VideoFrom Matt Harmon
Is Antonio Williams The WR2 Washington Has Been Looking For? | Reception Perception The Show
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this video and kept the full transcript here for context.
13 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Jun 12, 2026
Published
Fri, June 12, 2026
5
Player insights
5
Players mentioned
Topics
Antonio WilliamsBrandon AiyukJayden DanielsJosh DownsTerry McLaurin
Player analysis
Player insights
Antonio Williams
PositiveRole0:00
Matt Harmon ranks Antonio Williams as his wide receiver 8 in the draft class and would have taken him early in the second round; Williams was drafted 7th overall in the third round by Washington, going a round later than Harmon's tier-four ranking. Harmon projects Williams as a slot-mostly player (82% of snaps in slot, 86% off-ball) who can play Z in two-receiver sets, with 75th percentile success rate versus man coverage and strong contested-catch ability (80% catch rate on contested targets). Williams is 5'11", 187 lbs, tested at 80th percentile on 40-yard dash and vertical jump, and excels on corner routes, post routes, and dig routes against both man and zone coverage with reliable hands. Harmon expects Williams to operate as a vertical slot receiver similar to Christian Kirk, fitting well with Washington's new offensive scheme under David Blough and quarterback Jayden Daniels. At Clemson, Dabo Sweeney used him on trick plays, direct hand-offs, and downfield opportunities, demonstrating versatility despite the hyper-specific slot archetype. Harmon is higher on Williams than most consensus and expects instant impact with year-one production higher than expected.
Insight pageBrandon Aiyuk
NegativeInjury0:16
Matt Harmon expresses skepticism about Brandon Aiyuk as a Washington acquisition due to significant injury concerns and inactivity. Aiyuk has not played since October 2024, with mixed reports about his current shape and whether he is in touch with teams. Harmon notes uncertainty about when the 49ers will release Aiyuk, calling the situation unique. While Aiyuk may eventually join Washington, Harmon views relying on him as the starting outside receiver alongside Terry McLaurin as an extremely risky bet. Harmon was previously very high on Aiyuk at his peak in 2023, but acknowledges the last time he was seen was not at his peak.
Insight pageJayden Daniels
PositiveRole8:14
Matt Harmon projects that Jayden Daniels can handle more under-center and play-action looks than Kyler Murray did under Kliff Kingsbury, and notes Daniels is a better over-the-middle thrower than credited at the NFL level, though he will still attack vertical routes to the outside. This versatility supports the new Ben Johnson-influenced offensive scheme and fits well with receivers like Antonio Williams.
Insight pageJosh Downs
PositiveBreakout4:31
Matt Harmon projects Josh Downs as a breakout candidate after the Colts coaching staff appears to be coming around on deploying him as an outside receiver, suggesting a role expansion that could unlock his fantasy value.
Insight pageTerry McLaurin
NegativeRole0:00
Matt Harmon notes Terry McLaurin pairs well with Antonio Williams in Washington's offense, with McLaurin working on the outside as the WR1 while Williams works on the inside. Under new offensive coordinator David Blough, McLaurin will probably be deployed in more interesting ways than he was under Kliff Kingsbury, but he will remain a vertical outside X receiver maintaining his core role. Harmon tempers expectations on target volume despite coaches saying they want to get McLaurin the ball 10 times per game; McLaurin won't realistically reach 170 targets (10 per game over 17 games). The emphasis is on strategic placement and play-calling variety to maximize playmakers rather than pure volume.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00Terry McLaurin, Antonio Williams, I
0:02think they pair very well together.
0:04McLaurin obviously working on the
0:05outside and Antonio Williams primarily
0:07working on the inside. Williams I think
0:09has the skill set of a player that can
0:10actually play Z in two receiver sets. So
0:13I think he will be a slot mostly player.
0:15I don't think he has to be a slot only
0:16player. 75th percentile success rate
0:19versus man coverage.
0:21>> Look at the release.
0:22>> There's your separation. Great route.
0:24>> Starter and go. Gets by clean.
0:26>> That is unbelievable.
0:27>> Maybe the greatest catch I've ever seen.
0:31>> Antonio Williams was the first wide
0:33receiver taken off the board in the
0:35third round, seventh pick in the third
0:37round. He is a Clemson four-year starter
0:42at Clemson and he goes to Washington.
0:45And in Washington there is Terry
0:46McLaurin and no one. Deebo is gone.
0:50Dyami Brown is there. Tray Lan Burks
0:54is I don't even know if he's going to
0:55make the roster, Tray Lan Burks. Luke
0:56McCaffrey is there. I feel like people
0:58have been talking about Luke McCaffrey
0:59for years now.
1:00>> No, nothing has happened.
