WR Mike Williams - Los Angeles Chargers

6-4, 218

Born: 10-4-1994

College: Clemson

Drafted: Round 1, pick 2017

Main Career stats Game Logs Game Recaps Split Stats Play-by-play Latest News

Photo: Jake Roth, US Presswire

Traditional view FanDuel view DraftKings view

Preseason player page

Week 15: at Kansas City Chiefs

All WR vs KC

FBG says: Great matchup. Two of the top big-play passing offense meet this week as Phillip Rivers and the Chargers rank just behind the Chiefs with the second-highest yards per pass attempt while Rivers ranks fifth in passing touchdowns behind the first-place Patrick Mahomes. Rivers had passed for multiple touchdowns in every game leading up to last week, but his streak came to an end against the Bengals as the red zone proved to be a challenge for Rivers and company to navigate. Keenan Allen was the recipient of that one touchdown last week though, as Allen has now developed a streak of his own with at least 57 receiving yards and a touchdown in five straight games. Allen had a relatively slow start to the season for his standards, averaging just below six receptions and 72 receiving yards per game with one touchdown thru Week 8 leading to ranking 26th in PPR scoring amongst wide receivers. In the second half of the season, since Week 9, some softer matchups and increased focus from Rivers has led to Allen averaging just under eight receptions and 95 receiving yards per game with five touchdowns, vaulting him to the third-ranked fantasy wide receiver in PPR scoring in the last six weeks. The long-awaited return of top Chiefs safety Eric Berry will finally happen this week barring any pre-game setbacks. This Chiefs secondary will be welcoming him with open arms as they currently rank worst in the league with 282 passing yards allowed--in part due to the pass-heavy game scripts they so often find themselves in. They have been particularly weak in coverage in the middle of the field with both tight ends and running backs producing at high levels when facing the Chiefs--a testament to how poor the play by their safeties and linebackers has been. Coverage by their cornerbacks on the outside has been marginally better though, as touchdowns from opposing wide receivers have been kept to a minimum while production from outside receivers has at least been held to average levels. If Berry can return at even a partial percentage of his old self, it will help significantly as the Chargers can be very dangerous with Keenan Allen on those short routes from the slot to dominate the middle of the field. The matchup in the trenches cannot be ignored in this one either though, as the Chargers have an impressive offensive line that has held Phillip Rivers upright the majority of this season while the Chiefs rank second in sacks with at least three sacks in four straight games. These Chiefs pass rushers led by Justin Houston has been absolutely relentless even against strong offensive lines such as the Rams recently, so they get the edge in that matchup especially with the rookie Justin Jackson likely to pick up blocking duties if he is the only healthy running back for the Chargers.

Recent Stats and Projections

WEEK	OPP		oSNAP	RSH	YD	TD	TARG	REC	YD	TD	FumL	Pts
11	vs DEN		45	0	0	0	3	2	56	0	0	5.6
12	vs ARI		63	0	0	0	4	4	25	2	0	14.5
13	at PIT		34	0	0	0	3	3	52	0	0	5.2
14	vs CIN		29	0	0	0	6	3	45	0	0	4.5
15	at KC		66	1	19	1	9	7	76	2	0	27.5
15	at KC	PROJ-Dodds	*	0	*	*		3	*	*	*	*
15	at KC	PROJ-Tremblay	*	0	*	*		2	*	*	*	*
15	at KC	PROJ-Bloom	*	0	*	*		3	*	*	*	*

Weekly Performance vs WR 1, WR 12, WR 24, WR 36

Percentile ranks

Mike Williams's percentile rank in each category, among WR with more than 50 fantasy points.

Recent Game Summaries

2018 Week 14 vs CIN (6 / 3 / 45 / 0 rec)

Williams continues to get oh so close to fantasy relevance with each performance, but tends to always come up just short of being useful. In this game, he had three nice grabs that went for first downs. One of them was a terrific play where he used his length to go high over the middle to snatch a third and 10 pass from over the outstretched arm of a defender to pick up a key conversion at a big moment. But he just missed out on a 17-yard highlight-worthy sideline catch in the first half when he juggled the ball as he went to the ground. And later in the game, he had his hands on a pass in the end zone but some nice defense knocked the ball away at the last second before he could secure it (the ball may have actually been intended for Tyrell Williams, who was behind him).

2018 Week 13 vs PIT (3 / 3 / 52 / 0 rec)

Williams made two nice sliding grabs over the middle to convert first downs, one in the first half and one in the second. The first one set up the long Travis Benjamin touchdown. His last reception of the game was probably his most impressive, going high in the air to pick up 18 yards on a third and 14 with the Chargers trailing 23-7. He appeared to be injured on the play and was looked at on the sideline for quite awhile. So while Williams didn't get a heavy volume of passes thrown his way, he more than made up for that on the degree of difficulty.

