RB DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers

HT: 5-10, WT: 217, Born: 4-25-1983, College: Memphis, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 27

2013 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of May 21st. [Full ADP list]

Overall: J Cook (123), E Sanders (124), DeAngelo Williams (125), C Givens (126), K Wright (127)
Position: R Williams (114-RB44), J Rodgers (118-RB45), DeAngelo Williams (125 - RB46), Z Stacy (129-RB47), A Bradshaw (132-RB48)
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PPR Average draft position

Current as of May 21st. [Full PPR ADP list]

Overall: B Brown (107), C Ivory (108), DeAngelo Williams (109), T Austin (110), B Pierce (111)
Position: B Brown (107-RB40), C Ivory (108-RB41), DeAngelo Williams (109 - RB42), B Pierce (111-RB43), R Williams (113-RB44)
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Outlook

2012 was not an auspicious year for Carolina's tandem of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart - quarterback Cam Newton led the team in rushing with 127/741/8 on the ground, compared to 173/737/5 rushing and 20 targets for 13/187/2 receiving for Williams, the team's number two rusher last year. Jonathan Stewart (nine games played with 93/336/1 rushing and 17/157/1 receiving last season) struggled with injuries (again), sustaining a left ankle sprain that sidelined him from week 13 forwards. Stewart had corrective surgery on the ankle January 12, 2013. The team must have liked the outcome of the surgery as they renegotiated Stewart's contract in February, in which course Stewart received a $2.5 million signing bonus and got his 2014 $1.5 million base salary fully guaranteed. There is a lot of speculation swirling as of early May that Williams will be off the team sooner or later during 2013, leaving Stewart in possession of the starting job as a featured back. The running back depth chart in Carolina is in flux entering OTA/minicamp season. Williams has logged two 1,000+ yards-rushing seasons during his seven years in the league, with his best effort coming during 2008 (274/1,518/18 with 22/121/2 receiving), while Stewart has logged one 1,000+ yards-rushing effort while in Carolina (2009, with 221/1,133/10 rushing and 18/139/1 receiving). Neither player has been particularly effective for fantasy owners over the last three years - their extensive time sharing and the arrival of Cam Newton has combined to limit each back's production.

Latest News

Panthers | Restructure DeAngelo Williams' deal (Wed May 15, 09:07 AM) - The Carolina Panthers restructured RB DeAngelo Williams' contract. He was in the third season of a five-year, $43 million contract and was scheduled to earn $5 million with an $8.2 million salary cap number for 2013. Williams will still receive $5 million in cash this year, but the deal has been restructured in a way that reduces his cap number to $5 million, a cap savings of $3.2 million that leaves the team $8.46 million under their adjusted 2013 salary cap number of $126.232 million. Williams was scheduled to earn $4.75 million in non-guaranteed base salary with a $250,000 workout bonus this season. Under the renegotiated contract, Williams' base salary was lowered to $850,000 and his workout bonus reduced to $150,000. The remaining $4 million was converted to a signing bonus, which will be prorated against the Panthers' cap at $800,000 per season through 2017.

Our View: This move should keep Williams from being a post June 1st cut. His role has been reduced and he'll play as the second RB in the team's RBBC alongside Jonathan Stewart.
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2013 Schedule

2012 Game Summaries

Week 1 - DeAngelo Williams was smothered on the few carries he got by a swarming Bucs defense that simply allowed no running room. On one or two occasions, it looked as if Williams had a crease, but it was closed as quickly as it opened. The pass-heavy play calling by OC Rob Chudzinski did not allow Williams to get into rhythm. The lack of any joy on the ground can be attributed more to the Tampa Bay front seven than anything else.

Week 2 - DeAngelo Williams was a big part of the Panthers’ offensive attack as they put an emphasis on running the football, especially via the zone read option. Williams had several ‘chunk’ plays and was able to read his blocks well to get to the second level. His touchdown came on a straightforward zone read play in the red zone; he simply ran it up the gut and scored. Williams has RB1 upside in the right match-ups.

