DeAngelo Williams fueled a Twitter firestorm Sunday night, responding to fantasy football owners frustrated with the running back's performance this season.
Williams managed just six yards on six carries with a fumble in the Carolina Panthers' 16-12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and has averaged 3.6 yards per carry with two touchdowns in five mediocre starts thus far.
Fans didn't hold back their disappointment, inundating Williams with expletive-laden messages on Twitter that questioned his fantasy worth as well as his $21 million guaranteed contract.
However, Williams fired back at his critics, tweeting that fans settle for fantasy football because "[they] can't play."
He also seemed to question the decision of fantasy owners to start him in the first place -- an apt assessment, considering the capable Seattle defense he was facing, his shared workload with Jonathan Stewart and the competition on the ground posed by his own quarterback.
After the ensuing reaction, Williams backed off his initial statement and said fans had a right to be disappointed. He assured them that the players shared in their frustration and promised that the 1-4 Panthers would find a way to bounce back this season.
This isn't the first time this season that a player took to Twitter to address fantasy owners after a poor performance on the field. In September, wide receiver Roddy White apologized to fans after hauling in just 87 yards and failing to find the endzone in the Atlanta Falcons' season opener.