Who Should I Start? Troy Franklin or Kyle Williams

Wednesday, March 18, 7:00 AM

New England Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams struggled to emerge as a top pass-catching threat in 2025, but he flashed enough upside to spark significant optimism for his outlook going forward. Specifically, since Year 2 is a common time for wide receivers to break out, dynasty managers should be encouraged by Williams entering 2026. Stuck in a depth role for most of last year, Williams finished the 2025 campaign with 10 catches, 209 yards, and three touchdowns. However, over just the last three weeks of the season, he had eight targets, five catches, 66 yards, and a touchdown, so he was certainly trending in the right direction. New England released Stefon Diggs this offseason and replaced him with Romeo Doubs. Doubs shouldn't take all of Diggs' vacated targets; some of those will be spread around to the other receivers, including Williams. At this point, the third-round pick's biggest obstacle is playing time. New England lacks wide receiver starpower, but it does have a very balanced receiving corps that makes it difficult to command a high dose of targets every week. Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, and Mack Hollins are the biggest obstacles in Williams' way at this point. However, a strong preseason or training camp could push Williams into the mix to start games and carve out low-end WR3/flex appeal in 2026.