The Football Resurrection of Mike Williams

Life after death? Rarely happens in pro football. It’s possible, though, that Seattle wide receiver Mike Williams might be ready to rise after his career crashed in such cities as Detroit and Oakland. Newly reunited with his USC coach, Pete Carroll, Williams looked terrific in the team’s preseason contest Saturday. He caught four balls for 44 yards. On one catch, Williams came back to the ball, securing it just before touching down near the sideline. In the team’s first preseason game, Williams’ only catch was a 51-yard touchdown.

Williams is still a project for Seattle, and still a long way down the list for fantasy owners. But this weekend served as proof that the team is committed to giving him a fair shake, and considering the Seahawks’ depth chart is by no means set, Williams could start to climb it if he continues to run solid routes and make tough catches.

What’s that? Don’t think it can be done? First-round flops have found fantasy relevance late into their careers before. Look no further than Alex Smith in San Francisco, or even Thomas Jones, who notched five straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons after failing to reach the mark in his first five years in the league. Maybe Williams’ rebirth in Seattle isn’t such a stretch after all.