Week 3 - With Jonathan Stewart ruled out, DeAngelo Williams took the bulk of the carries, amounting to 11 overall. The game script was not conducive to a ground attack as the Panthers fell behind early to a stifling Giants team. Williams looked good on the few touches he got; showing good burst and speed to the corner on some zone read plays. If the Panthers defense continues to play this poorly, however, the Panthers may not be in a position to run the football often. Williams is a decent RB2 going forward.

Week 4 - DeAngelo Williams received more touches out of the backfield, likely due to the Panthers’ desire to bring Stewart back at a slow pace following injury. Williams ran with the opportunity, carrying the football outside and inside and looking quick and decisive on his touches. Atlanta began to key on the zone read as the game wore on, so the 5- and 6-yard inside runs turned into 2- and 3-yard runs. Williams ran with good vision when he bounced runs outside, and was not afraid to take on defenders. On his touchdown run, Newton handed Williams the ball on the zone read and Williams made the defensive back miss before reaching pay dirt. He was used as a pass receiver at times as well, although one screen pass intended for him was blown up immediately by Atlanta’s pursuit.

Week 5 - DeAngelo Williams had a forgettable day against Seattle. From the outset, the Panthers’ normally potent rushing attack was stifled by the Seahawks’ dominant front seven. Each rushing attempt was snuffed out immediately. Williams’ day went from bad to worse when, on an option pitch in the third quarter, CB Brandon Browner ripped the ball away and forced a turnover. Williams was unable to find space to create his own lanes in the game either; each attempt was stuffed within three yards of the line of scrimmage.

Week 7 - In this muddled multi-million dollar backfield, DeAngelo Williams’ fortunes are perhaps the most puzzling. Williams was a total non-factor in this game, carrying the football only twice for four yards. It was primarily Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert who were asked to pass protect, so Williams’ role on third down was done away with as well. It is hard to know what the Panthers are thinking with this running back situation.

Week 8 - Williams saw plenty of work, though nowhere near as much as you’d expect given his paycheck. The Panthers tried several ways to get him the ball, including a couple of direct snaps. While he did have some good runs, he met a lot of resistance in the backfield and had to fight his way to just get to the line more often than not. Williams was not a factor at all in the passing game, and it is very clear he is not the primary back, as well as not even a thought in 3rd down plays. Williams does a good job keeping his legs moving, but lacks the pop that Stewart possesses.

Week 9 - DeAngelo Williams carried the football fewer times than his backfield counterpart Jonathan Stewart but made the most of his touches by reaching pay dirt. The play was a good show of the kind of speed on the edge that Williams has; he bounced the play outside as soon as he saw daylight and then outran defenders who had the angle on him to the end zone. Although Williams is being utilised more and more by the coaching staff as an option to spell Jonathan Stewart, his talent came out on his touchdown dash. Apart from that, however, his impact was limited and the Redskins did an excellent job of bottling up the Panthers’ ground game for the most part.

Week 10 - DeAngelo Williams returned to his back-up role in this game, hardly touching the football the entire game. His longest play, a screen pass with barely four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, was the sum total of his contribution. He carried the football earlier in the game, but failed to capitalise against a stout Broncos front seven that consistently bottled up running lanes. Williams was featured in pass protection on occasion, but that is predominantly Jonathan Stewart’s gig. The pattern seems to suggest that Stewart will receive the majority of the touches going forward.

Week 11 - With Jonathan Stewart hobbled slightly by an ankle injury, DeAngelo Williams came on in relief. Williams struggled to find any creases behind a reconstructed offensive line that was up against the best run defense in football. Williams’ burst seems to be there in spurts, but it is not consistent enough. He seemed unwilling to bounce runs to the outside when the opportunity presented itself. Williams was pulled on passing downs as per normal. Ultimately, the poor blocking and lack of opportunity cost Williams.

Week 12 - DeAngelo Williams, after a slow start in terms of snaps played in this game, saw the majority of action in the second half. Williams, however, was unable to muster any kind of consistent yardage on the ground against a surprisingly stout Eagles run defense. One run that Williams bounced outside for 15 yards was called back by a holding penalty. It is noteworthy that Williams was the primary third down back for the second half as well, although no injury to Jonathan Stewart was evident.

