Tag: Mike Williams fantasy

Chargers WR Mike Williams carted off field with knee injury

Mike Williams was carted off the field.

The Chargers may need to finish the game without one of their stars on each side of the ball.

The team announced during the quarter break that safety Derwin James was questionable to return to the game with a hamstring injury. When the broadcast returned, it also showed wide receiver Mike Williams being carted off the field with a knee injury.

It’s unclear when James was injured, but the Williams injury occurred late in the third quarter on a screen play. Williams hurdled a defender in the hole and then was twisted down and had to be assisted off the field. He did not put any weight on the injured leg before being carted off the field.

1 bold prediction for every Chargers positional unit: Offense

Making predictions for the Los Angeles Chargers’ high-octane offense.

The Chargers are just days away from kicking off the 2022 regular season. After some roster reconstruction, the team is equipped with plenty of talent on both sides of the ball.

How will the positional groups shape up? Let’s take a crack at making a bold prediction for each one, starting with the quarterback room.

Quarterback

Justin Herbert leads the NFL in passing yards

Last season, Herbert finished second in passing yards behind Tom Brady with 5,014. Herbert enters his third season, having plenty of chemistry with wide receivers Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Josh Palmer. In addition, he will have one of the best receiving running backs in Austin Ekeler and a yards-after-the-catch weapon in Gerald Everett at his disposal. As a result, the Chargers will continue to put the ball in the hands of Herbert, giving him plenty of opportunities to load up this stat.

Running back

Austin Ekeler leads the NFL in touchdowns

Ekeler was a key piece of Joe Lombardi’s offense in 2021, contributing heavily as both a ball carrier and pass catcher. He set career-highs in rushing yards (911), all-purpose yards (1,558), rushing touchdowns (12) and tied a career-high in receiving touchdowns (eight). Ekeler tied Colts RB Jonathan Taylor for the most touchdowns scored (20) overall last season. Even with the arrival of Sony Michel, it shouldn’t take away from Ekeler’s red zone opportunities that much. In 2021, Ekeler scored 12 times on his 46 red zone attempts.

Wide receiver

Mike Williams leads wideouts in receiving yards and touchdowns

Williams is coming off his most productive season to date, as he set career highs with 76 receptions and 1,146 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches (both team-highs among receivers) in 2021. A large part of his breakout year was his new role under Lombardi. Not only was he a deep-field 50-50-ball threat, like how he was strictly used early in his career, but as the ‘X’ receiver, Williams attacked in the short and intermediate areas of the field and ran various routes. With Allen, Palmer and Everett to be accounted for, Williams should not draw blanketed coverage. Ultimately, I expect Williams to push his overall stats higher in 2022. 80 catches for over 1,200 yards with double-digit scores.

Tight end

Donald Parham outproduces Gerald Everett

Parham made strides in his second season with the Chargers. He finished with 20 receptions on 27 targets for 190 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games before his year ended when he suffered a devastating concussion in Week 15 against the Chiefs. In training camp, he looked like one of the best pass-catchers before hurting his hamstring. Even though Everett is the top tight end, I expect the offense to utilize Parham’s elite physical traits and movement skills often, whether up the seams or in the red zone.

Offensive line

Rashawn Slater allows no more than two sacks

Making the smooth transition from college to the pro level at the tackle position in Year 1 is not an easy task by any means. Very few can maintain the high level of play against NFL pass rushers right out the gate, but Slater defied the odds in his rookie season, garnering second-team All-Pro. Slater’s light feet, balance and technically refined and heavy hands showed to be elite enough to slow the cream of the crop of edge defenders, and I expect that to be no different in his sophomore season.

Chargers WR Mike Williams comes through in clutch in win over Steelers

Chargers WR Mike Williams made his presence known in the victory over the Steelers.

For the past four games, Chargers receiver Mike Williams was nowhere to be found.

His presence and production on the field were undoubtedly missed after collecting 31 catches for 471 yards and scoring six touchdowns through the season’s first five games.

Williams hadn’t scored a touchdown since Week 5. However, when the Bolts needed him most, he delivered with a 53-yard catch-and-run touchdown that won Los Angeles the game over the Steelers.

Williams finished the contest with five receptions on six targets.

“That was huge for this team,” Williams said. “Just to be in a hard-fought game like that coming down to the end and to get a [win,] I feel like that’s big for this team. It took the whole team on both sides, and we got it done.”

Quarterback Justin Herbert recalled postgame that he told Williams in the huddle to be ready on a play call that he believed would work well for his receiver.

It was then that Herbert identified the corner blitz, which led to a wide-open Williams.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Herbert relied on the big-bodied receiver in a crucial moment, though.

