Who is Nick Williams?
After a 5-0 start, the Falcons have imploded to a point where they may not even make the playoffs. Inconsistency on offense has been a key factor, with many pointing to Matt Ryan as the primary scapegoat. However, beyond Julio Jones and surprise star running back Devonta Freeman, there hasn’t been much to get excited about from the receiving corps. Jacob Tamme has been solid a low-end TE1, but it’s a problem that the journeyman is the second-leading receiver on the team. Roddy White is showing that the team can no longer trust him, and Leonard Hankerson was recently released after a stint on I.R. Justin Hardy was supposed to step up but hasn’t. Could Nick Williams be part of the answer?
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Though he’s new to the fantasy radar, Williams is a three-year veteran. He began his collegiate career at the University of Connecticut (UConn) in 2009 but was limited to two receptions for 18 yards and special teams duties as a freshman. He then played exclusively as a kick and punt returner in 2010, setting a school single-season record with 35.29 yards per return.
He played his way onto the offense as a junior, catching 11 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns while he again served as the team’s primary return man. It wasn’t until his senior season that Williams played a prominent role in the offense, hauling in 30 passes for 334 yards along with some snaps out of the backfield in 2012. When all was said and done, Williams held the school record with 2,389 return yards and ranks second in yards-per-return (25.9). He’s also the only player in school history with at least two kickoff- and two punt-return touchdowns.
At UConn’s Pro Day, alongside future fellow professionals Sio Moore and Ryan Griffin, Williams stood out to an audience that included Bill Belichick. At 5’9”, 185 pounds he posted a respectable 4.56-second 40-yard dash and 37-inch vertical leap, the latter of which would have tied him for fifth among wide receivers at the NFL Combine with metrics star Cordarrelle Patterson.
While he was primarily viewed as a special teams returner, coaches likened his skillset as an inside slot receiver to Wes Welker (though this may have been a lazy assessment based primarily upon physical similarities). He’s praised as a great competitor and has the potential to be a reliable “move-the-chains” target, while he also has shown the versatility and change-of-direction ability to play on the outside, in the slot and out of the backfield.
Despite a strong performance and senior season, as a fringe prospect it was not surprising when Williams was not selected in the 2013 NFL Draft. He signed with Washington as a free agent shortly following the draft.
Williams didn’t make the team out of training camp, but joined the practice squad and was promoted to the active roster prior to week 11. He played in the final five games of the season, primarily on special teams where he returned nine kickoffs with an average of 20.9 yards per return. He also played limited snaps on offense as he caught three passes for 15 yards.
Though he made it all the way to the end of training camp with Washington again in 2014, he again started the season on the practice squad. This time, however, he was released in early September and did not find a team for the remainder of the season.
Atlanta signed Williams in February 2015. He put together a strong preseason as he led the team with 17 receptions for 157 yards, and combined with his strong hands and work ethic to earn a spot on the 53-man roster along with six other receivers.
He has played sparingly on offense throughout the season, recording only a single catch in each of the Falcons’ first six games of the season. Though he caught three passes for 43 yards in week seven, he was inactive two of the next three games and didn’t catch a pass in the third.
An injury to Hankerson in week 12 pushed Williams into a starting role, and onto the fantasy radar, as he caught three passes for 16 yards and a touchdown. He improved his case for more snaps as he caught a touchdown in week 13 and then hauled in four passes for 40 yards in week 14. With the Falcons’ losing streak at six games, it would not be surprising to see Williams (and the rookie Hardy) get an uptick in snaps as the team starts to prepare for 2016 and accepts that White is no longer a reliable option.
Looking forward, even with the departure of Hankerson the Falcons have six receivers (including Williams) signed through at least 2016. Jones, White, Hardy, Eric Weems and Devin Hester all are owed more than the 25-year-old Williams next season, so it will be interesting to see how the Falcons handle their receiving corps when their most pressing needs are along the offensive line and throughout the defense. White, Hester and Weems are all over 30 and have shown varying degrees of production, so it would make sense for a younger and cheaper playmaker like Williams to stick on the depth chart (particularly with his special teams versatility).
Given the ridiculous number of injuries to NFL stars this year, many players who were at the ends of rosters are now regular starters in the fantasy playoffs. Waiver wires are thin on players who could factor into significant snaps next year, much less those who are flex-worthy options this year. Williams has averaged over eight points per game each of the last three weeks, and combined with a poor defense and little competition, could be a flex-worthy dynasty stash.
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