We’ve had some noise at wide receiver this offseason, and Mike Williams has found a new home with the Jets on a one-year deal worth up to $11 million. The Chargers released him after seven seasons. Williams had a lot of ups and downs during this time with the Chargers, but landing with the Jets is interesting. Can Williams be a reliable option in the Jets offense that desperately needs a second option in the passing game? How does Williams impact the rest of the Jets offense?
Mike Williams’ Career
As mentioned, Williams was part of the Chargers offense for seven years. He had a stretch in his career where he was a stable low-end WR2 for fantasy. From 2019 to 2022, Williams averaged 59 receptions, 950 receiving yards, and five touchdowns. In 2021, he had his best season with 1,146 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
| Year | G | TGT | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TDs |
| 2019 | 15 | 90 | 49 | 10001 | 20.4 | 2 |
| 2020 | 15 | 85 | 48 | 756 | 15.8 | 5 |
| 2021 | 16 | 129 | 76 | 1146 | 15.1 | 9 |
| 2022 | 13 | 93 | 63 | 895 | 14.2 | 4 |
Williams has also been a big-bodied, framed receiver with the downfield ability to stretch the field for an offense. Last season, Williams was WR15 through the first three weeks of the season before he went down. He has an excellent average of 15.6 YPR over his seven-year career.
Williams has dealt with injuries over his career. He has only played one entire season over his seven years. In the last two seasons alone, Williams has missed 18 games due to injuries. He has been a hot and cold receiver for fantasy football. He can easily go off for 25 fantasy points but finish with four in any given week. Williams has only two top-24 finishes over his seven years in the league. Despite Williams’ massive frame at the position, he has only had two seasons over five receiving touchdowns.
Mike Williams’ Dynasty Value
What does Williams’ dynasty value look like with the Jets? He is coming off a torn ACL that he suffered in the early portion of the 2023 season. He will also be 30 years old during the 2024 season.
Williams seems to be on the wrong end of long-term dynasty success, especially since he is only signed through 2024. He will be the WR2 on a Jets team that has hope with Aaron Rodgers’s return in 2024. Rodgers hasn’t been a quarterback who has been successful since 2016 in creating two fantasy-relevant receivers on the field. Williams’ talent probably outweighs guys like MVS or Allen Lazard, which Rodgers has had as a WR2 over the last eight years.
| Year | Player | TGT | Yds | |
| 2022 | Romeo Doubs | 67 | 425 | 4th in Targets |
| 2021 | Allen Lazard | 60 | 513 | 3rd in Targets |
| 2020 | MSV | 63 | 690 | 3rd in Targets |
| 2019 | MSV | 56 | 452 | 4th in Targets |
| 2018 | MSV | 73 | 581 | 3rd in Targets |
| 2017 | Nelson | 88 | 482 | 3rd in Targets |
The Jets don’t have playmakers outside of Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. The Jets’ second receiver had only 49 targets last year, which was fourth on the team. Williams should come in and be the deep threat for this Jets team.
In Rodgers’ last year in Green Bay, he was second in deep ball attempts, so Williams will get chances deep to make big plays in the offense. It’s still hard to trust that Williams will not miss a few games in 2024. MetLife Stadium has a history of poor field conditions compared to the newly built SoFi Stadium that WIlliams played in the last few seasons.
If I could, I’d be looking to sell off for a late second or even a few early third-round picks. Rebuilding or contending, I’d instead take a shot with a young rookie coming out rather than 30-year-old Williams. Also, if things fall right, the Jets could still take a receiver in this draft in the top 11 if they find someone they like.
The Rest of the Jets’ Offense
Williams should be able to help with the rest of the Jets’ offense. It helps take off the pressure of Garrett Wilson a slight bit with an actual second weapon for the passing offense. Williams may allow the team to move Wilson a little more in the slot where he can thrive the best for his fantasy value. The team struggled to have Allen Lazard be the second-leading pass catcher in the offense.
If Williams can stay healthy in 2024, it will surely take away some targets from Tyler Conklin, who has had 87 targets in back-to-back seasons. Garrett Wilson is still one of the easier buys in fantasy, which should help raise his production in 2024.
The addition of Williams should help Rodgers have that deep-threat weapon. The offseason news had not addressed that the Jets don’t have many weapons for Rodgers. No one is saying that the Jets need to get Rodgers more talent, but they finally did with Williams. He will provide talent and a veteran presence to a team looking to go all in on a Super Bowl run. It gives some more hope for Rodgers to be a successful QB2 in dynasty leagues in 2024.
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