Colston Loveland or Jameson Williams: Who Should You Start?

2026 Week 2 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Loveland's positional edge outweighs Williams' bigger target share

Start Colston Loveland: his TE3 standing carries more weight than Jameson Williams' small projection edge because it reflects a stronger weekly expectation at a scarce position. Chicago's favorable scoring environment and Loveland's near-every-down role support the call, but his light target involvement and scoreless prior week make this a narrow edge. Williams has the more exciting volume path, with his established No. 2 and deep-threat role backed by SI.com (Lions On SI) 2026-09-11. His explosive-play upside keeps him a viable start, but Loveland is the better play.

What flips it: A late reduction in Loveland's pass-route role.

Sources: SI.com (Lions On SI) · Sep 11, 2026

AI editor

Colston Loveland

Colston Loveland

TE3CHIvs MIN

Projected Points

Start
Jameson Williams

Jameson Williams

WR26DETvs BUF

Projected Points

Start· medium

Colston Loveland’s market

REC
O/U 4.5
+112 / -142
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 46.5
-114 / -114
Receiving Yards Props →
ATD
Anytime TD
+170
Anytime Touchdown Props →

Jameson Williams’s market

REC
O/U 3.5
-162 / +126
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 59.5
-112 / -112
Receiving Yards Props →
ATD
Anytime TD
+190
Anytime Touchdown Props →
MIN@
CHISun, Sep 20, 1:00 PM ETView the game →
DET@
BUFThu, Sep 17, 8:15 PM ETView the game →

Why Colston Loveland

Start

TE1 and pass-catching mismatch. Seam-stretching move tight end with flex alignment and rising target volume.

Start — every-week TE start at consensus TE3: 24.5 implied team total, 8% target share.

  • TE scarcity makes Loveland's elite consensus standing more actionable than the small projection gap.
  • The risk is a thin target role, which leaves his pass-game floor less secure than his rank suggests.

Latest on Loveland

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Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Why Jameson Williams

Start· medium

WR2 and primary vertical threat. Elite straight-line speed stretching the field on deep shots and jet motion.

Locked-in WR2 role with 84% snaps and a 23% target share, plus a 24.8 implied total — WR26 value is a clean PPR flex start.

  • Williams' heavier target involvement gives him the clearer volume path if Detroit's offense sustains drives.
  • His primary deep-threat role can quickly overcome the modest projection disadvantage with one explosive play.

The call

  • Role is not in question: WR-2 on the depth chart at 84% snap share with a 23% target share, and he's the primary deep threat for Jared Goff after a 65-catch, 1,117-yard 2025 season.
  • A 24.8 implied team total with a 3.0 spread means Detroit is expected to score and stay in a two-way game — good volume environment for a field-stretching WR2.
  • The DvP composite ranks Buffalo 22 of 32 vs the position, a mild edge, but it's a 1-game sample with 0.00 confidence, so treat the matchup as neutral rather than a bonus.
  • Main risk is boom-bust deep-ball dependence — if the vertical shots don't connect, the floor is thin despite the target share.

Latest on Williams

Role

Williams is slated as the clear No. 2 receiver and primary deep threat for Jared Goff in new OC Drew Petzing's system after a career-best 65-catch, 1,117-yard 2025 season.

SI.com (Lions On SI) · Sep 11, 2026
Can Goff, new-look Lions offense set aside disappointing 2025?

After tumbling from playoff contention last season, Detroit promises a team focused on the prize in 2026.

ESPN · Sep 11, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Head-to-head stats

MetricColston LovelandJameson Williams
Projected points
Consensus rankTE3WR26
Opponent vs positionMIN · 14 of 321-game sampleBUF · 22 of 321-game sample
Receptions14 of 3226 of 32
Receiving Yards31 of 3227 of 32
Receiving TDs1 of 3213 of 32
Targets24 of 3229 of 32
Anytime TD1 of 3213 of 32
Target share8%23%
Reception share0%15%
Implied total · spread24.5-3.524.8+3.0
Depth chartTE1WR2
Snap share87%84%
Start/Sit record—0–1

Recent form

Colston Loveland — last 1 week

Week 1vs CAR

Jameson Williams — last 1 week

Week 1vs NO

Signal breakdown

  • 11.4 vs 12.3 projected PPR pointsJameson Williams +
  • Rank 3 vs 26Colston Loveland +
  • Opponent DvP rank 14 vs 22 (32 = softest)even
  • Implied 24.5 vs 24.8 team pointsJameson Williams +
  • No injury designationseven
  • 87% vs 84% snap shareColston Loveland +

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