1:02>> Uh and they've got a a wily old veteran
1:05in Van Jefferson who I I feel like is
1:08going to be like some kind of like
1:09assistant wide receivers coach or
1:10something. More coach than player
1:12perhaps
1:14will Van Jefferson be. Obviously there's
1:16rumors of Brandon Aiyuk but man this guy
1:18has not played since the Reagan
1:19administration so I'm not sure
1:22what we've got left.
1:24>> Reagan administration with Brandon
1:26Aiyuk. But Antonio Williams joins Terry
1:29McLaurin.
1:30>> Um look, I think he's a slot mostly
1:31player. We talked about Antonio Williams
1:33previously on a previous episode of the
1:35podcast. Please go check that out but
1:37man Dabo Sweeney did use him in a lot of
1:39different ways man and I I really liked
1:41that. I liked his versatility. They used
1:43him on trick plays. They used him on
1:44direct hand-offs. Um again, not a ton of
1:47downfield opportunities but I thought
1:49when he had those downfield
1:50opportunities I thought he made some
1:52plays down there too. So he's a good
1:54player is Antonio Williams.
1:57>> Um
1:59you know, you were being you know, funny
2:02there in terms of the Reagan
2:03administration with Brandon Aiyuk. Not
2:05to not to get political here on the
2:06podcast. We're not going to get
2:07political on the podcast, but they
2:09Brandon Aiyuk actually hasn't played
2:11since the previous of president was in
2:13office.
2:13>> Okay.
2:14>> Uh [laughter] he he
2:15he actually actually has he actually has
2:17not played a football game since the
2:19last since before the last presidential
2:21election cuz he went down
2:23>> in October of 2024. So
2:25>> Amazing.
2:26>> [laughter]
2:26>> Uh Brandon Aiyuk actually has not played
2:28football in a minute. And yeah, I mean,
2:29the idea of Brandon Aiyuk coming on this
2:31roster
2:32is very interesting. Um obviously,
2:34nobody was higher on Brandon Aiyuk than
2:36me at Brandon Aiyuk's peak.
2:38>> Yeah.
2:39>> As we're talking about here, uh even the
2:41last time that we saw Brandon Aiyuk was
2:44not Brandon Aiyuk's peak. Not even close
2:46to it. 2023 was that peak year.
2:49And you know, there's mixed reports
2:51about what kind of what kind of shape
2:52he's in, mixed kind of reports about um
2:55is he even in touch with teams that are
2:56trying to like
2:58I I would view that as like, yeah, he's
2:59probably going to be a commander at some
3:01point, but relying on Brandon Aiyuk to
3:04be
3:05the starting outside receiver alongside
3:07Terry McLaurin would be an extremely
3:09extremely risky bet. Like just pen
3:12writing that in pen. Um plus like when
3:14are the Niners going to even let him go?
3:16It's it's a very weird It's a beyond a
3:18weird situation with Aiyuk, the Niners,
3:20and um it maybe not weird, a unique
3:23situation certainly what's going on
3:24there. So, with that in mind, I love
3:28them getting the picture of reliability
3:30in this year's draft class, which is
3:32Antonio Williams. I thought this was a
3:35great pick.
3:36Antonio Williams to me in the third
3:38round, I had him ranked as a tier four
3:40receiver, which as we were talking about
3:41is a guy that I would have taken kind of
3:44early in the second round. So, he goes a
3:46round later than I would have even
3:47ranked him. And obviously, um
3:50we talked about this a lot pre-draft
3:52where Antonio Williams is kind of in
3:53that archetype of wide receiver I've a
3:56I've maybe overrated in years past. So,
3:58I'm trying to sort of
4:00weigh that into into some of my analysis
4:02with Williams and maybe even overweight
4:04it at some point cuz he is a 5'11 187-lb
4:07receiver who in the games I charted for
4:10him in 2025 was in the slot on just
4:13under 82% of his snaps was off the ball
4:16on 86% of his sampled snaps. So, that is
4:20obviously a hyper specific role and an
4:22archetype of slot-based player that is a
4:25little bit going away. That being said,
4:28I think that Williams and this is again
4:30I've I've said this about plenty of guys
4:31in the past that coaching staffs have
4:33disagreed with me. Although it sounds
4:35like the Colts coaching staff might be
4:36coming around on Josh Downs as an
4:38outside receiver. So, uh
4:39congratulations, folks. We're going to
4:41be a year early on the Josh Downs
4:43breakout. Okay. Um but anyways,
4:46Williams I think has the skillset of a
4:48player that can actually play Z in two
4:50receiver sets. So, I think he will be a
4:52slot mostly player. I don't think he has
4:54to be a slot only player. 75th
4:56percentile success rate versus man
4:58coverage and yeah, certainly we know
5:01what Terry McLaurin is going to do. I
5:02think his role could look a little bit
5:04different in this year's offense with
5:05David Blough, a unit that I've talked
5:07about a lot. I'm very high on the idea
5:09of what David Blough is going to do here
5:11with more of a Ben Johnson influence
5:13than what we've seen with Kliff
5:14Kingsbury the last couple of years.
