DeAngelo Williams

DeAngelo Williams

Week Sixteen Analysis: DeAngelo Williams has averaged 20 carries for 75 yards over the last two weeks, but the real story is that he's scored long receiving touchdowns—53 and 45 yards—in back-to-back games. They're his first two receiving touchdowns since the beginning of the 2008 season, so don't expect a third, but it's nice to see that he's still more than capable beating a defense when given the ball in space. He should see plenty of space this week. Against opposing backs, Oakland ranks in the bottom third of the league in both rushing and receiving yards, and their 15 touchdowns trail only Buffalo. Between the matchup and the workload trends, Williams is a viable second option.

Week Ten Drop: Sadly, DeAngelo Williams did not get traded last week, and as a result, he remains the Panthers' second option in the running game, and the team's third or fourth option near the goal line. Even more troubling, last week, he was on the field for just 18 plays. He was rosterable last week in the hope that he'd find a new home, but as a Panther his value is only as an insurance policy to starter Jonathan Stewart.

Week Eight Drop: The Panthers fired their general manager on Monday, in no small part because of the absurd contract that gave to DeAngelo Williams 18 months ago. Williams is paid like an elite runner, but performs like a change-of-pace guy. At best. His average game is 8 carries for 29 yards, and he's got a one in three chance of scoring. And, his past two weeks, with just six and two carries suggests that he's being phased out.

Week Six Drop: Williams did have the most carries for the Panthers last week, but six carries for six yards are hardly anything to brag about. There are just too many backs to feed the ball to, including quarterback Cam Newton. This week's bye followed by tough matchups against Dallas, Chicago and Washington (the Redskins are actually fairly good against the run) mean that Williams would likely be on your bench for more than a month. I have no problem dropping him to fill other needs.

Week Two Drop: I'm not sure you have to drop DeAngelo Williams outright, but after what happened last Sunday, how do you start him again? Williams had the perfect opportunity for a great game. Jonathan Stewart was out. They were playing a bad team, the Bucs, who ranked dead last in rushing defense last year. And Williams netted exactly -1 yards on six carries. So, are you really going to start him in a different week, when Stewart is back, halving his carries, and he's playing against a legit defense? Probably not.