watch Williams play and it's clear his ceiling is high and his trajectory is off the charts. Now, it's just about building on each carry, block and catch made. 

"I just want to make the most out of every opportunity when I'm on the field, whether that's running the ball, pass pro, catching — I just try to do my best any chance I get," Williams said. "As the season goes on, I feel like I'm only going to get better." 
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Javonte Williams rushed 12 times for 29 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos' Week 3 win over the Jets, also catching three passes for 33 yards and losing a fumble. 

Williams' score was a one-yard rumble in the first quarter. His fumble came from the Jets' one-yard line with 3:38 remaining. Quinnen Williams put his helmet on the ball. It was not costly in the context of the score — the Jets were up 23-0 en route to a 26-0 victory — but it will undoubtedly put doubt in the Broncos coaching staff's mind. Williams had a third goal-line tote where he was stood up for a two-yard loss. Williams got out-carried and out-produced by Melvin Gordon this afternoon, though the veteran was far from lights out as averaged 3.4 yards per carry. Gordon had two goal-line carries. There is every reason to expect this to remain a two-man backfield unless coach Vic Fangio is so vengeful he hurts one of his team's strengths by committing fully to Gordon. Williams will remain a mid-range FLEX for Week 4 vs. Baltimore. 
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The ascent continues. Second straight week he’s scored more FF points than the week before. Still, lost fumble and now converting twice on GL carries (one being the fumble) will give the coaches pause.

They seem content to leave the split at or near 50/50, so I agree with the above, kind of just a Flex play atm.

 
I'm hoping his owner is down on him but unfortunately the guy is stacked at WR and that's all I have to offer. 

 
BobbyLayne said:
The ascent continues. Second straight week he’s scored more FF points than the week before. Still, lost fumble and now converting twice on GL carries (one being the fumble) will give the coaches pause.

They seem content to leave the split at or near 50/50, so I agree with the above, kind of just a Flex play atm.
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It will be 50/50 all year.  That’s what the coaches seem to want.   The real question in dynasty leagues….is will it be a 50/50 split next season, and if so, with whom?

 
Williams took a step back I feel yesterday and although Denver is now 3-0 it doesn't look like a strong Playoff team to me. I question how often they will be able to feed him a steady diet of touches in a 50/50 split especially on weeks when they are behind and need to throw more. 

 
Ministry of Pain said:
Williams took a step back I feel yesterday and although Denver is now 3-0 it doesn't look like a strong Playoff team to me. I question how often they will be able to feed him a steady diet of touches in a 50/50 split especially on weeks when they are behind and need to throw more. 
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Catching 3 for 33 shows they trust him, at least a little bit in the passing game.

 
He looked amazing in the 1st half of the game. I thought they were gonna ride him especially after Gordon took a HUGE shot on the goal line. Alas, that didnt turn out to be the case and Gordon looked like the better runner in the 2nd half.

 
The fumble was less than ideal, but he came through with 14 for me at Flex, which is my current margin of victory. 

Hopefully he’ll get more and more as the season goes on. 

 
killface said:
He does look great but Melvin looks good too.  It's just going to be RBBC this year...
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Absolutely, they appear interchangable which is actually a good thing, it means Javonte knows the offense and the coaching staff has faith in him.  Receiving, short yardage, goal line etc. Looks like he has the full playbook.

 
Wish I had him in dynasty. Appears to be a stud in the making- rock solid physique but making some rookie mistakes, but coaching is trusting him in all facets of the game. That's a great sign that he's a good football player 

 
Alex P Keaton said:
It will be 50/50 all year.  That’s what the coaches seem to want.   The real question in dynasty leagues….is will it be a 50/50 split next season, and if so, with whom?
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I think Gordon, unless he takes cheap money on a short term deal, is gone. Denver has invested 2nd round draft capital into Williams and can add a compliment in next year's draft. There are simply not many reasons to give veteran RBs any sort of financial windfall because the RB position is likely the easiest to replace in the draft. 

 
Ack88 said:
I think Gordon, unless he takes cheap money on a short term deal, is gone. Denver has invested 2nd round draft capital into Williams and can add a compliment in next year's draft. There are simply not many reasons to give veteran RBs any sort of financial windfall because the RB position is likely the easiest to replace in the draft. 
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That’s not what I’m asking.  I’m not suggesting the Broncos will keep Gordon — I’m asking if they will bring in another RB with the intent to continue a 50/50 RBBC timeshare.

 
Alex P Keaton said:
That’s not what I’m asking.  I’m not suggesting the Broncos will keep Gordon — I’m asking if they will bring in another RB with the intent to continue a 50/50 RBBC timeshare.
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In three years under Fangio (last two w/ Shurmur as OC).

