Mike Williams signs with the Jets: The Dynasty Fantasy Football Impact
The New York Jets went all in last season in an effort to win the Super Bowl title, a championship they haven’t won since 1969. By adding Aaron Rodgers to an elite defense, they thought they had the winning formula to finally get it done. Instead, Rodgers was injured nearly immediately and lost for the season, effectively ending any shot the Jets had to win last year. With a “win now” mentality still in place, the Jets signed former Charger and current free agent wide receiver Mike Williams to a one-year deal worth up to $15 million. It’s another move designed to get the Jets to the promised land and one that impacts dynasty values in more than one place.
Let’s re-assess.
Mike Williams, WR NYJ
When Williams entered the NFL Draft in 2017, he did so with massive expectations. After all, he was the seventh pick of the draft and was poised to become an immediate star. In fact, after his 98/1,361/11 final year at Clemson, Dabo Swinney proclaimed him the best receiver in Clemson history – high praise from a program that had recently produced stars like Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins. In dynasty drafts that year, he was routinely taken over players like Joe Mixon and Dalvin Cook as hopes were high he could become a true WR1 in fantasy and reality.
Williams’ NFL career has been one of the more frustrating to watch from a dynasty lens. Over his seven years in Los Angeles, he’s posted 309 catches for 4,806 yards and scored 31 touchdowns. Those are modest numbers based on how long he’s been in the league but he’s also only played in 88 career games and even left many of those with nagging injuries, truly his Achilles heel. In short, his career has been defined by some dominant stretches (76/1,146/9 in 2021) and frustrating bouts with various ailments, including a torn ACL that ended his season last year after just three games.
Now apparently on track to be healthy at the start of the season, Williams should join an offense featuring an elite quarterback (again, health permitting) and be featured early and often, pairing with Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall to make one of the more formidable offensive trios in football. However, now at age 29, it’s hard to see his dynasty value climb that much further. After all the wear and tear on his body though the years, it’s hard to look at things and believe his best years are still ahead of him. At this point, Williams looks like a solid dynasty contender target as a player you could use as a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3. His ADP will likely flatten out over the next couple of months but he could have a huge season if everything falls his way.
Garrett Wilson, WR NYJ
Despite having some of the most inept quarterback play over the past two seasons, Wilson has somehow still posted great numbers. After a rookie season that featured 83 catches for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns, he posted a 95/1,042/3 season last year, again despite an offense that featured a revolving door of quarterback, all of whom were borderline awful. In the end, Wilson has proven he’s capable of having a pretty reliable floor regardless of who’s slinging the football. The big question we’ve had all along is just how high his ceiling really is. If Rodgers is fully healthy, we’re going to find out. Williams could take some goal-line targets away and keep defenses more honest but Wilson should remain the top target in the offense, despite this signing.
Other Jets Receivers
This group consists of Xavier Gipson, Allen Lazard, Jason Brownlee and others. While a healthy Rodgers can inflate the value of just about any player, it’s hard to look at this group and find a lot of value. Lazard is likely to be traded and the Jets are bound to add to the receiver room via the draft.
Davante Adams, WR LV
Wait. What!?! You may be asking why Adams is on this list. It’s pretty simple – the addition of Williams should put to rest the idea Adams was going to be reunited with Aaron Rodgers next season. The Raiders have been adamant Adams is going to stay, despite an apparent rebuilding situation in Sin City. Adams himself has been vocal in his support of new Head Coach Antonio Pierce, so this shouldn’t come as a shock.
Josh Palmer and Quentin Johnston, WRs LAC
The Chargers are certainly poised to add to the receiver room in the NFL Draft. After losing Williams (they reportedly wanted him back on a new deal) and trading Keenan Allen to the Bears, they now have a gaping hole at receiver. These two are both set for bigger roles and their ADP should rise this month. However, the Chargers are going to be a very popular place for a receiver to land in mock drafts and it would be no surprise to see the Chargers use their first round pick this year on a new receiver. Johnston was largely disappointing in his rookie year and Palmer has never had to be a primary option, so we’ll have to see just how much they can develop. Their collective ADP is going to rise but again, some caution should be used here as the Chargers can’t be done adding pieces.
Justin Herbert, QB LAC
Yikes. New Head Coach Jim Harbaugh has inherited a team with an elite quarterback but also a serious cash flow problem. Over his first month on the job, the Chargers have lost Austin Ekeler to the Commanders, Keenan Allen to the Bears and now Williams to the Jets. They’ve added Gus Edwards to the offense but that’s just not going to cut it. Herbert’s ADP and ranking are going to fall through no fault of his own – it’s just really tough to see him posting elite numbers with an offense that’s lost a whole lot of talent.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
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