5:16It's been very clear that that's what
5:17they're going to do. More under center,
5:19more play action, more kind of pro level
5:22stuff over the middle of the field.
5:24Um I think we'll see a lot of that mixed
5:25into Washington's offense, which is
5:26exciting. But, you know, this is a team
5:29that I I I I love Williams kind of
5:31landing with this ecosystem in
5:33particular because I think he can be
5:36deployed as a slot mostly but also as a
5:38Z receiver when they get into 12
5:40personnel. Um that being said, I don't
5:42even know how much 12 personnel they're
5:43going to run. You know, it's not like
5:45their tight their tight end room is a
5:46little bit interesting when you look at
5:47that. Well, we can have that
5:48conversation as well, but yeah, I love
5:50Williams landing in this spot. They
5:52needed like a reliable guy. Williams is
5:54a real super reliable player who beats
5:56man and zone coverage and has really
5:58good hands as well. So,
6:00um I'm hoping he's not just a slot only
6:02player and I think that that we know
6:04that Terry McLaurin, like I said, will
6:05probably be deployed in more interesting
6:07ways in this offense than he was in
6:08Kliff Kingsbury's offense, but he's
6:10still going to be a vertical outside X
6:12receiver and for that reason they need
6:14someone of William's skill set.
6:16>> Okay, can we talk about David Blough
6:18very quickly here? Uh he is the new OC
6:20there in Washington. I am sure I'm with
6:22you. I'm sure we're going to see more
6:23stuff uh new stuff. I'm sure we're going
6:25to see more under center stuff. Okay,
6:27that being said um
6:30the quarterback is the quarterback and
6:31generally the offense will
6:34tend to do what he likes to do uh as we
6:37have talked about in in many different
6:39instances here. Uh but that being said
6:41too, David Blough was the quarterback
6:43coach under Kliff Kingsbury last year.
6:46Now, Kliff was also Blough's
6:48>> coach, I think. Assistant
6:49>> So, this is a huge promotion by the way
6:51for Blough. Obviously big projection.
6:53>> For sure. Um and then he was Cliff was
6:56also Blough's head coach in Arizona as
7:00well. So, I think if we're looking for
7:03breadcrumbs, there's a lot more
7:05breadcrumbs to a spread offense
7:08um in Washington than there are anything
7:12else that we would like to project in
7:14regards to Ben Johnson, no?
7:17>> Um I think that
7:19I I think it's going to be a blending of
7:21worlds. And when I say that they're
7:22going to get under center more, number
7:24one, Dan Quinn has said that he wants
7:25them to get under center more and I
7:27think that David Blough, again,
7:28obviously started his career with the
7:30Detroit Lions.
7:31Um actually under the Matt Patricia era.
7:33People forget this. Like
7:35People forget this. Ben Johnson was on
7:36that staff. Like he was he was actually
7:38a holdover from Matt Patricia's staff
7:39and then Dan Campbell kept him on there
7:41cuz they did have history together.
7:44So
7:44>> it's interesting there, but yeah, he's
7:45been with Ben Johnson for a minute as he
7:47has come up the as Ben Johnson came up
7:49the coaching ranks, David Blough was on
7:51that roster. He finished his career back
7:53on the Lions believe practice squad in
7:56one of Ben Johnson's final seasons
7:57there. So yeah, again, like he's got a
8:00lot of ties to Ben Johnson. I think it
8:01will be a blending of those worlds. But
8:02when I say they're going to be under
8:04center more, I mean they quite literally
8:06were 32nd in the NFL in under center
8:08rate last year. So [laughter] I mean
8:09they're going to be under center more
8:11than they were previously. And I do I do
8:14think that Jayden Daniels can handle
8:16more of that, you know, than like a
8:18Kyler Murray type who was tied up with
8:20Kliff Kingsbury previously. I don't
8:22think they're going to go completely
8:23like he's not going to you know, Jayden
8:25Daniels is not going to become Jared
8:26Goff or something like that.
8:29And I think that Jayden Daniels is a
8:31better over the middle thrower than you
8:33know, he was kind of credited coming
8:34into the NFL. But he does obviously
8:36still want to attack on vertical routes
8:38to the outside and I think that we'll
8:40we'll see you know, Antonio Williams do
8:43a variety of different things, but no, I
8:44agree with you that it'll be a blending
8:45of the worlds.
