Lions Add RB Trayveon Williams: A Depth Move, Not a Fantasy One
Detroit signed the ex-Bengals back, who's logged just 72 carries for 343 yards across 75 career games. Roster fodder, not a start-worthy pickup.
Depth signing with a thin career resume — no fantasy value yet.
- 72 career carries, 343 yards in 75 games
- 2019 sixth-round pick of the Bengals
- Played 3 games for LAC, 4 for CLE last year
- Boye-Doe: undrafted 2023, 6 games as rookie
- Lions waived RB Robichaux, DB Strickland
The Lions shored up the back end of their depth chart Sunday, signing running back Trayveon Williams and cornerback Ekow Boye-Doe. To make room, Detroit waived running back Kye Robichaux and defensive back Loren Strickland, both with injury designations. It's the kind of housekeeping that fills out an 90-man roster in mid-August — not the kind that moves a draft board.
Williams is the more recognizable name, but only just. A 2019 sixth-round pick, he spent six seasons in Cincinnati before bouncing to the Chargers for three games and the Browns for four last season. His entire NFL body of work: 72 carries for 343 yards across 75 games. That's not a workload, that's a rounding error.
Boye-Doe, meanwhile, joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and appeared in six games as a rookie. He's a camp arm for a Detroit secondary that's already deep. Neither of these signings tells you anything about the Lions' plans at the top of the roster — they're bodies for the preseason grind and special teams auditions.
For fantasy purposes, the name that actually matters here isn't on the transaction wire. Detroit's backfield is Jahmyr Gibbs' and David Montgomery's, and it isn't close. Williams walks into a room with two established, high-value backs ahead of him and a clear pecking order. Barring a rash of injuries, he's a practice-squad candidate more than an every-down threat.
The Fantasy Fallout
Nothing about this changes your draft plan. Williams has never topped a meaningful touch share in seven seasons of trying, and landing on a loaded depth chart doesn't suddenly unlock that. If you're rostering Lions backs, keep monitoring the Gibbs–Montgomery split and preseason injury news, not this move.
Verdict: leave Williams on the wire. He's a WATCH only in the most literal sense — worth a glance if Detroit's top two get banged up in the coming weeks, but not a name to spend a bench spot on right now. In deeper dynasty formats, file him under 'roster churn' and move on.
