The Chargers used the 7th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft to select wide receiver Mike Williams from Clemson University to help bolster the wide receiving corps for quarterback Phillip Rivers. With the Chargers in need of help on both the offensive and defensive line, it surprised many that Los Angeles would use a top 10 pick on a wide receiver.
At 6’3″, 225 lbs, Williams is a big body receiver known for making acrobatic and contested plays for the Tigers. The Vance, South Carolina native, caught 98 balls for 1,361 yards and a career-best 11 touchdowns in his junior season at Clemson, but a back injury sustained in the summer of 2017 forced Williams to miss the first six games of the regular season and cost the rookie vital training camp time to build a rapport with Rivers.
Get a free $3 Best Ball entry into a 2018 DRAFT contest with your first deposit 
As we approach training camp for the 2018 season, Williams is healthy once again (although he was limited for part of OTAs with a hamstring) and is looking to prove to Charger fans and teammates that he is an elite wide receiver worthy of a top-10 pick.
A devastating ACL injury to tight end Hunter Henry somewhat derailed the offensive game plan for the Chargers, as Henry proved over the past two seasons to be a favorite red zone target for Rivers. Although it is safe to say the Chargers will look to replace Henry with a tight end off of waivers or possibly bring back former star Antonio Gates, there is an opening for a big bodied WR like Williams to become relevant for fantasy owners this year.
According to Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com, Williams looked like a more confident and explosive player on the football field during May’s OTAs, and fellow wide receiver Keenan Allen was quoted in the article stating that he believes Williams is “ready to go” after a disappointing, injury-shortened rookie season.
For fantasy purposes, there are usually minimal negative comments from teams and beat writers over the summer months, and fantasy owners should take comments like Allen’s with a grain of salt. I personally like to focus more on a simple equation of opportunity plus talent, along with draft cost to decide if a player is a worthy target as a late-round flyer.
While the jury is still out regarding whether or not Williams’ talent will translate to NFL production, it is safe to assume that the Chargers will attempt to give their former first-round investment a chance to prove his mettle. It is also safe to imagine, barring the addition of a marquee tight end replacement for Henry, that Rivers will need a new red zone threat to emerge this season.
Perhaps the most attractive argument for Williams is his current draft cost as the No. 64 wide receiver off the board according to our ECR. As a player going essentially free in drafts, if Williams can emerge as a viable threat in a Los Angeles passing offense that finished fourth in 2017 in team offensive yards per game, fantasy owners who take a flyer on him may find one of the best steals of the draft.
Geronimo Allison: Late-Round Difference Maker (Fantasy Football)
Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS
Andrew Swanson is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive or follow him @FFtoday_Andy.