2019:  Lindsay/Freeman roughly 50/50

2020:  Gordon/Lindsay roughly 50/50

2021:  Gordon/Williams roughly 50/50

Just saying.

 
2019: Lindsay 224 att 50 targets Freeman 132 att 48 targets 

2920: Gordon 215 att 44 Lindsay 118 att 14 targets

Does anyone think that’s roughly 50-50?

 
BobbyLayne said:
2019: Lindsay 224 att 50 targets Freeman 132 att 48 targets 

2920: Gordon 215 att 44 Lindsay 118 att 14 targets

Does anyone think that’s roughly 50-50?
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Go look at the snap counts, smart guy. Maybe watch a few games.

In 2019, both Freeman and Lindsay played all 16 games. Total snap counts? 516 vs. 514. And Freeman out-snapped Lindsay in 10 out of 16 games. But obviously Lindsay was more productive with his snaps.

So yeah. "Roughly 50/50" unless you want to do a meaningless PhD analysis.

 
Houston turmOiler said:
What kind of WR are you guys offering/receiving in trades in a redraft?
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1/2 PPR Re-draft owner counter offered  to send Javonte and JuJu to me in exchange for Pollard and Jeudy.    We are allowed one IR spot.   Both parties can back out before midnight tonight since it didn't get accepted in time for this week.

This was a think about if for a moment, but pretty easy Yes for me before kickoff, as I also own and start Gordon and am worried about the changing of the guard as the season progresses.    The Smith-Schuster rib injury, Roethlisberger's performance,  and Hamler's injury making Jeudy that much more attractive when he gets back, now has me second-guessing this a bit.   Not a great game for Javonte based on the second half rookie mistakes, but ultimately I don't think there are any major repercussions.

If JuJu's injury isn't that serious, I still think the answer is yes, and that Javonte is probably a slightly better asset than Pollard for re-draft.   Anyone on Team Pollard?   I lean Javonte because I think he can take over the lead by playoff time without the benefit of injury.   I also think there might be a non-zero chance that Gordon gets dealt when Boone is back in the mix, whereas I think that possibility is a non-starter in the Dallas backfield. 

 
2019 skewed 60/40 to Lindsay in the second half of the season

That was what I had in mind when I took Javonte

Split to start and gradually earning more playing time bc of outplaying the veteran

May not work out, def could be a 50/50 split all year

But I’ll bet on talent

 
Lindsay missed 5 games in 2020 and nicked up most others. Duh.

“I think injuries impacted Philip the whole way,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said Wednesday. “He got hurt early, I believe it was the first game — missed a few weeks, came back and looked pretty good there. Then started getting a couple different nicks here and there.

“I think it really affected him. He wasn’t quite the same, and he would tell you that himself. We just need to get Philip healthy and get him back to the role to the way we know he can play within our offense.”

 
BobbyLayne said:
2019 skewed 60/40 to Lindsay in the second half of the season

That was what I had in mind when I took Javonte

Split to start and gradually earning more playing time bc of outplaying the veteran

May not work out, def could be a 50/50 split all year

But I’ll bet on talent
Click to expand...
Would you really be disappointed, though, if they continued splitting duties while both producing RB2 numbers?

 
12 for 29 is plodding. He'll continue to see stacked boxes. The one good thing is that Teddy is the checkdown king, but we don't know about Williams so much as a receiver. He dropped a fairly easy one yesterday and also fumbled.

Unlike some of the people here, though, I thought Gordon looked just as bad.

 
tricky92 said:
Would you really be disappointed, though, if they continued splitting duties while both producing RB2 numbers?
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Drafted him as my RB3 so absolutely would love to see him finish Top 24. As of rn I have the RB3 (4th Rnd) RB6 (2nd Rnd) and RB21 (6th Rnd.)

In another less important league I took him in the 7th and he’s been starting RB2 the last two weeks. Hasn’t hurt me so far.

 
rockaction said:
12 for 29 is plodding. He'll continue to see stacked boxes. The one good thing is that Teddy is the checkdown king, but we don't know about Williams so much as a receiver. He dropped a fairly easy one yesterday and also fumbled.

Unlike some of the people here, though, I thought Gordon looked just as bad.
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While it's true that Teddy has been a checkdown king in the past, this season Bridgewater is fifth among QBs for adjusted net yards per pass attempt ahead of guys like Mahomes and Brady, and through the first two weeks Bridgewater was first among QBs in pass attempts over 20 yards.

Further, through three games Melvin Gordon only has 7 targets and Javonte Williams only has 6.

We're seeing a different Teddy Two Gloves this season.

 
Forty-four percent of Javonte Williams' touches have come in "garbage time." 

