Over the past two seasons, Williams' 17-game pace is 81 catches for 1,196 yards and eight touchdowns. Those numbers would have made Williams a top-12 wide receiver last year. Unfortunately, he's never actually played 17 games in a season and he's only played 16 twice in six years, and even when Williams has been active he's often been playing through something. He missed OTAs due to a back injury and the Chargers still aren't sure if Williams will need surgery for that injury. That may shed some light on why the team spent a first-round pick on Quentin Johnston, who could be a carbon copy of Williams in the NFL. Due to questions about his health and Johnston's impact on his target share, we wouldn't draft Williams before Round 7.
Chargers' Mike Williams: Makes way to injured reserve
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The Chargers placed Williams (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday.
This is merely a procedural move after an MRI confirmed Monday that Williams suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during Week 3 action against the Vikings. He'll end his 2023 campaign with 19 catches on 26 targets for 249 yards and one touchdown in three appearances. In Williams' place, Joshua Palmer and rookie first-rounder Quentin Johnston are expected to see bigger roles alongside No. 1 wide receiver Keenan Allen.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Torn ACL confirmed
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Williams (knee) was diagnosed with a season-ending ACL injury after undergoing an MRI following Sunday's 28-24 win over the Vikings, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Williams is expected to be ready for training camp next year, per Adam Schefter of ESPN, but the injury is brutal news for Los Angeles' wide receiver corps. The Chargers have Joshua Palmer and rookie first-round pick Quentin Johnston available to step up behind Keenan Allen, but replacing Williams -- who caught seven of his eight targets for 121 yards and a touchdown before leaving the field Sunday -- will be no easy feat. Expect Williams to officially be placed on injured reserve in the coming days.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Scheduled for MRI on knee
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Williams is slated to undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the knee injury he suffered in the Chargers' 28-24 win over the Vikings on Sunday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Per Pelissero, Williams rode a cart to the bus at U.S. Bank Stadium following the contest with his left leg in a brace. If the wideout is forced to miss time beyond Week 3, Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston would see added opportunities going forward alongside Keenan Allen. Prior to his exit Sunday, Williams caught seven of his eight targets for 121 yards and a TD.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Suffers knee injury Sunday
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Williams exited Sunday's game at Minnesota due to a knee injury.
Williams was on the receiving end of a screen pass from Justin Herbert late in the third quarter that he took for 11 yards. However, Williams took a hit at the end of the play and remained on the turf for a spell. He eventually was carted to the locker room, after which the nature of the injury was revealed. Williams had seven catches (on eight targets) for 121 yards and one touchdown at the time of his departure.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Steps up in Week 2
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Williams recorded eight receptions on 13 targets for 83 yards in Sunday's 27-24 overtime loss to the Titans.
Williams led the Chargers in targets and tied for the lead in receptions but was ultimately overshadowed by the big performance of Keenan Allen. Nevertheless, Williams had a strong performance in his own right, though he was interestingly targeted primarily in the short areas of the field after posting an aDOT of 12.0 in 2022. That could be the product of a new offensive philosophy under offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and will be an interesting trend to monitor in the coming weeks.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Flex Starter (Lineup Decisions)
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Williams is best as a flex with touchdown upside in a plus matchup. Tennessee's run defense is also pretty good, so the Bolts might be forced to take to the air, where Williams' size should give him an advantage. I'd go with him over Nico Collins, Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis in PPR.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: WRs to Start
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Williams had a frustrating performance in Week 1 against Miami with four catches for 45 yards on five targets, and he briefly left the game in the second quarter after taking a strong shot to the head. Hopefully he can stay healthy in Week 2 at Tennessee, and this is a great matchup for him. The Titans secondary looked much like it did in 2022 in Week 1 against the Saints when Derek Carr passed for 305 yards, and three receivers (Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Michael Thomas) all scored at least 11 PPR points. Keenan Allen should have a huge game in this outing, as should Williams, who is worth trusting as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all formats.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Not significant factor
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Williams gathered in four of his five targets for 45 yards during Sunday's 36-34 loss to the Dolphins.
Williams briefly left the game in the second quarter after taking a strong shot to the head, but the big-bodied target returned shortly thereafter and wound up making a big catch in the fourth quarter to extend a critical scoring drive. Even prior to the injury, Williams wasn't a massive offensive focus as the Chargers tallied nearly 240 yards on the ground. At least rookie first-round pick Quentin Johnston didn't end up threatening Williams' workload, as the 22-year-old had just two catches for nine yards.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Re-enters Sunday's game
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Williams (head) returned to Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Williams was evaluated for a head injury earlier in the contest, but the wideout has been cleared to return to the field and will thus reclaim his key role in the Chargers offense versus Miami.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Exits Sunday's game
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Williams is being evaluated for a head injury during Sunday's game against the Dolphins.
