Trayveon

Williams

Moss was a DNP on Wednesday, so Thursday’s limited session is an upgrade for the veteran back. Moss isn’t the only Bengals running back dealing with something, as Chase Brown was added to the injury report on Thursday with a quad issue. If either of these backs misses Week 6’s game against the Giants, the other would be set up to see a large workload. If neither back can go, we would suddenly be looking squarely in the face of a Trayveon Williams bell-cow week. We’ll hopefully have more clarity on this situation come Friday.

Williams is let go to make room for KJ Henry after Henry was claimed off waivers from the Titans. The 26-year-old tailback will now hit the waiver wire, and if he goes unclaimed it’s very likely that Cincinnati will try and re-sign Williams to their practice squad.

Williams was drafted by the Bengals in the sixth-round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Through five seasons with the team, Williams has seen limited action, rushing 62 times for 307 scoreless yards while adding another 15 receptions for 74 yards. He also returned 12 kickoffs for 290 yards last season. Williams’ familiarity within the offense makes him an easy player to bring back, but he’ll likely need to compete for a roster spot in training camp.

Evans headed into the weekend with a questionable tag due to his hamstring injury, but was officially ruled out when the team announced it’s Week 2 inactives. Backup running back Trayveon Williams will have a chance to serve in his place, but can be left off the fantasy radar with Joe Mixon expected to handle most of the workload. In addition to Evans the Bengals also declared CB DJ Ivey, DE Joseph Ossai, C Trey Hill, and OT Jackson Carman inactive.

Evans was limited on Wednesday, so his absence on Thursday is a downgrade with just one practice to go. A limited session on Friday could hint at him playing in Week 2 against the Ravens, but if he’s unable to go, it will likely be Trayveon Williams mixing in behind Joe Mixon. Williams played on just 16 snaps in the Bengals Week 1 loss to the Browns, and can be left off the fantasy radar even if Evans sits.

Williams didn’t play in the Bengals’ preseason games. Returning to practice next week would put Williams on track to be active for Week 1. Williams, Chris Evans, and rookie Chase Brown are all competing to be the Bengals’ third-down back.

This comes from Dehner’s article over at The Athletic, where he projects Evans as the Bengals’ “passing-down starter” while Trayveon Williams and Chase Brown will serve as backups. Dehner says Evans is on the rise after a camp where he excelled in pass protection and improved as a runner. Evans serving in this role could make him the replacement for Samaje Perine, who appeared on 149 third-down snaps last season to Mixon’s 50 per PFF. Evans is an interesting late-round flyer in deep PPR leagues.

According to Rapoport, Williams is expected to miss a few weeks, assuming the initial diagnosis is confirmed with an MRI. It’s good news for Williams, who was assisted to a cart before leaving the field, but the injury will set him back in the battle for the Bengals’ backup job. There’s a chance Williams will return ahead of Week 1, but it’s likely down to Chase Brown and Chris Evans for the Bengals’ RB2 role.

Williams reportedly suffered a right leg injury in camp and was helped to the cart with assistance from trainers. The fifth-year back is competing for a shot as the Bengals’ third-down option behind Joe Mixon and can ill-afford time away from camp. We’ll likely know more on his injury soon, but his absence could open the door for rookie Chase Brown and veteran Chris Evans to see more snaps.

Though Taylor said he “likes” Joe Mixon as the Bengals’ starting running back, Mixon’s persistent legal troubles and the organization potentially souring on him could open up opportunities for Williams and rookie Chase Brown. Re-signed by Cincinnati in March, Williams could move up the team’s depth chart with Samaje Perine’s departure to Denver. He’s averaged 5.1 yards per carry on 47 rushes over the past three seasons. Taylor said Williams has shown improvements over his four years with the Bengals. This isn’t the first time Taylor has talked up Williams. In March, Taylor said the team has “high hopes” for the little-used back and that Williams “just hasn’t had an opportunity because we had two really good running backs in front of him.”