Twenty of Williams' 45 touches have come with Denver's in-game win percentage at 95 percent of higher, per Underdog's Hayden Winks. One-third of Melvin Gordon's 2021 touches have come in garbage time -- the result of Denver destroying their first three opponents by a combined score of 76-26. More than his garbage time usage, Williams' goal line fumble against the Jets should be a concern for fantasy managers banking on the rookie taking over Denver's backfield as the season wears on. Williams will have to impress Broncos coaches if he's going to be the team's primary ball carrier at any point in 2021. 

RELATED: 

Melvin Gordon

SOURCE: Hayden Winks on Twitter 

Sep 28, 2021, 10:14 AM ET
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Well hey would ya look at that - it’s been a ~50/50 RBBC. Who ever coulda seen that coming?

:whistle:

i drafted him anyway after he slid a couple rounds past ADP. His ~15 points helped me to win without Henderson & with CMC getting dinged up, but I wouldn’t mind Melvin taking a few games off to rest up. He’s old & tired. Help that man to an easy chair & turn on NatGeo.

Hoping Henderson is back this week though because them Ravens are a rough matchup for either part of this Denver committee, and I’m already down to Mixon & Hubbard as my only other start-able backs. 

 
this makes zero sense. They’ve been alternating series the entire time, and we’re talking about a 10% difference in “garbage time.” I can understand being concerned about the fumble but that’s it. 

 
-jb- said:
this makes zero sense. They’ve been alternating series the entire time, and we’re talking about a 10% difference in “garbage time.” I can understand being concerned about the fumble but that’s it. 
Click to expand...


Wish I would've seen this stat last night before trading for him.   44% to 34%.   It's almost like it's a split backfield where one is a rookie getting his legs under him, and another is an experienced veteran.

 
-jb- said:
this makes zero sense. They’ve been alternating series the entire time, and we’re talking about a 10% difference in “garbage time.” I can understand being concerned about the fumble but that’s it. 
Click to expand...
Exactly.  Splitting hairs from a writer trying too hard to find something. 

Williams will be the lead dog, it's a matter of time.  If you're Denver, this is exactly how you wanted it to go.  FF'ers have little patience.  This is a rookie and there are 14 games left.

 
Sure wish I had taken him over ETN in our FFPC sharkpool league. For obvious reasons.

This is happening just as predicted so far. Except for two things for me. I will eat a little crow here and admit that Gordon looks better than I thought. But the other surprising thing is that Bridgewater looks much better than I was expecting as well. 

They've had a cupcake schedule so far but they have confidence and some really good things going for them. Cupcake or not you play against the team lined up against you, and they handled it. I'm excited to see what these guys can do in tougher games and when Jeudy gets back.

Agree Javonte is just a flex play for now. Starting in the RB spot in a couple spots but that's fine.

 
Javonte Williams rushed seven times for 48 yards in the Broncos' Week 4 loss to the Ravens, adding three receptions for 11 yards. 

Williams had an electric start against Baltimore, barreling through defenders and dragging would-be tacklers on a jaw dropping 31-yard rush in the first quarter. Denver was forced to abandon the run in the second half though, offering little opportunity for Williams or backfield mate Melvin Gordon. An extended absence for Teddy Bridgewater (concussion) would be a major blow to the fantasy prospects of Williams and Gordon (and every other Denver skill position player). Hopefully the Broncos aren't forced into starting Drew Lock in Week 5 against the Steelers.
Click to expand...

 
Javonte Willams rushed eight times for 61 yards in the Broncos' Week 5 loss to the Steelers, adding three receptions for 25 yards on three targets.

Williams was highly efficient against the Steelers, averaging 7.6 YPC and 8.3 YPT. He split touches evenly with Melvin Gordon who averaged 3.8 YPC and 4.5 YPT. The rookie is making his case for more playing time, but he's likely to be in an 50/50 split once again in Week 6. Williams will be in the RB2 mix against the Raiders.

Oct 10, 2021, 5:50 PM ET
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fishmang86 said:
That was a good read and a great play by Javonte.  Just an amazing run.

Who is starting him this week?  I have had him on the bench the last 5 weeks, I think it is finally time.  Also, some injuries have forced my hand.
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I gave it a lot of thought, but I'm going with Booker over him. I just don't feel like there's enough of a ceiling. 

Still hope he takes over the job at some point this season, but we're running out of time, and Denver seems perfectly happy with the 50/50 split

 
fishmang86 said:
That was a good read and a great play by Javonte.  Just an amazing run.

Who is starting him this week?  I have had him on the bench the last 5 weeks, I think it is finally time.  Also, some injuries have forced my hand.
Click to expand...


This is as good as any week to start him. Broncos are favored slightly at home. Raiders coming off this scandal. He seems to be game script proof as he's getting 3 receptions a game now.

This could be the breakout game. Raiders defense is bleeding points to the RB position. Gordon's dinged up too. 

 
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