Especially in the fantasy football community, all eyes have been on the San Francisco 49ers throughout the offseason, focused on the holdout surrounding star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. But while it might be getting the most attention, in reality, this is the second most significant contract dispute in San Francisco this offseason. All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams has not yet joined the team and has made it clear that he will not make an appearance until the situation surrounding his contract is addressed. And that is the type of loss that has a trickle down effect for the entire offense.
The 49ers' offense is loaded with talent from top to bottom; Williams, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle have all earned All-Pro nods at one point in their career. There is an argument to be made that the success of the 49ers' offense would not be possible without Williams. He is widely considered the most talented tackle in the NFL, but he could very well be the most valuable player in this entire star-studded offense.
It's difficult to quantify what a tackle does for an offense as they don't record any traditional "stats". But if Williams is not on the field when Week 1 rolls around, the 49ers' offense will take a significant step back. But would this have an impact on how their skill players perform in fantasy? The answer is almost certainly.
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Fantasy Football Fallout: The impact of Trent Williams' holdout on 49ers skill players
Trent Williams' contract situation and potential holdout update
The NFL season is now just a week away, and Trent Williams has yet to step onto the practice field. This doesn't seem to be a negotiating tactic either; NFL insiders have reported that Williams is completely serious about this holdout and could realistically miss regular season time if his contract is not addressed.
Williams has shown in the last few years that he is the best tackle in the NFL, and he believes that his pay should reflect this - he's currently the 4th-highest paid tackle in the NFL. If the 49ers' front office is unwilling to meet his demands, it could be bad news for their offensive outlook in 2024.
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Fantasy football impact of Trent Williams' holdout
Last season, we got a pretty good glimpse of how the 49ers' offense suffers without Williams on the field. There were four games in 2023 in which Williams left with an injury or played fewer than 50 percent of snaps. The Niners lost all four of these games, accounting for four of their five losses on the year.
Not only did the team suffer, but their offensive weapons played at a lower level individually. Brock Purdy posted an abysmal TD/INT ratio of 3/9 in the four aforementioned games. In all other games, he recorded a ratio of 28/2. A stark difference. Aiyuk also struggled in these four games as well; he ranked as a weekly WR3 in two of these matchups and a low-end WR2 in the other two. Not even the almighty McCaffrey was able to withstand Williams' absence. McCaffrey failed to clear 15 fantasy points in just one game last year where he played at least 60 percent of the snaps. You guessed it, it came in one of the games where Williams left with an ankle injury.
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Williams' versatility within Kyle Shanahan's run-blocking scheme opens up a world of possibilities for this offense - possibilities that become unavailable without him on the field. It also doesn't hurt that he is essentially an immovable object in pass protection. There are hours of game film that demonstrate this, which we don't have time to get into, but when was the last time you saw an offensive tackle get a highlight reel on a nationally televised broadcast?
This offense simply doesn't function at the same level without Williams on the field. If he's unavailable to start the year, the 49ers' offensive outlook takes a hit. It's not enough to push the panic button on their weapons for fantasy purposes, but understand that this may not be the dominant, highly efficient offense that we have seen in recent years until Williams is back on the field.
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