2018 Week 12 vs ARI (4 / 4 / 25 / 2 rec)

Williams took full advantage of his four targets, turning two into touchdowns. Williams is at his best on high-point opportunities and converted both against Arizona. Williams has struggled to separate with most of the route tree, but with the ball in the air, Williams excelled this week. Williams is up to seven touchdowns on a mere 24 receptions on the season, a disappointing volume for the second-year receiver drafted in the top-10. This week had Tyrell Williams out, which did not aid Mike Williams in terms of volume. Williams has not seen more than four targets in a game since Week 3.

2018 Week 11 vs DEN (3 / 2 / 56 / 0 rec)

Williams had two long catches in the game to make the most of his limited opportunities. He shook loose down the sideline for a wide open gain on third and 10 early on. Williams later added a terrific grab deep down the right sideline to convert a third and 3. He went up high to snag it at the highest point (all hands), and managed to hang on despite the defender hanging all over him and trying to drag him down. In the second half, Williams dropped an easy third down quick slant that would have kept a drive alive, a really bad drop. He didn't see another target.

2018 Week 10 vs OAK (0 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec, 1 / 0 / 0 rush)

The Chargers only threw 26 passes, but nonetheless Williams' usage pattern continues to be inconsistent. He wasn't thrown to once in the passing game, but got a rushing attempt in the second half on an end-around that went for no gain.

2018 Week 9 vs SEA (3 / 1 / 30 / 1 rec)

Williams had just one catch in the game, but boy did he make it count. On a back shoulder pass along the sideline, Williams hauled it in with the defender hanging all over him. He then spun out of the tackle, somehow tip-toed the sideline while remaining inbounds, and took off for the end zone. Replays appeared to show Williams' heel touching the sideline at around the 8-yard line, but after review the officials ruled that the touchdown stood. It was surprising even to the announcers, who assumed it was going to be ruled a catch and out of bounds at the 8. Williams had earlier come close to bringing in a deep jump ball down the right sideline. He actually did come down with the pass initially, but couldn't hang on as he went to the ground. It would have been a really nice catch, but he just didn't squeeze it and the force of the ground popped it loose.

2018 Week 7 vs TEN (3 / 1 / 55 / 1 rec, 1 / 3 / 0 rush)

Williams was given several opportunities to make plays in the passing game, although only one of them ended up being converted. He was targeted in the first half on an end zone pass attempt, but the defender was all over him and knocked the ball away. It would have been a really difficult catch, but instead the team settled for a field goal. Williams did connect on a long completion with Rivers in the second half, getting wide open behind the defense with nobody around him for a 55-yard touchdown. The defense was caught peeking into the backfield, and Williams got by them in an instant. The ball hung up just a bit, but Williams was so open that it didn't really matter. He had a chance to add to the touchdown tally later in the game when he was targeted on a red zone attempt over the middle. Again the defender had tight coverage on him, but the ball was perfectly thrown and right on his hands. Williams, however, couldn't haul it in and then he was shaken up on the play. He eventually got up and gingerly jogged off the field with an apparent hip injury of some sort, so the Chargers upcoming bye week will come at a good time for him.

2018 Week 6 vs CLE (4 / 1 / 4 / 0 rec, 1 / 10 / 0 rush)

With the Chargers completing just twelve total passes in the game, there wasn't a lot of action for the secondary receivers. Williams was targeted on a deep ball from the shadow of his own end zone, but there was missed timing between he and Rivers. Williams did have a quick inside cross for a minimal gain on a second down slant, but that was his only catch of the game. With Keenan Allen having so much success running the ball, the Chargers opted to get Williams involved in the same way. He also picked up ten yards on his lone rush attempt, as the Browns were just powerless to stop that play.

2018 Week 5 vs OAK (4 / 3 / 45 / 0 rec, 1 / 3 / 0 rush)

Williams was targeted on a deep ball down the left sideline on a third and long early in the game, but the pass never had a chance of being completed due to good defense. He did come up with a couple of big plays despite that, two nice receptions over the middle and one end-around reverse handoff (which was negated by an illegal block in the back penalty).

2018 Week 4 vs SF (3 / 1 / 15 / 0 rec)

A week after breaking out for two scores, Williams was largely a non-factor in this game. His first catch didn't come until late in the third quarter. He made a tough grab in traffic for 15 yards, taking a big hit right as he caught it with the defender's arm draped in front of him. Later, Williams was targeted on a deep ball down the sideline, but Rivers overthrew him by several yards.

