There's a report today that Stefon Diggs is facing assault charges for an incident earlier in the month. New England's wide receiver depth chart was already hazy; now it's even more so. Kyle Williams, No. 1 wideout in Week 18?
The Diggs story is a developing one; through his agent he's denied the charges, and the Patriots have given the standard "We're aware of the accusations, gathering information, support Stefon" statement. It's not clear if it will impact his availability for this week's game, but it's possible.
The Patriots have just an outside shot at the No. 1 seed and first-round bye. They have to beat Miami (probable, but not certain), but also need the Chargers with Trey Lance at quarterback to win in Denver. Unlikely, but Denver hasn't been so good (they barely beat Kansas City with Chris Oladokun at quarterback last week) to assume a win is a given. It would be risky for New England to hold starters out and assume a Denver win, potentially costing themselves a week off.
Diggs is obviously the most concerning potential absence, but there are others. Mack Hollins is on IR; he definitely won't play. Kayshon Boutte missed last week with a concussion, so he's not certain to be available. DeMario Davis has a hamstring injury.
New England playing to win with Kyle Williams and Efton Chism as at least 2 of their top 3? Not out of the question.
Third-round rookie Williams is intriguing not because of the volume of what he's done, but the impact he's made with his chances. He's caught 10 passes this season, and 3 of them have gone for touchdowns. That 30 percent scoring rate is pretty impressive, although interestingly enough it's just 3rd-best among third-round wideouts in his draft class.
Table shows TD-percentage rate of all receivers with at least 10 catches this season, cropped at 11 percent. (Obviously touchdowns aren't everything; lots of great receivers that don't make this list simply catch way, way more passes. But something to be said for getting in the end zone even with limited opportunities.)
| RECEIVERS CATCHING TDS (% OF CATCHES) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | No | Rec | Avg | TD | % |
| Isaac TeSlaa | 15 | 221 | 14.7 | 6 | 40.0% |
| Tory Horton | 13 | 161 | 12.4 | 5 | 38.5% |
| Josh Oliver | 13 | 131 | 10.1 | 4 | 30.8% |
| Kyle Williams | 10 | 209 | 20.9 | 3 | 30.0% |
| Terrance Ferguson | 11 | 231 | 21.0 | 3 | 27.3% |
| Luke McCaffrey | 11 | 203 | 18.5 | 3 | 27.3% |
| Darren Waller | 24 | 283 | 11.8 | 6 | 25.0% |
| Davante Adams | 60 | 789 | 13.2 | 14 | 23.3% |
| Tim Patrick | 14 | 183 | 13.1 | 3 | 21.4% |
| Jackson Hawes | 15 | 187 | 12.5 | 3 | 20.0% |
| Charlie Kolar | 10 | 142 | 14.2 | 2 | 20.0% |
| Bhayshul Tuten | 10 | 79 | 7.9 | 2 | 20.0% |
| Kayshon Boutte | 31 | 527 | 17.0 | 6 | 19.4% |
| Tee Higgins | 53 | 779 | 14.7 | 10 | 18.9% |
| Tucker Kraft | 32 | 489 | 15.3 | 6 | 18.8% |
| Tez Johnson | 27 | 305 | 11.3 | 5 | 18.5% |
| Dallas Goedert | 60 | 591 | 9.9 | 11 | 18.3% |
| Luke Farrell | 11 | 85 | 7.7 | 2 | 18.2% |
| Jauan Jennings | 51 | 608 | 11.9 | 9 | 17.6% |
| Travis Etienne | 35 | 286 | 8.2 | 6 | 17.1% |
| Christian Watson | 35 | 611 | 17.5 | 6 | 17.1% |
| Hunter Long | 12 | 85 | 7.1 | 2 | 16.7% |
| Roman Wilson | 12 | 166 | 13.8 | 2 | 16.7% |
| Tyquan Thornton | 19 | 438 | 23.1 | 3 | 15.8% |
| Quentin Johnston | 51 | 735 | 14.4 | 8 | 15.7% |
| Colby Parkinson | 39 | 372 | 9.5 | 6 | 15.4% |
| Jalen Nailor | 26 | 395 | 15.2 | 4 | 15.4% |
| Jake Tonges | 34 | 293 | 8.6 | 5 | 14.7% |
| Brock Wright | 14 | 108 | 7.7 | 2 | 14.3% |
| Dalton Kincaid | 36 | 523 | 14.5 | 5 | 13.9% |
| Rome Odunze | 44 | 661 | 15.0 | 6 | 13.6% |
| Woody Marks | 22 | 208 | 9.5 | 3 | 13.6% |
| George Kittle | 52 | 599 | 11.5 | 7 | 13.5% |
| Hunter Renfrow | 15 | 89 | 5.9 | 2 | 13.3% |
| Jayden Higgins | 39 | 502 | 12.9 | 5 | 12.8% |
| Hunter Henry | 55 | 712 | 12.9 | 7 | 12.7% |
| Davis Allen | 24 | 208 | 8.7 | 3 | 12.5% |
| D.J. Moore | 49 | 671 | 13.7 | 6 | 12.2% |
| David Njoku | 33 | 293 | 8.9 | 4 | 12.1% |
| AJ Barner | 50 | 505 | 10.1 | 6 | 12.0% |
| Jameson Williams | 59 | 1043 | 17.7 | 7 | 11.9% |
| David Sills | 17 | 180 | 10.6 | 2 | 11.8% |
| Ryan Flournoy | 35 | 407 | 11.6 | 4 | 11.4% |
| Theo Johnson | 45 | 528 | 11.7 | 5 | 11.1% |
| Keon Coleman | 36 | 355 | 9.9 | 4 | 11.1% |
| Garrett Wilson | 36 | 395 | 11.0 | 4 | 11.1% |
| Mitchell Evans | 18 | 166 | 9.2 | 2 | 11.1% |
| Malik Nabers | 18 | 271 | 15.1 | 2 | 11.1% |
Lots of moving parts here -- obviously, I hope the best for injured players and that any alleged victims are compensated for damages and suffering. But those with Week 18 games, keep Williams on your list of possible options.
==Andy Richardson