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Wide receiver Mike Williams (knee) got off to a hot start in 2023 but suffered a torn ACL in Week 3, which put an end to his campaign. Before the injury, the 29-year-old caught 19 passes for 249 yards with a score in just over two games of play.
This offseason, he signed with the New York Jets and currently sits as the No.2 wide receiver on the depth chart behind Garrett Wilson. However, given his lengthy recovery process, he may be limited to begin the campaign. But if quarterback Aaron Rodgers can revert back to his old form, Williams could end up being a solid value in fantasy football for 2024.
Will Williams be healthy before the season begins? Will Williams play in Week 1?
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Will Mike Williams Play This Season?
Typically, most NFL athletes require a lengthy six-to-nine-month recovery period after suffering a torn ACL, which suggests that Williams was never in doubt to miss a large portion of 2024.
Earlier in August, the New York Jets removed Williams from the PUP list, easing any doubts that the wideout would miss any significant time early on this season.
Throughout most of August, Williams participated in a limited fashion as the team emphasized caution in his recovery process. However, as recently as August 27, 2024 according to Brian Costello of the New York Post, Williams was seen taking team reps.
Mike Williams will begin doing team reps today, Saleh said.
— Brian Costello (@BrianCoz) August 27, 2024
Will Mike Williams Play In Week 1?
On Thursday, Rich Cimini of ESPN reported that Williams is expected to suit up in the season opener on Monday evening against the San Francisco 49ers. Head coach Robert Saleh told the media this news following a successful practice session in which Williams made "four or five catches, well over 100 yards."
Mike Williams available in Week 1, Saleh says. Had a nice day in practice today, with 4/5 catches, per Saleh. So there you have it: Mike Williams will play vs SF. #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) August 29, 2024
This is a great sign for fantasy managers who have been stashing the 6-foot-3 wideout, as he should serve as Aaron Rodgers's No.2 pass-catcher in Week 1.
Mike Williams 2024 Fantasy Outlook
Throughout his time with the Chargers, Williams has always been a big-play receiver due to his ability to draw targets deep downfield. In a small sample size last season, Williams averaged 100.0 air yards per game and a strong 11.5 average yards per depth of target.
In 2022, he had a slightly higher aDOT (average depth of target) of 12.1 yards and accounted for a strong 25.8% of the team's air yards.
This is the play late in the fourth quarter where #Chargers QB Justin Herbert threw it up to WR Mike Williams for a 29 yards. “Thats the main thing I tell him every day, `Trust me bro. It may not look sweet, just throw it up and I’ll go get it,” is what Williams told Herbert. pic.twitter.com/KIQYvqRSHG
— Fernando Ramirez (@RealFRamirez) October 14, 2020
Now, future hall of famer Aaron Rogers will be passing him the ball. Even though Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall are likely to serve as the focal points of the offense, given his ability to have big-play production, Williams is worth selecting at his current Yahoo! ADP of 133.2 and a solid flex play in deeper leagues in Week 1.
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