Prior to his exit from the contest, Williams caught his only target for three yards. In his absence, Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnstonand Derius Davis are on hand to log WR snaps alongside Keenan Allen.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: WRs to Start
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When Williams is healthy you should plan to start him, and he's ready to go for Week 1. Last year in Week 14 against Miami, Williams went off for six catches for 116 yards and a touchdown on six targets. I'm excited to see the Chargers move their receivers around, and Williams should see time in the slot, meaning he can avoid Xavien Howard if that's a concern. This game should light up the scoreboard with a projected over-under of 51, and Williams has top-15 upside this week. Keenan Allen is also worth starting in all leagues as well.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Not slated to play Saturday
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Williams isn't on pace to play in Saturday's preseason contest versus the Rams, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.
The Chargers will keep Williams, Keenan Allen, Joshua Palmer (undisclosed) and John Hightower on the sideline for their exhibition opener. With Jalen Guyton (knee) on the active/PUP list, the team's available wide receivers are Quentin Johnston, Derius Davis and Keelan Doss, among others. Williams' next opportunity for game action will happen Sunday, Aug. 20 against the Saints.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Healthy and practicing
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Williams (back) participated in minicamp and said Wednesday that he's been healthy for months, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Williams suffered a minor back fracture Week 18 last season and sat out the Chargers' wild-card round loss to Jacksonville six days later, finishing a once-promising season on a low note. He averaged 5.3 catches for 70.7 yards on 8.4 targets over the first seven weeks and 5.0 catches for 77 yards on 6.6 targets over the final five weeks, with an ankle injury limiting him to six snaps in the five games in between. The per-route and per-snap production wasn't much different from his 2021 breakout campaign, apart from a lack of touchdowns (four). The 28-year-old has tougher competition for deep and intermediate targets after the Chargers drafted Quentin Johnston in the first round in April's draft, but there may be more looks to go around overall under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Has chance to play in second round
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Williams (back), who won't play in Saturday's wild-card game at Jacksonville, has "an outside shot" to return in the divisional round if the Chargers advance in the postseason, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Williams was forced out of the Chargers' Week 18 contest at Denver with a back injury, which initially was termed a contusion. He wasn't able to practice Tuesday through Thursday and eventually was ruled out for the first round of the playoffs Friday. At that point, Williams underwent additional testing on his back, and it was revealed that he had a transverse process fracture, which was expected to keep him sidelined for 2-to-3 weeks, according to Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com. While L.A. must win Saturday for Williams to have a chance to play again this season, there seems to be at least a glimmer of hope that he'll miss just one game as a result of his current health concern.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Expected to miss 2-3 weeks
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Further tests have revealed that Williams suffered a small non-surgical fracture in his back and the wideout is now expected to miss two-to-three weeks, per Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com.
The Chargers had already downgraded Williams to out for Saturday night's playoff opener against the Jaguars, and it appears he'll miss time beyond this weekend if his team advances. Joshua Palmer and DeAndre Carter should get most of the wideout snaps for Los Angeles alongside Keenan Allen on Saturday and perhaps beyond.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Won't play Saturday
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Williams (back) has been ruled out for Saturday night's playoff game against the Jaguars.
The report notes that the wideout, who was previously listed as questionable by the Chargers, will remain in Los Angeles to continue receiving treatment for his back injury. In Williams' looming absence, look for Joshua Palmer and DeAndre Carter to see added snaps in the team's postseason opener alongside Keenan Allen.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Misses practice, listed as questionable
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Williams (back) is listed as questionable for Saturday's playoff opener against the Jaguars.
Though Williams didn't practice again Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network relays that the Chargers plan to give the wideout up to game time before a determination is made on his availability for Saturday night's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff. If Williams ends up out or limited versus Jacksonville, however, Joshua Palmer and DeAndre Carter would be candidates to see added snaps alongside Keenan Allen.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Not seen at practice
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Williams (back) wasn't spotted during the initial portion of Thursday's practice, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.
Williams logged DNP listings both Tuesday and Wednesday, and the wideout's absence from the early stages of Thursday's session suggests that he's no lock to be available for Saturday's playoff opener against the Jaguars. The Chargers' upcoming injury report is in line to add further context to Williams' status for the contest.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Not spotted at practice
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Williams (back) isn't participating in Wednesday's practice, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.
Williams failed to take the field for Tuesday's walk-though session, so what the wideout is able to do during Thursday's practice should be telling with regard to his chances of suiting up for Saturday's wild-card game against the Jaguars. On Monday, head coach Brandon Staley noted that Williams, who sustained a back contusion in Week 18, is expected to practice at some point this week before the Chargers take on Jacksonville.
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Chargers' Mike Williams: Sits out practice Tuesday
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Williams (back) didn't participate in Tuesday's walk-through practice.
Though he required assistance off the field when he exited this past Sunday's loss to the Broncos, Williams appears to have avoided a serious injury. Williams was diagnosed Monday with a bruise on the left side of his lower back, and though he missed the Chargers' first practice of the week as a result, head coach Brandon Staley doesn't believe the wideout is in danger of missing Saturday's wild-card game in Jacksonville. According to Nick Cothrel of SI.com, Staley reiterated Tuesday that Williams is day-to-day and is expected to practice at some point Wednesday and/or Thursday, which will clear up any lingering doubt about his status heading into the weekend.
