Mike Williams is a wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers. He was drafted with the No. 7 overall pick in 2017. Williams played at Lake Marion HS in Santee, South Carolina, before committing to play college football at Clemson. After a breakout sophomore year at Clemson, he suffered a season-ending injury on the first offensive possession of the season his junior year. He picked up where he left off in his redshirt junior season, with 1,361 yards and 11 touchdowns, then he declared for the NFL Draft after winning a national championship. To go with his 6-4, 218-pound frame, Williams ran a 4.54 40-yard dash at his Pro Day.
Despite a lofty pedigree, Mike Williams struggled out of the gate in the NFL. In his rookie year, he missed training camp due to a spinal injury and finished the year with 95 receiving yards across nine games. Over the next three seasons, the fantasy community held their collective breath in hopes of a breakout, but Williams was not a priority in the Chargers offense. Across those three years, Williams’ Target Share peaked at 16.5-percent in 2019. He was used mainly as a deep threat, with a 14-plus yard ADOT in each season from 2018 to 2020.
With a new head coach and offensive coordinator in 2021, Williams’ usage shifted and his ADOT fell to 10.8 and he earned a 20.8-percent Target Share. This also led to a jump in his yards after catch. Williams gained 414 YAC compared to a previous career high of 208 YAC. However, Williams dropped eight targets. The Chargers signed Williams to an extension in the 2022 offseason. He caught 63 passes in 2023 for 895 yards and four touchdowns across 13 games - for a WR20 finish in PPG. He suffered a torn ACL that ended his 2023 season after playing in just three games.