8:47I just, you know,
8:49I I just think generally what's been
8:51said by Washington, Blough's background,
8:56even him saying something that like hey,
8:57this offense is going to revolve around
8:59getting the ball to Terry McLaurin, you
9:01know, 10 times a game. Coaches always
9:02say that. Terry McLaurin's not going to
9:04get 170 targets, you know, 10 per 10 per
9:07game.
9:08I mean that'd be awesome. That'd be
9:09great.
9:10That would be amazing. But I just think
9:12it means like we're going to try to
9:13maximize our play makers and put them in
9:15different spots. And we know that Kliff
9:16Kingsbury was one of the most static
9:18offensive coordinators in the NFL. So
9:20>> Right. Correct.
9:21>> Especially from a deployment standpoint.
9:22So I think we'll see a blending of two
9:24worlds and that by the way will be
9:26really interesting. But just the idea
9:28that like oh, Washington is going to be
9:30first in no huddle rate and first in
9:32shotgun rate and everything
9:34like that. That's you
9:36know, that's where I think you
9:38Yeah, that's where I think we'll see
9:39some change.
9:41>> Terry McLaurin, Antonio Williams, I
9:43think they pair very well together.
9:45McLaurin obviously working on the
9:46outside, Antonio Williams primarily
9:48working on the inside. But I I will say
9:50this, regardless of whether we're
9:52talking about Cliff Kingsbury or Ben
9:54Johnson, I think no matter what,
9:57just given his play history, given his
10:00history with Daryl By the way, when he
10:01was with Detroit originally it was Daryl
10:03Bevell, I believe was his offensive
10:04coordinator.
10:05Um they're going to get vertical. I just
10:07think with the quarterback they've got
10:09there, with with Jayden Daniels,
10:11with the players that they have, I think
10:14that they are going to find ways to get
10:16vertical.
10:17And whether that's under center play
10:19action, that's probably that's been
10:21proven to be the most efficient way in
10:22the NFL to get down field. But Antonio
10:25Williams Williams fits into that scheme
10:29pretty well, too, cuz like I said, even
10:31though he was mostly a slot player there
10:33for Clemson, man, I I just really liked
10:36him. When Dabo got him down field and
10:39asked him to make go make plays, I
10:41thought Antonio Williams did a pretty
10:42good job in that regard as well.
10:45>> Yeah.
10:46>> I like that I like that call by I like
10:48that call by the way. Just one last note
10:50on that. I agree with you that Antonio
10:52Williams is more of a vertical slot than
10:54he is kind of the pop gun slot where you
10:56know you cuz I didn't think he was he
10:58was he tested really well from an
11:00athletic measurable standpoint.
11:02You know, I mean 80th percentile on the
11:0440-yard dash, 80th percentile on the
11:06vertical jump. I didn't necessarily see
11:09like the explosion with the ball in his
11:11hands. He went down on first contact a
11:13good amount of in in my charting, but
11:15where he really did pop, and you can see
11:18this on his route chart on the website,
11:19is like corner routes, post routes, dig
11:22routes, some of those more true vertical
11:24slot routes, both against man and zone
11:27coverage. And I really liked his hands
11:29in contested situations. Only 11.8% of
11:33his sampled targets were contested
11:35target, but he caught almost I believe
11:3980% of those plays. So, I really like
11:42the ball tracking. I thought his hands
11:43improved from previous seasons when he
11:45had more of a higher drop rate and yeah,
11:48I kind of think maybe he could be I feel
11:50like every there's like someone compares
11:51someone to Christian Kirk in every draft
11:53class.
11:54But maybe he could be like more of a
11:55Christian Kirk type of vertical slot
11:58option as opposed to like the other that
12:00spit the ball and he does things after
12:01the catch. So, yeah, if we see more of
12:04you know, I like I said, I'm looking at
12:05the looking at the Commanders tight end
12:07room. I mean, you know, they spent money
12:10on Conquo who obviously is more
12:12of a move tight end and then they have
12:13kind of a blocker in John Bates. So, I
12:15think they'll be in 12 and decent and I
12:17don't we'll see what we get from Ben
12:19Sinnott if anything.
12:21You know, we haven't got a lot from him
12:22so far, but I think they probably will
12:25be in 11 personnel especially if Ayuk's
12:27on the roster more than we think and
12:29that can allow Antonio Williams to be
12:31more of that vertical slot receiver.
12:32Yeah, so he's somebody like post draft.
12:34I mean, I was high on him pre-draft. He
12:36was my wide receiver eight in the class.
12:38So, top 10 receiver for me, a guy I
12:40would have taken early in the second
12:41round. But like from a dynasty
12:42standpoint, you know,
12:44obviously Ayuk is a is a wild card, but
12:46even like year one production, I I've
12:47really
12:49I'm higher on Williams maybe more than
12:51most. I think he's going to have an
12:52instant impact on this team.
12:54>> Well, he's going to have the
12:55opportunity. I think that's for sure.