Herbert has connected with Williams for five separate go-ahead touchdowns in the fourth quarter, which is already the most by any QB-WR duo in a single season in NFL history, per ESPN’s Field Yates.

What’s going on with Chargers WR Mike Williams?

Assessing what could be the cause of Chargers WR Mike Williams’ lack of production the past few weeks.

Early in the season, wide receiver Mike Williams was the Chargers’ most productive pass catcher.

In the first five weeks, Williams had 31 catches, 471 yards, and six touchdowns.

However, the numbers have taken a drastic dip since then.

Over the past four weeks, Williams has only amassed ten catches, 137 yards, and zero touchdowns and averaged just 34.2 receiving yards.

After taking over as the ‘X’ receiver, a vital piece in offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi’s system, Williams ran various routes compared to previous seasons and caught everything thrown his way in the early going.

Now, his presence has appeared to be insubstantial.

You can point to a few reasons as to why Williams has been a non-factor.

First off, Williams has been dealing with some swelling in his knee from earlier this season. While head coach Brandon Staley said the swelling was a “non-factor,” it still could be holding him back. Williams dealt with the injury to the same knee back in 2019.

The next theory could be due to the dropped passes. Williams currently has three, but they have all been gimmes, including what would have been a touchdown against the Vikings. According to Pro Football Focus, Williams’ drop grade is 39.0, ranking 97th among 103 qualifying receivers.

Then, you can direct your attention to Justin Herbert, who has not been at his best in the last three of four games.

Herbert has been off the mark on some of his throws. He has had to resort to the quick passing game to mitigate the holes on the right side of the line. And, there’s been times where Williams was open, but Herbert did not see him, which speaks to some of his struggles post-snap.

For the sake of improving the team’s offensive efficiency and earning a contract extension this upcoming offseason, Williams will need to be more of a factor for both to come to fruition moving forward.

Chargers WR Mike Williams expected to play vs. Ravens

The Chargers will have a key offensive piece available against the Ravens.

According to multiple sources, Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams, listed as questionable for Sunday’s game with a knee injury, is expected to play against the Ravens.

Williams didn’t practice this past week after experiencing some swelling in his knee following the victory over the Browns. Still, head coach Brandon Staley just wanted to be careful and remained hopeful that he would play.

Arguably the league’s most productive receivers up to this point in the season, Williams has 31 catches for 571 yards this season. In addition, he leads the league in touchdown receptions (6).

Chargers’ Mike Williams among top wide receivers in various statistical categories

Chargers WR Mike Williams is earning a huge contract with his career year.

The only person who would have been able to tell you that Mike Williams would not only be a top wide receiver for the Chargers, but the entire league is offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

In his new role as the ‘X’ receiver in Lombardi’s system, Williams has made a significant impact in the season’s first three games.

Williams has posted 22 catches, 295 receiving yards, and four touchdowns.

Not only does he lead the team in each of these categories, but Williams is among the NFL’s best. He’s tied for third in the league in receptions, fifth in yards, tied for second in scores, and fourth in targets with 31.

Williams also became the first Chargers player since tight end Antonio Gates in 2010 to score a touchdown in each of the first three games of a season.

It might have taken a few years to get Williams to play like a first rounder, but Lombardi and the rest of the coaching staff have done a fine job of putting him in a position to live up to that billing.

Williams has excelled with an expanded route tree, and he has been an integral piece of the offense’s run-pass option (RPO) game.

The connection between quarterback Justin Herbert and Williams has been quite the sight to see, and it’s unlikely to slow down anytime soon.

If Williams continues to perform like this every week, it’ll be difficult for the front office not to consider extending him, even before the season ends.

Chargers WR Mike Williams’ surge continues

Chargers WR Mike Williams is looking to make himself some money this offseason.

Heading into the season, you would not have said that wide receiver Mike Williams would be the team’s most productive pass-catcher.

Through the first two games, that is the direction that it is headed.

After an eye-popping season opening performance against Washington in his new role as the ‘X’ receiver, Williams followed that up with another productive day in last Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys.

Leading the team in targets with 10, Williams amassed seven catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.

After Week 2, Williams is now up to 15 receptions for 173 yards and two scores on 22 targets, which is second-most among receivers in this league and one more than Keenan Allen.

In Joe Lombardi’s system, Williams has aligned outside 98 times and 17 inside the slot, and his ran 83 routes on 103 of quarterback Justin Herbert’s dropbacks.

As opposed to being a jump ball specialist down the field, like he was the last four years, Williams has made the majority of his money in the short and intermediate levels of the field.

Instead of being restricted to primarily vertical routes, Williams has proved that he can handle more diverse patterns while still managing to use his size, quick reflexes, body control and ball skills to make plays look routine.

If he keeps this up and manages to stay healthy, Williams is going to make himself a lot of money this offseason.