Mike Williams News

Mike Williams

24-Year-Old Wide ReceiverWR

Los Angeles Chargers

2018 Receiving Stats

REC

YDS

664

AVG

15.4

TAR

2019 Receiving Projections

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YDS

AVG

TAR

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2019 Fantasy Outlook

After barely playing his rookie year due to a back injury, the seventh overall pick from the 2017 draft showed encouraging signs during his second season. Although he saw only 66 targets (60th), Williams scored a whopping 10 times (T-6th) and averaged 10.1 YPT and 15.4 YPC. At 6-4, 220, Williams is a huge receiver with a massive catch radius, and the Chargers used him a lot near the goal line - nine (T-8th) of his 66 targets were from inside the 10, and he scored on six. Williams also runs well for his size with a 4.49 40 time at his pro day (he didn't run at the NFL combine). Chargers GM Tom Telesco gave Williams a vote of confidence in March, saying the 24-year-old wide receiver has the ability to handle a high-volume role, and Telesco backed up that confidence by letting Tyrell Williams (65 targets) leave for Oakland this offseason. That makes Mike Williams the primary red-zone and downfield weapon this year while Keenan Allen runs mostly short and intermediate routes. Allen is still the favorite to lead the team in targets, and the Chargers should have Hunter Henry at full strength, but Williams with more volume could push for the NFL lead in touchdowns. Read Past Outlooks

RANKS

#68.38

ADP

Overall

Wide Receiver

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Bye Week 12

Height 6'4"

Weight 220

DOB 10/4/1994

College Clemson

Drafted 1st Rd 2017 #7 Overall

Excited for bigger role

WRLos Angeles Chargers

June 17, 2019

Williams said he's confident in handling an expanded role after the Chargers lost Tyrell Williams to the Raiders, Ricky Henne of the team's official site reports. "I'm a lot more confident coming out here and playing," (Mike) Williams said. "My role is going to expand with Tyrell leaving. A lot more balls coming my way. I'm looking forward to it."

ANALYSIS
With the 2017 first-round pick coming off a season that included 10 touchdown catches on 66 targets, the Chargers didn't appear interested in re-signing Tyrell Williams at market value. Mike Williams now steps in as the No. 2 receiver, while Travis Benjamin will try to fend off Dylan Cantrell, Geremy Davis and Artavis Scott for the No. 3 job. There's still some concern regarding volume, as wide receivers accounted for 55 to 58 percent of the Chargers' targets each of the past three years, ranking 18th or lower every season since Ken Whisenhunt took over as offensive coordinator. It was less of an issue when Philip Rivers challenged for 600 pass attempts, but he dropped off to 508 last season with the help of a strong defense. On the other hand, Williams may prove himself a good enough player to dictate team strategy, potentially encouraging Rivers to throw fewer passes to Keenan Allen, Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler. The return of Hunter Henry adds another variable, but most of the tight end's volume should come from the basket that went to Antonio Gates (45 targets) and Virgil Green (27) last season.

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NFL Stats

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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats

See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.

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Advanced NFL Stats

How do Mike Williams' 2018 advanced stats compare to other wide receivers?

This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.

Air Yards Per Game

59.8

Air Yards Per Snap

1.54

% Team Air Yards

24.1%

% Team Targets

13.1%

Avg Depth of Target

14.5 Yds

Catch Rate

65.2%

Drop Rate

3.0%

Avg Yds After Catch

2.7

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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart

Chargers 2018 WR Snap Distribution See more data like this

K.Keenan Allen

T.Tyrell Williams

M.Mike Williams

T.Travis Benjamin

G.Geremy Davis

J.J.J. Jones

% of Team Snaps

926

863

738

315

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#2 WR

Chargers

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Receiving Alignment Breakdown

See where Mike Williams lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.

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2018 Mike Williams Split Stats

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Measurables Review View College Player Page

How do Mike Williams' measurables compare to other wide receivers?

This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.

Height

6' 4"

Weight

220 lbs

Vertical Jump

32.5 in

Broad Jump

121 in

Bench Press

15 reps

Hand Length

9.38 in

Arm Length

33.38 in

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2018

2017

A bad back derailed Williams' rookie season as he saw only 23 targets in 10 games. But last year's seventh overall pick is completely healthy heading into OTAs and will get the chance for a do-over. At 6-4, 218, Williams has excellent size and a massive catch radius, making him an ideal red-zone threat. Williams didn't run at the 2017 combine but turned in a 4.49 40 at his pro day. He's strong and athletic enough to make plays even when he doesn't have much separation. Another concern is the Chargers' densely packed depth chart - No. 1 target Keenan Allen finally stayed healthy, and at press time Tyrell Williams and Travis Benjamin are still on the team. But the Chargers didn't use such a high pick on Williams to have him sit, so he should have a chance to emerge as the team's No. 2 receiver behind Allen. Given Allen's extensive injury history, there's some upside here.

With Keenan Allen presumably coming back from his torn ACL and Tyrell Williams breaking out, the Chargers didn't necessarily need a receiver. But they took Mike Williams with the seventh overall pick anyway. At 6-4, 218 and with a huge catch radius, Williams can make plays both down the field and in the red zone. He's not especially fast -- 4.6 40 -- but given his size and ball skills he can make plays even if he doesn't separate. Williams' route running needs work, and he might not be polished enough for a huge role. There's a fair amount of targets to go around, but Williams has a lot of competition. In addition to Allen and Tyrell Williams, LAC has two capable TEs in Antonio Gates and Hunter Henry and a field-stretcher WR in Travis Benjamin. Williams sat out OTAs with mild disc herniation in his lower back and opened training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list. The Chargers still hope he'll be ready by Week 1, but his absence from practices (and possibly exhibition games) will make it tougher to earn a major role.

More Fantasy News

Has skill to handle more work

WRLos Angeles Chargers

March 1, 2019

General manager Tom Telesco believes Williams has the ability to handle a high-volume role if needed, Ricky Henne of the team's official website reports. "[Williams] had a great year for us," Telesco said Thursday. "But we're also in an offense where we have a lot of guys to get the football to, so he didn't have 80, 90 or 100 catches, but he has that type of ability."