The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Mike Williams.
Is Mike Williams Playing in Week 15?
Williams did not practice on Wednesday. However, it was merely a maintenance day for the veteran wide receiver. He returned to a full session on Thursday and Friday — he will play on Sunday.
We’ll continue to monitor the Steelers’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Mike Williams in Week 15?
Did you make a mad dash to your DFS lineups last week when news came out that George Pickens was ruled out ahead of Pittsburgh’s game with Cleveland?
Personally, I opted to bet unders on Russell Wilson’s longest completion, a path I will likely double down on again this year if the star receiver remains sidelined — something Mike Tomlin seems to be projecting at the moment.
Whether you made a pivot or not, the general idea of lumping usage onto Mike Williams made sense. He’s a big-bodied receiver who is as capable of making plays down the field as anyone not named Pickens on this roster.
It didn’t work.
Williams was the target of a deep pass on Wilson’s second throw of the game and later made an impressive one-handed grab on the sideline, but that was about it. His target rates were strong, and that’s good to see. But until this team shows us comfort rolling out the former first-round pick on a consistent basis, there’s just no real path to starting him in any capacity.
Williams’ weekly snap shares with Pittsburgh:
- Week 11 vs. Baltimore Ravens: 31.1%
- Week 12 at Cleveland Browns: 28.4%
- Week 13 at Cincinnati Bengals: 24.2%
- Week 14 vs. Cleveland Browns: 27.4%
Might the Steelers be waiting to unleash a Williams-centric package for the playoffs? I guess that’s possible, but that doesn’t help us now. We figure to have more time to react this week than last, as I’m currently counting Pickens out and pivoting if news changes as opposed to the other way around. However, without any certainty that Williams can be on the field for even one-third of the snaps, this is an ultra-thin profile at best.
I like the idea of him in this offense, but at this point, I think it’s safe to say that redraft fantasy managers can stop holding onto hope. Even if Williams sees his role expand this week on your bench, we won’t have any way of knowing that it’ll sustain when Pickens returns.
The Eagles own the seventh-highest pressure rate this season, a strength that has me thinking that Williams may not have time to shake free down the field even if his snap share were to explode out of nowhere.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 15 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Mike Williams’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 15
As of Sunday morning, Williams is projected to score 8 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 2.8 receptions for 39.9 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Mike Williams’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship WR PPR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at PHI)
3) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
4) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at KC)
5) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Hollywood Brown | KC (vs. BUF)
7) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. BUF)
8) Keon Coleman | BUF (at KC)
9) Dyami Brown | WAS (at PHI)
10) Mack Hollins | BUF (at KC)
11) Amari Cooper | BUF (at KC)
12) Curtis Samuel | BUF (at KC)
13) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at PHI)
14) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. BUF)
15) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. WAS)
16) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at PHI)
17) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at PHI)
18) Justin Watson | KC (vs. BUF)
19) Johnny Wilson | PHI (vs. WAS)
20) Parris Campbell | PHI (vs. WAS)
21) Nikko Remigio | KC (vs. BUF)
22) Ainias Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)