Throughout the NFL offseason, The Touchback will take a look at some of the best fantasy football seasons you don’t remember. Today, we are looking at DeAngelo Williams and his 2008 season. Click here to read about the other best fantasy football seasons you don’t remember.
DeAngelo Williams was really good in 2008. Writing the words DeAngelo Williams and good in a fantasy football article feels strange though. He and Jonathan Stewart were among the most frustrating running backs to own between 2008 and 2014. If they had been one player, you’re looking at an NFL Hall of Famer.
Instead, you got two players who spent years jamming up fantasy football managers. You didn’t want either guy but couldn’t ignore them either. If Williams or Stewart had a good game, chances are you either had them on the bench or the team you were playing was starting them. The situation was a nightmare.
Apart from 2008 that is. For whatever reason, both Williams and Stewart had great years. The former in particular was outstanding. Williams had 18 rushing touchdowns as well as two receiving scores to go along 1,515 yards and some minor receiving work. Stewart finished the season with 838 yards on the ground and 10 touchdowns.
The Memphis product finished 2008 as RB1 and the third highest scoring player in both standard and PPR formats. And just imagine what he could have done without Stewart around. Even by 2020 standards, he still had an outstanding campaign.
| Position Finish (PPR) | Overall Finish (Standard/PPR) | |
| 2008 | RB1 | 3/3 |
| 2020 | RB4 | 12/18 |
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DeAngelo Williams never matched 2008
DeAngelo Williams’ 2008 season was followed by an okay 2009 in which he scored seven touchdowns and rushed for more than 1,100 yards. The main issue here was that Stewart scored 10 touchdowns and also rushed for more than 1,100 yards. Things were about to go downhill in a hurry.
The Carolina Panthers were terrible in 2010 with Williams playing in only six games. Having spent first round draft picks on both Williams and Stewart, the team decided to depress their value even further by taking Cam Newton with the number one overall pick in 2011. You can’t really knock Carolina for the move, but this ruined both players in the world of fantasy football.
Neither guy did much of note between 2011-2014 with Newton commandeering carries and red zone touches. Williams’ effectiveness took a hit during this time with his yards per carry falling from 5.4 in 2011 to 3.5 in 2014.
Despite looking washed up and being 32, the Pittsburgh Steelers brought Williams in as cover for Le’Veon Bell ahead of the 2015 season. Bell was suspended for the first two games that year due to an off-field arrest which gave Williams a chance to start. In his first game, he rushed for 127 yards. The second start saw him score three touchdowns. He promptly returned to the bench upon Bell’s return.
Of course, this isn’t the end of the story. Bell hurt his knee in week six which meant Williams was thrusted back into a starring role. It wasn’t always pretty, but he finished the season with 907 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, his best numbers since 2009. He stuck around with the Steelers for one more season before retiring.
Present day comparison
https://youtu.be/SWX25_WH03s
Williams hasn’t been out of the league all that long, so you probably remember him. However, if you do need a present day comparison, Ronald Jones II springs to mind. Both players had some talent. But there was also something about them that made each running back totally untrustworthy.