2018 Week 3 vs LAR (7 / 4 / 81 / 2 rec)

Williams started off his afternoon about as good as can be, with a spectacular leaping/diving touchdown catch from 42 yards out. He had defenders right on him, but he managed to maintain a laser focus on the ball all the way through the catch and to the ground. Replays showed he actually hit the ground pretty hard and it took him awhile to get to his feet, but he remained in the game and seemed no worse for wear. He proved that by adding a second touchdown grab in the second half. Facing a fourth down, Philip Rivers put a pass right on Williams' hands. With the defender hanging all over him, he kind of flopped his body forward and lunged over the goal line for the score. It was another tremendous individual effort, and this performance will certainly go a long way towards him being the second option in the passing game after Keenan Allen (who limped off the field late in the game).

2018 Week 2 vs BUF (2 / 2 / 27 / 1 rec)

Williams had a quick start to his afternoon, leaping high in the end zone for the team's first score of the game. Philip Rivers kind of floated it up there, and Williams went high while taking a big hit from the safety. But he managed to sort of shield his body and cradle the ball in so it wasn't knocked away. It was his first career touchdown, and demonstrated the trust Rivers has in him in the red zone. He made another tough grab to convert a third and long shortly thereafter, with a veteran move of coming back to the football rather than waiting for it to get to him. Like much of the Los Angeles offense, he went quiet in the second half as the Chargers really kept the ball on the ground (and didn't really have success when they DID throw it).

2018 Week 1 vs KC (6 / 5 / 81 / 0 rec)

After a rookie season that was almost a total loss, fantasy owners were excited to see what Williams had in store for his first fully healthy extensive NFL action. The end result was mostly positive. He was targeted on an early two point conversion attempt that the defender made a nice play on, but he showed a real knack for being able to get open almost at will in the second half. The announcers mentioned that Rivers compared him to Vincent Jackson or Malcom Floyd, a big-bodied receiver who can win the jump balls deep down the field and use his frame to shield out defenders. Williams had several such opportunities in this game, and ran good routes featuring nice cuts. Additionally, he was one of the few Charger targets who didn't drop a pass in this game, which certainly endeared him to Philip Rivers as the game went down the stretch.

Latest News

Chargers | Mike Williams scores three times (Thu Dec 13, 11:41 PM) - Los Angeles Chargers WR Mike Williams caught seven of his nine targets for 76 yards and two touchdowns in a 29-28 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15. He added a 19-yard touchdown run and caught a two-point conversion.

Our View: Williams was dominant at the catch point and picked up the slack for Keenan Allen after the Chargers #1 receiver went out. He'll be a WR3/Flex consideration next week against Baltimore whether Allen can play or not.
link to story

Chargers | Three grabs for Mike Williams (Sun Dec 9, 10:01 PM) - Los Angeles Chargers WR Mike Williams caught three of his six targets for 45 yards in a 26-21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14.

link to story

Chargers | Mike Williams compiles 52 yards receiving (Mon Dec 3, 02:33 AM) - Los Angeles Chargers WR Mike Williams caught three passes for 52 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13.

link to story

Los Angeles Chargers Team Links

Depth Chart Season Stats Targets Red Zone Game Logs

Footballguys Articles

Starting Stacks for Week 14
Scott Bischoff - December 6

Roundtable Week 14
FBG Staff - December 5

The Gut Check No.461: The Backdoor Playoff Crew
Matt Waldman - November 14
Starting Stacks for Week 10
Scott Bischoff - November 8

The Top 10 Week 8 - Footballguys
Matt Waldman - October 22
Starting Stacks for Week 5
Scott Bischoff - October 4

Roundtable Week 5 - Footballguys
FBG Staff - October 3
Starting Stacks for Week 4
Scott Bischoff - September 27

The Top 10 Week 4
Matt Waldman - September 24
Starting Stacks for Week 1
Scott Bischoff - September 5

Articles from around the web

Jay Ajayi leads 2018 fantasy football draft bargains
  James Koh - June 4
12 Fantasy Football Breakout Candidates
  Various - June 7
Bengals Fantasy Preview
  Evan Silva - June 14
Which Players Do Our Projections Like Most and Least at Their Average Draft Position?
  J.J. Zachariason - June 15
Best at Best Ball Part 4
  John Bush - June 16
Preseason Preview: Receivers
  David Dorey - June 18
2018 Fantasy Football - 15 Sleepers
  Chet Gresham - June 20
7 Late-Round Draft Targets
  Staff - June 28
Available Target Analysis: AFC
  Jody Smith - June 29
Chargers Fantasy Preview
  Evan Silva - July 2

Schedule

15	@ Kansas City Chiefs
16	vs Baltimore Ravens
17	@ Denver Broncos

Win. Your. League.

Receive 3 Free Downloads More Details