Bailey Williams is the sort of player whose value for fantasy purposes is highly contingent on the presence of certain other players on the teamsheet. If the Bulldogs don't have their full complement of key defenders, Williams is asked to play a half back role to try to cover space and spoil third tall forwards. If Luke Beveridge has all he wants in terms of big blokes up the spine, he has the luxury of using Williams in his preferred position of wingman, where on his day he can score as heavily as anyone in that position, especially at Docklands. A spot start at best.
Bailey Williams is the sort of player whose value for fantasy purposes is highly contingent on the presence of certain other players on the teamsheet. If the Bulldogs don't have their full complement of key defenders, Williams is asked to play a half back role to try to cover space and spoil third tall forwards. If Luke Beveridge has all he wants in terms of big blokes up the spine, he has the luxury of using Williams in his preferred position of wingman, where on his day he can score as heavily as anyone in that position, especially at Docklands. A spot start at best.
Bailey Williams started his senior footy career in defence, but in the latter part of 2019 and through the opening of 2020 he has shifted more to a wing role, drifting back for garbage collection at times as befits the modern wingman but also kicking inside 50 at times. This pattern of learning the craft on the outside before a move to the guts after his body matures is one trodden by many great players, and he could join them in a year or two. For now, though, he is not fantasy relevant as he is on the fringes in figurative and literal terms.
Eject button for Bailey
Once a core member of the defensive unit in his prior breakout season, Bailey Williams dropped behind newcomer Taylor Duryea and midfielder-turned-rebounder Caleb Daniel in the defensive pecking order. In his senior appearances, he accumulated 25% less than 2018, in and out of the squad dependent on team needs and injury. We know that Bailey Williams can accumulate. At VFL level in 2019, he averaged 22+ disposals per game, and he proved to be a ball magnet in his junior years. We'll need to see Williams get back to his 2018 form before taking a stab. Pass, for now.
Don't bail on Williams
Established as a core member of the defensive unit, Bailey Williams steadily rose his statistical production across all facets of the game including a top 25 ranking for metres gained. Driving play from half back, Williams managed a touch under four score involvements and four rebound 50s a match. A foot injury forced the Bulldog out for a seven week stretch and he played his final three fixtures as a midfielder, kicking five goals and gathering 17 possessions per game Williams anointed himself as a top prospect during the 2018 season and the direction of his development looks intriguing. A prominent defender over the previous two seasons, Williams generated scoring power for the club when moved to the wing. The off-season arrival of Taylor Duryea may indicate coach Luke Beveridge prefers Williams higher up the ground. He should be on your preseason watchlist, as his average durability record may see him slip into the second half of the draft.
Bailey Williams has quietly become a factor for fantasy coaches, posting four 80+ scores in the last five in standard scoring and now averaging just on 80 for the season, his third in the seniors. The move of Jason Johannisen forward and retirements of Bob Murphy and Matthew Boyd has meant that he has been allowed to fend off Hayden Crozier for a HBF spot, with Crozier playing forward when picked. His early bye means that some coaches will be looking at him in salary cap competitions as a low-end keeper.
Bailey is pretty Boyd
Though he played some wing in the VFL, Bailey Williams' time in the seniors was mostly in defence with 74% of his 16 touches per game coming in the back half. In two stints in the ones spanning five and then six games, he improved his fantasy scoring by ten points. He gets 80% of his ball on the outside like Alex Witherden, though his possession, metres gained and rebound 50 stats are about two-thirds that of the Lion maven. Williams played most of the games that Matthew Boyd did not last year, and now that Boyd has retired his spot at half back is open for the younger man to take. There will be plenty of competition for it though, including possibly from new recruit Hayden Crozier. He has enough upside that he should be on someone's roster with a late pick, with a possible reach from middle rounds to capture upside from natural progression.