Week 13 - DeAngelo Williams assumed the lead back role with Jonathan Stewart out, and the former Memphis back did a decent job with his touches. The Panthers ran plenty of option looks, but Williams thrived when the Chiefs lost their backside contain especially. He was able to get the defenders to flow one way, and then quickly cut back by stabbing his foot into the ground and shooting through the gap to daylight. Williams had some nice yards after first contact as well as the Panthers’ rushing offense began to click as the game wore on. The best aspect of Williams’ performance was how decisive he was hitting the hole. On some carries, he showed a lack of patience and did not let the blocking develop in front of him. He seemed to gain confidence as his carry total increased. It was a solid outing by Williams all in all.

Week 14 - DeAngelo Williams accumulated over a century of total yardage against the Falcons, running behind some excellent blocking from his offensive line all game long. The Panthers dominated the time of possession in the first half; Atlanta only ran 13 offensive plays, in fact. Williams was the beneficiary, pounding on a tiring defense between the tackles from both the traditional strong and weak I formations and the full house backfield off zone read looks. Williams was particularly effective between the tackles, as Carolina’s makeshift interior was able to get some nice seal blocks for him to exploit. At times, he lacked the patience as in previous weeks to stay true to the design of the play and bounced runs outside. For the most part, however, he proved to be a sustaining force on the ground, did not fumble the football and was adequate in pass protection when called upon. Williams capped off his afternoon with a 53-yard touchdown on a well-blocked screen pass. Following his blocks and hurdling over would-be tacklers on the ground as a result of said blocks, Williams ran untouched to pay dirt.

Week 15 - Right from the outset, it appeared that Williams was going to be heavily involved (he led all players with 24 touches). The first play of the game was a direct snap to Williams, and he was leaned on early and often throughout the game. Williams got some good lanes created by his offensive line, and took advantage by hitting the holes hard and picking up chunks of yardage. In the first half, he took an inside handoff from the 5-yard line and managed to get it right to the doorstep of the goal line (Mike Tolbert finished off the drive with the short touchdown run). Williams did manage to pick up a score on an electric play late in the first half. QB Cam Newton threw a short screen pass to Williams that was deflected at the line. But despite the deflection, the ball still made its way to the intended target Williams, who did the rest. He followed a caravan of blockers downfield for the 45-yard touchdown reception that put Carolina up 21-0 and cut the heart out of the Charger defense. About the only blemish on Williams’ day was his second half lost fumble. He dove while trying to stretch out for extra yardage, and just before he hit the ground the ball was punched loose and recovered by the Chargers.

Week 16 - DeAngelo Williams could have had a 76-yard touchdown run had it not been for a holding penalty on WR Steve Smith. Williams got the edge on the toss play and showed some excellent speed and cutback ability to reach pay dirt, but it was not to be. In the end, he finished with only 19 yards on 10 carries. He looked good on a pair of screen passes; what stands out is how quick his feet are and his tackle-breaking ability. Williams has put himself in the shop window for a potential trade in the near future with his decent finish to the season.

Week 17 - DeAngelo Williams – with a huge assist from the offensive line - made short work of a Saints defense that struggled to come to terms with the most basic running play, the off tackle power. Time after time, the Panthers would run this same play and Williams – and Mike Tolbert – continued to churn out yardage. The Panthers’ blocking was exquisitely executed at times, allowing Williams clear lanes to rush through. Throughout the game, Williams’ explosiveness and quickness in and out of his cuts stood out. Early on, he came close to a 60+ yard touchdown run, only to be tackled at the 1-yard line. He got his just desserts later, however, as he broke a 54-yard scamper on a power play, cutting it back expertly to get the defense to flow one way, then sticking his foot in the ground and bounding away to the end zone like a gazelle. Williams added insult to the already injured Saints’ defense when he added a late touchdown, following perfect blocks to the left end to score untouched. If this was Williams’ final game in Carolina, he certainly made a statement to other teams watching that he is far from done.