Week 1 at Denver Broncos
Tyrell Williams had a fine rookie season last year, but that did not include his two games against Denver, where he managed only 4 receptions for 32 yards. That's it. It would also be foolish to not acknowledge he's facing a secondary that was first in PPR points allowed to receivers last season, with 11 games of not allowing a wide receiver touchdown and only once allowing more than one (on the road against Drew Brees and the Saints). You may have drafted Williams to be a flex candidate, but this is not the week to roll with him in your starting lineup.
Fantasy Upside
The 6-foot-4 Tyrell Williams grew into Philip Rivers' most potent wideout threat in Keenan Allen's absence last season. The undrafted free agent led the Chargers with 69 receptions, 1,059 yards and earned 7 TD catches. Williams became just the 15th Chargers receiver ever to breach the 1,000-yard mark. Williams' size and speed combination gives him the advantage on the edge. With Allen's precise route running on intermediate throws requiring defensive attention, Williams and Rivers should continue to connect deep this season.
Fantasy Downside
With Allen's recovery from last season's torn ACL on track, Williams could see his share of targets cut down. But with first-round pick Mike Williams expected to miss the entire summer due to a back injury, those concerns might be misplaced.
2017 Bottom Line
With a reasonable ADP (WR50), Williams is set up to provide great value for fantasy owners who can see past the arrival of Mike Williams, something made easier by the rookie's training camp absence.
Week 17 vs. Kansas City
Tyrell Williams got back on the scoreboard last week. He collected four catches for 64 yards and a TD on nine targets. It was his first TD in a couple of games and he now has seven on the season - a pretty impressive total for someone not on the fantasy radar until Keenan Allen went down.
Williams is ranked 19th this week on our WR list. The Chiefs are 14th in allowing fantasy points to WRs, so it's just an average matchup. Williams is just 11 yards shy of 1,000 for the season, so he certainly has some motivation in this contest and this would be a pretty impressive accomplishment. He's a solid WR2 play this week.
Week 16 at Cleveland
Tyrell Williams had just four catches for 20 yards on nine targets last week. He took a very hard hit in the game and missed some time getting evaluated for a concussion. Williams did return to the game and should be good for this week.
Williams is ranked 16th on our rankings list this week at WR. He gets a great matchup against the Browns, who are 24th in allowing fantasy points to WRs. We see Williams as a solid WR2 option, as the Bolts could once again be without stud RB Melvin Gordon on the road. Williams has only six catches for 88 yards in his last two games combined, but is still a top target for QB Philip Rivers.
Week 15 vs. Oakland
Tyrell Williams caught two balls for 68 yards on five targets last week.
From Weeks 7-12, Williams averaged over five catches a game in that span, but over his last two weeks, he has just two catches in each contest. Williams' targets are also down. e was averaging over nine a game from Weeks 7-12, but that's now down to 4.5 over his last two games. He is also dealing with a shoulder injury.
Williams is ranked 17th this week on our WR list, making him a solid WR2 play against the Raiders (who are 12th in allowing fantasy points to WRs). The injury to RB Melvin Gordon could result in more of a passing attack, but Williams comes with risks, based on his lack of targets and catches the last two games.
Week 14 at Carolina
Tyrell Williams didn't get a lot of action last week, but did catch a TD pass for the fourth straight week. Williams caught just two balls for 47 yards on two targets. His TD gave him six for the season.
Williams has been on a nice pace as of late, and gets a pretty favorable matchup this week, as the Panthers are 31st in allowing fantasy points to WRs. Williams, as a result, is a borderline WR1 play coming in 14th on our WR list. Williams continues to battle a shoulder injury, and his decrease in targets and catches shouldn't go unnoticed. But we have enough confidence in him to make him a high-end WR2 this week.
Week 13 vs. Tampa Bay
Tyrell Williams scored a touchdown last week, giving him a score in three-straight games. Williams finished with eight catches for 70 yards on 14 targets. Over his last three games he has 19 catches for 260 yards, three touchdowns on 32 targets.
Williams has been on fire, but is also battling a labrum issue with his shoulder and the severity isn't really known. Still, Williams comes in 20th on our WR list this week in a home matchup with the Bucs. Tampa is 13th in allowing fantasy points to WRs and is coming off to pretty solid defensive performances against the Seahawks and Chiefs. Williams should still make for a decent low-end WR2 option, but keep in mind the matchup and his injury.
Week 12 at Houston
Tyrell Williams had a big game last time we saw the Chargers, which was Week 10 before their bye last week. He had five catches for 125 yards and a TD on 11 targets. It's back to back week for Williams scoring a TD, and he had a 6-65-1 line in Week 9.
This week, Williams get the Texans on the road who are pretty tough against the pass. Houston is third in allowing fantasy points to WRs and as a result Williams is down our WR list, coming in 29th despite two pretty solid fantasy performances in a row now. Travis Benjamin is expected back this week but the Bolts could likely go with a heavy dose of the run as Houston is just 30th in allowing fantasy points to RBs. Williams is a pretty solid WR3 option though.
Week 10 vs. Miami
Tyrell Williams has a very solid day last week in an average matchup against the Titans. Williams caught six balls on seven targets for 65 yards and a TD.
The big day by RB Melvin Gordon put a damper on the passing game, but it will still an impressive from Williams who bounced back from a 1-4-0 line the week before. Williams comes in 26th this week on our WR list which makes him a borderline, low-end WR2. This week's it's a nice matchup as the Dolphins are 31st in allowing fantasy points to WRs so Williams should be a pretty safe option to use as at least a high-end WR3.
Week 9 vs. Tennessee
Tyrell Williams had just one catch for four yards last week against the Broncos. We knew it would be a tough matchup going in as the Broncos were ranked first in allowing fantasy points to WRs. Williams was coming off a big game at Atlanta the week before, but couldn't carry it over.
It was by far his worst performance of the year, as Travis Benjamin scored a TD and Dontrelle Inman had the yardage. This week's matchup is a little better on paper, as the Titans are 13th in allowing fantasy points to WRs. Williams only comes in on our list as a higher-end WR3. He's still ranked higher than any other Charger WR, but the gap between them is a little tighter this week.
