Los Angeles Chargers - Fantasy News

Can You Count On Mike Williams In Fantasy Debut?

by Adam Markowitz

10/13/17

NFL

Los Angeles Chargers

Mike Williams

When the Los Angeles Chargers spent the No. 8 pick in the NFL Draft on Mike Williams, they planned on him stepping in next to Keenan Allen as the No. 1 or No. 2 receiver. Instead, with Williams sidelined through the first five weeks of the season, Philip Rivers has been stuck throwing the ball to Tyrell Williams and Travis Benjamin, pieces to the puzzle who are nice to have but are far from legitimate starting options.

The former Clemson standout’s intangibles grade out beyond belief. He's the biggest receiver on this team by a country at 6-foot-4, and his ability to create space by using his body is as good as we've seen coming out of college since Odell Beckham Jr.

Rookie Williams brings the size of Tyrell Williams to the table as well as some of the speed that Benjamin flashes. He'll never be as fast as Benjamin, but he doesn't have to be since he can go up and catch balls out of nowhere.

Rivers is thrilled to have his rookie back on the field and ready to take on the Oakland Raiders in Week 6.

"You've seen him on tape, and then seeing him up-close, you know he's a guy that has great range," said Rivers. "And then just down the field, the way he can track the ball and catch it. And then I think on the short and intermediate stuff, you can really put it in a lot of different places to protect the throw. His size alone protects the throw, whether it be a DB driving on something."

Chargers beat writers at practice this week have noted how Williams and Rivers seem to be on the same page. The two have found a rapport that defensive backs are struggling to figure out in practice, and that could be bad news for the Raiders on Sunday as Williams makes his NFL debut.

Rivers has had a history of defaulting to throw the pigskin to his biggest receivers on the field. Last season with Allen out essentially the whole year, the team's two leading receivers were 6-foot-4 Tyrell Williams and 6-foot-3 Dontrelle Inman. Benjamin, who stands at just 6-foot-1, was supposed to be the man who benefited most from Allen's absence, but he was a distant third on the team in targets, receptions and yards.

It's a little nervy to trust a rookie we've never seen before play in the NFL, but this matchup is too juicy to pass on. The Oakland defense has been a sieve against the pass, allowing 226.6 yards per game. Assuming that the Raiders jump out in front in this game, Melvin Gordon's impact should be diminished, and that could open up the rest of the offense for Williams and the rest of the Los Angeles receivers.

There are plenty of mouths to feed in this offense, but Williams is likely to have the lowest Projected Fantasy Points total of them all in his NFL debut. If we can get Williams anywhere near 5.0 PFP, we'd be happy to put him on our Dober Play Cards, knowing there's a decent chance he could see 50-60 snaps on the field this weekend.