Start Jameson Williams over Tony Pollard — Week 1 Start/Sit Verdict

Start Williams — the game script and snap share edges are too wide to ignore.

Jameson Williams plays in the better game script (27.8 implied team points to 21.3) and plays a 90% snap share to Pollard's 63%. Pollard's edge is the matchup, 25 of 32 to 10. The gap is narrow.

In standard and half-PPR scoring this is a coin flip.

Jameson Williams

WR26DETvs NO

8.410.312.1 Projected Points

Start· medium

Tony Pollard

RB28TENvs NYJ

9.810.711.5 Projected Points

Toss-Up· medium

Why Jameson Williams

Start· medium

WR2 and primary vertical threat. Elite straight-line speed stretching the field on deep shots and jet motion.

WR26 projection with a 90% snap share and 19% target share in a 27.8-implied-total offense — locked-in WR2 role, no designation.

NO ranks 10 of 32 against WRs (one of the tougher matchups, 17-game sample).
Vegas implies 27.8 team points as 7.0-point favorites.
Listed WR-2 on the latest depth chart with a 90% snap share in 2025.

The call

Role is not in question: 90% snap share and a 19% target share over 17 games make him the clear WR-2 in one of the league's highest-scoring offenses.
Vegas backs the volume — a 27.8 implied team total gives Detroit plenty of scoring chances, and his 12.1 projected points slot him as a WR26, a startable weekly floor in 12-team PPR.
The DvP composite ranks New Orleans 10 of 32 against the position, but that's a 0-game sample at 0.00 confidence, so it shouldn't override the role and team-total evidence.
Main risk is the profile: as a field-stretcher his week-to-week output is spiky, and a -7.0 spread could shift Detroit to the run late if they build a lead.

Latest on Williams

Role

Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown are the Lions' only proven receivers, with little established ability behind them on a depth chart the team may still add to.

Sports Illustrated (Lions On SI) · Sep 6, 2026

Why Tony Pollard

Toss-Up· medium

RB1 and lead back. One-cut zone runner with breakaway speed and 1,000-yard workload.

RB28 with a 63% snap share and 3-point favorite script, but an 8% target share caps the PPR floor — a fringe flex, not a set-and-forget start.

NYJ ranks 25 of 32 against RBs (one of the softer matchups, 17-game sample).
Vegas implies 21.3 team points as 3.0-point favorites.
Listed RB on the latest depth chart with a 63% snap share in 2025.

The call

Role is real: 63% snap share over 17 games makes him the primary back, and a -3.0 spread with a 21.3 implied total points to a healthy dose of second-half carries if Tennessee is ahead.
The receiving side is the problem — an 8% target share means his PPR floor lives and dies on rushing volume and goal-line work, which is why he lands at RB28 on 11.5 projected points.
The DvP composite of 25 of 32 reads soft, but it comes with a 0-game sample and 0.00 confidence, so there's no real matchup edge to bank on here.
Tips to start if your alternative is a bench-level committee back or a low-volume WR3; tips to sit if you have anyone with a defined passing-game role.

Head-to-head stats

Metric	Jameson Williams	Tony Pollard
Projected points	8.410.312.1	9.810.711.5
Consensus rank	WR26	RB28
Opponent vs position	NO · 10 of 3217-game sample	NYJ · 25 of 3217-game sample
Receptions	6 of 32	8 of 32
Receiving Yards	7 of 32	21 of 32
Receiving TDs	14 of 32	—
Targets	6 of 32	—
Anytime TD	18 of 32	32 of 32
Rushing Yards	—	28 of 32
Rushing TDs	—	29 of 32
Rushing Attempts	—	30 of 32
Target share	19%(2025)	8%(2025)
Reception share	17%(2025)	10%(2025)
Implied total · spread	27.8-7.0	21.3-3.0
Depth chart	WR2	RB1
Snap share	90%(2025)	63%(2025)
Start/Sit record	—	0–0+1 toss-up