Leonard Williams

Leonard Williams

29-Year-Old Defensive EndDE
New York Giants
2023 Fantasy Outlook
The 29-year-old put up disappointing numbers last year despite his talent, managing only 45 tackles and 2.5 sacks while missing five games due to injuries. Heading into the final season of the massive contract Williams signed with the Giants in 2021, a rebound looks within reace. The team's front seven should be much improved, taking attention and pressure off Williams, while coordinator Don Martindale's defenses have typically been good at harassing quarterbacks. His units finished top-5 in QB pressures in two of his first three seasons in Baltimore, while the Giants were eighth in that department in 2022. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#1198
ADP
#Subscriber-Only
IDP
$Signed a three-year, $63 million contract with the Giants in March of 2021.
Makes one tackle in loss
DENew York Giants
September 12, 2023
Williams recorded one tackle and assisted on another in the Giants' 40-0 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday night.
ANALYSIS
The starter along the defensive interior played 32 snaps, the second highest total at his position behind Dexter Lawrence. No one on New York's defense recorded a sack. Dallas also ran for three scores.
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NFL Stats
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2022
2021
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2016
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2022 NFL Game Log
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2021 NFL Game Log
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2020 NFL Game Log
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2019 NFL Game Log
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2018 NFL Game Log
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2017 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
New York GiantsGiants 2023 DE Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts
L.Leonard Williams
#% of Team Snaps

12766%
10454%
4523%
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2023 Leonard Williams Split Stats
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Measurables Review
How do Leonard Williams' measurables compare to other defensive ends?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
6' 5"
 
Weight
302 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
4.97 sec
 
Shuttle Time
4.53 sec
 
Cone Drill
7.59 sec
 
Vertical Jump
29.5 in
 
Broad Jump
106 in
 
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Leonard Williams See More
NFL Betting Picks: New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals, Week 2
6 days ago
Mike Barner breaks down Giants vs Cardinals for NFL Week 2, with a big game projected for Giants running back Saquon Barkley.
NFL Week 1 Friday Injury Report: Hamstring Injuries Hobble Waller and WRs
15 days ago
Jerry Donabedian breaks down all the big news from Friday injury reports, including Darren Waller's new hamstring injury and depleted WR corps in Green Bay and Carolina.
Gameday Injuries: Super Wild Card Weekend
252 days ago
Juan Carlos Blanco surveys the Super Wild Card Weekend injury landscape and has the latest on who's starting or sitting as of early Saturday morning.
Gameday Injuries: Week 18
258 days ago
Juan Carlos looks over the final injury report of the 2022-23 regular season and provides the latest updates on key players as of early Sunday morning.
Weekend Injury Report: Hurts Uncertain, Jacobs Shaky, Robinson Ruled Out
259 days ago
Jalen Hurts should do well if he's cleared to play Sunday, while running backs like Josh Jacobs and D'Onta Foreman are in danger of sitting out or having their workloads drastically reduced.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
For most of his seven-year NFL career Williams has been a better real-life defender than IDP, with many of his contributions being the thankless sort that don’t show up in the box score. For the last two years, however, Williams’ stats have been valuable in IDP leagues. While you can’t expect a DL1 finish from Williams, he should be a solid DL2 in most formats.
It took six NFL seasons, but Williams finally broke out in 2020 and looked exactly like the player scouts had in mind when he was selected sixth overall in the 2015 draft. Although he was a good player prior to then in ways that don't show up in the box score, his 11.5 sacks will silence even the harshest critics. It might be difficult for Williams to get back to those heights in 2021, but the Giants defense is quietly loaded with quite a bit of talent, and Williams can keep catching quarterbacks if he can avoid double teams.
The sixth overall pick in 2015, Williams hasn't lived up to his pedigree thus far, but Giants GM Dave Gettleman gambled by trading a third- and a fifth-round pick for him last October and franchised him this offseason. Williams made an impact with pressures and tackles, but he's currently filing a grievance because the franchise tag was for defensive tackle rather than end, which stands to cost him $1.7 million. Assuming the parties work out their differences, Williams should play both tackle and end in the team's 3-4 alignment.
Williams has been a productive but not dominant player since being selected sixth overall in 2015, but the defensive lineman's statistical impact has been limited by double teams on a Jets team that has lacked talent around him. As a result, Williams has just 89 tackles and seven sacks in the past two seasons combined after posting 68 tackles and seven sacks in 2016 alone. New York invested heavily on defense in free agency and in the draft, so Williams should get more room to wreak havoc in the opposing backfield.
Williams hasn't been a flashy presence in the NFL – even the best 3-4 ends tend not to be – but there's still plenty of reason to believe he's one of the league's most talented linemen. Last year's disappointing box score is probably explained by playing through wrist, concussion, and bank issues at various points, because in the two prior seasons Williams averaged 60-plus tackles and five sacks per year. He'll be just 24 in June, so expect him to bounce back.
The youngest and perhaps trendiest of the three excellent Jets linemen (Wilkerson, Williams, Sheldon Richardson), Williams' hype is entirely warranted. He turned 23 in May, yet he already has two 60-tackle seasons to his credit, and he showed new pass-rushing skills last year with seven sacks on 895 snaps. It might be difficult for Williams to approach double-digit sacks on a Jets team that figures to frequently watch opponents milk the clock, but his talent is too great not to remain one of the league's most productive linemen.
Sheldon Richardson's off-field issues could result in a suspension to begin the 2016 season – the second season in a row in which Richardson would begin the year with a suspension – and Williams stands to benefit as a result. The blue-chip talent unexpectedly fell to the Jets in the 2015 draft, and he did well for himself as a rookie by exceeding 60 tackles while logging 809 snaps. He only turned 22 in May, so Williams should continue to develop and make the most of the enhanced opportunity he's been given by Richardson's off-field transgressions.
Williams, who the Jets picked sixth overall in the 2015 draft, will battle for playing time at defensive end as a rookie behind Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson.
More Fantasy News
Limited action in preseason
DENew York Giants
August 27, 2023
Williams logged just 12 defensive snaps over the Giants' three exhibition contests, but he's expected to be ready to go as the team's starter at right defensive end in Week 1 of the regular season against Dallas.
ANALYSIS
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Cleared for playoffs
DENew York Giants
January 13, 2023
Williams doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's wild-card matchup against the Vikings, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.
ANALYSIS
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Limited again Thursday
DENew York Giants
Neck
January 12, 2023
Williams (neck) was a limited participant during the Giants' practice Thursday, Dan Salomone of the team's official site reports.
ANALYSIS
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Ruled out for Week 18
DENew York Giants
Neck
January 6, 2023
Williams (neck) has been ruled out for Week 18 versus the Eagles, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.
ANALYSIS
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Suffers injury Sunday
DENew York Giants
Neck
January 1, 2023
Williams (neck) has left Sunday's game against the Colts, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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