Week 2 of the NFL season features two AFC powerhouses in the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers. Fantasy football managers have tough roster decisions to make entering the Thursday Night Football showdown. So let’s dive into whether you should start Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams against the Chiefs.
Should you start Mike Williams vs. the Chargers
Considering as well as the Chargers’ offense played in Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders, it’s shocking neither star receivers Keenan Allen nor Williams had breakout performances. Allen caught four passes for 66 yards but departed the game early with a hamstring injury. Williams caught just two passes for 10 yards on four targets.
Allen is still dealing with hamstring issues and has been ruled out of Thursday night’s game. The onus is on Williams to be the WR1 he proved capable of being throughout the first half of 2021. The Chargers won’t be able to keep up with the Chiefs’ highly-powered passing attack if Williams isn’t a more prominent force.
The good news for Williams’ fantasy managers is his history against the Chiefs. He’s tallied 108 yards or more in two of his last three matchups against Kansas City, with a total of three touchdowns. He looks like an especially good option considering the Chiefs lost cornerback Charvarious Ward in the offseason and first-round corner Trent McDuffie is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
Entering Week 2 against the Chiefs, Williams is ranked at WR10 and No. 44 overall in our expert PPR fantasy football rankings. Both of his games against Kansas City last year featured nine targets. He only had four games with more opportunities to produce.
Our friends at Underdog Fantasy have projected Williams to have five receptions for 69.5 yards. These are highly favorable totals for us. I love the higher side of these fantasy plays and will be taking them myself.
The Chiefs’ defense was above average against receivers in fantasy last season, but their swap of safeties Tyrann Mathieu for Justin Reid lowered their deep coverage ability. Their cornerback position is also weak. The Chargers must exploit their athletic advantage here.
It’s hard to glean much from Arizona’s Week 1 performance against the Chiefs. Kyler Murray was unable to produce chunk plays as we’re accustomed to seeing. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo deserves credit for that, but it’s also not as if the receiving trio of Marquise Brown, A.J. Green, and Andy Isabella is particularly good.
Expect more deep shots from Justin Herbert this week as the Chargers must create big plays instead of relying on schemed touches for inferior playmakers. Both Williams and Josh Palmer will become integral parts of their game plan if this becomes an offensive battle as we expect. Fantasy managers will be thrilled if it’s a back-and-forth affair.
Williams is a must-start in any league because of his potential to take over games. His size and explosiveness have made him a unique fantasy starter throughout his career. Expect him to bounce back from a quiet Week 1 with a big-time performance on Thursday Night Football.
