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Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams sustained a back injury in the Chargers’ Week 18 game against the Broncos. His MRI did not show any severe injuries, and Williams is considered day-to-day ahead of the Chargers’ Wild Card game against the Jaguars on Saturday.
Chargers HC Brandon Staley said WR Mike Williams is getting treatment and day-to-day with his back contusion.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) January 10, 2023
Staley said Monday he expects Williams to practice at some point this week after good results on MRI.
Mike Williams injury updates
Friday, Jan. 13 update — Williams will miss 2-3 weeks with a back fracture, per Lindsey Thiry. Brandon Staley should be under scrutiny for his handling of starters in Week 18.
Chargers WR Mike Williams suffered a small non-surgical fracture in his back that was not found in initial X-ray and MRI. After Williams did not progress this week, further tests were ran that revealed the fracture, sources told ESPN. He is expected to miss 2-3 weeks.
— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) January 13, 2023
Friday, Jan. 13 update — Williams has been downgraded to out for Saturday night’s game against the Jaguars, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Keenan Allen and Joshua Palmer will serve as the primary receiving options for quarterback Justin Herbert.
Thursday, Jan. 12 update — The Chargers have designated Williams as questionable for Saturday’s game against the Chargers.
Wednesday, Jan. 11 update — Williams officially did not practice Wednesday.
Wednesday, Jan. 11 update — Williams was not spotted at the portion of Wednesday’s practice open to the media, per Daniel Popper.
Tuesday, January 10 update — Williams officially did not practice Tuesday for the Chargers. We’ll see if he’s able to get back to the field Wednesday.
Tuesday, January 10 update — Williams is day-to-day, and Brandon Staley said he expects Williams to rejoin practice this week.
Fantasy football advice
Williams is the team’s leading receiver this season, and the impact of him missing such a pivotal game against the Jags cannot be understated. If Williams is limited or out this weekend, we can expect Baker Mayfield to look toward Joshua Palmer and Keenan Allen for more targets. Running back Austin Ekeler will continue to get plenty of targets and carries, and tight end Gerald Everett can expect to get some touches, as well.
The Chargers’ Week 18 game was effectively meaningless, as their seeding had already been locked in for the playoffs, and Staley came under fire for playing his starters and risking something like this happening.