Buy Buy Buy: Tyrell Williams
Perhaps you didn’t notice him last year. Or, maybe it’s the fact that you still think Keenan Allen is the best wide receiver on the Chargers. We say stop being a fantasy fool — it’s time to invest in Tyrell Williams.
For what’s it’s worth, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is probably one of the more consistent gun slingers out there. It’s also true that he’s very Tom Brady and Drew Brees-like in that he spreads the ball around to numerous receivers (very annoying from a fantasy perspective!). That being said, Tyrell Williams is now Rivers’ biggest and best target.
Last year, Tyrell wasn’t exactly on everyone’s radar. There’s a couple of things that were going on. First, Rivers wasn’t consistently targeting Tyrell being that he was still learning which of his receivers were most reliable (following the early ACL injury to Keenan Allen). Additionally, Rivers is a ‘trust’ driven quarterback and tends to go back to what he knows. In last year’s case, it was the trustworthy tight end, Antonio Gates.
As Antonio Gates nears the end of his career, both Tyrell Williams and tight end Hunter Henry are the next go-to targets in line for Rivers. Last year, Tyrell topped 1,000-yards and seven touchdowns without necessarily being the main target. With his gazelle-like speed and ability to wrestle away jump balls, Tyrell is in a good position this year to easily become the #1 receiver on the Chargers. While everyone talks up the injured Mike Williams, Tyrell is definitely the Williams to own on this team.
Keenan Allen is likely to be used in a Golden Tate-like role — catching passes underneath and squeezing extra yards wherever he can throughout the middle of the field. Hunter Henry seems to be transitioning into Antonio Gates’ old role quite well and is poised to team with his elder battery mate to become a main red zone target. Undoubtedly, Hunter Henry will also decrease Keenan Allen’s workload in the middle since he also works the underneath routes very effectively. While running back Melvin Gordon keeps defenses honest at the line, this will leave Tyrell Williams free to do his best Demaryius Thomas impression on the outside and downfield routes. It’s the perfect set up for Tyrell.
We like Tyrell Williams better than both Alshon Jeffrey and Kelvin Benjamin. In his short career, he appears less injury prone and possesses better athletic ability than both of them. We’ll also scoop up Tyrell before Cameron Meredith and Willie Snead. Do what’s best for your roster, but whatever you decide, be sure to make a sound investment in Tyrell Williams during this year’s draft — the payoff will produce steady dividends.
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