Surgeon provides hope

The orthopedic surgeon who led Williams' (knee) reconstructive ACL surgery indicated that the receiver's knee injury did not involve damage to other ligaments, and it is possible that Williams could gain medical clearance ahead of training camp, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports. "Jameson's goal is to play first preseason game, obviously. I told him, I said, 'Look, depending on which team you go to, most teams are probably - they're going to be very conservative. You've got to understand that,'" said Dr. Lyle Cain of Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center.

It initially seemed highly optimistic for Williams to be ready for training camp this summer considering he underwent knee surgery six-and-a-half months earlier. However, it sounds like his knee injury was not as severe as many of them tend to be, which led doctors to prescribe a 5-to-7 month timeline for recovery that would align with the start of training camp. The fact that Williams has already resumed running and regaining the range of motion in his knee provides evidence that this recovery is going smoothly. With that said, Williams could remain setback-free and the Lions' coaching staff might still take a conservative approach with his return to the field come training camp. Fantasy managers should prepare accordingly, as it remains a possibility that Williams starts the 2022 campaign on the sidelines.