Week 1 vs. New England Patriots
Albert Wilson is an interesting player because he has a good skill set, but hasn't had many opportunities to show off. He's stuck in a safe Chiefs offense, which features Alex Smith making careful throws while he manages the game.
Wilson gets bumped up the depth chart this season with Jeremy Maclin gone, but he's still an afterthought in the offense. He's behind Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, and he's not even starting as the WR2—that role goes to Chris Conley.
Wilson shouldn't be a fantasy consideration this week.
Fantasy Upside
Albert Wilson has been a reliable option throughout his three seasons in the NFL. He should see an increased role in 2017 with the departure of Jeremy Maclin. He’ll take a back seat to Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, but due to Hill’s size, Wilson may be looked at in certain situations, and could be a good move-the-chains receiver.
Fantasy Downside
We haven’t seen a lot of Wilson to really know how he’ll do in an increased role. In three seasons he has a combined yardage total under 1,000, and has only made a few highlights. He’s mostly been on the bench, only coming in when needed. He had 2 receptions in his final four games combined at the end of last season.
2017 Bottom Line
Wilson could have a career season, but that’s not saying much. We expect him to top previous numbers simply because he should see the field more often. But he’s still not a receiver worth spending too much time thinking about for redraft purposes.
Week 13 vs. Atlanta
Albert Wilson has two touchdown over his last four games, but hasn't done much of anything else. He was held to single-digit yards last week. He's not really worth fantasy consideration.
Week 12 vs. Denver
Albert Wilson has caught four passes in back-to-back games, and has a touchdown in two of his last three games. Wilson definitely has a role in this offense, and can be a decent option if he has a good matchup. But he gets Denver's tough secondary in Week 12, which makes him a poor option in fantasy.
Week 11 vs. Tampa Bay
Albert Wilson gets an increase in playing time with Jeremy Maclin out, but that doesn't mean much. Maclin wasn't producing that much and Wilson didn't do a lot in his absence. He's off the fantasy radar despite a favorable matchup.
Week 19 at New England
Albert Wilson caught just two passes for nine yards in Kansas City’s 30-0 triumph over the Houston Texans in the opening round of the playoffs, but his day could have been much, much better. Early in the game, Wilson got behind the defense and was wide open. He could have slowly strolled into the end zone. Unfortunately, Alex Smith overthrew him.
It is a good bet that Wilson’s numbers will be better this week. Kansas City’s number one receiver, Jeremy Maclin, is ailing, and may not even suit up against the Patriots. In Kansas City’s conservative offense, Wilson caught just 25 passes in part due to injury, but remained involved throughout the season. Smith is not afraid to send targets in his direction. If you are looking for a cheap flyer, you could do worse, although you should probably look elsewhere if chatter indicates Maclin will be used a lot more than anticipated.
Kansas City’s collection of wide receivers last season could rightly be considered one of the worst groups in NFL history. After all, not one of them caught a touchdown pass the entire season. Towards the end of the year, however, one started to show promise. Albert Wilson rose above the bungling assortment of misfits by catching 12 passes for 209 yards during a three-game stretch. The numbers were far from gaudy, but the showing was enough to earn Wilson a larger role in 2015. Will that larger role translate to fantasy viability?
2015 Upside
Even though the Chiefs have signed Jeremy Maclin and drafted Chris Conley, Wilson is still expected to be a big part of the mix as h. He was listed as a starter on Kansas City’s first depth chart and will still see action in the slot if Conley moves ahead of him at some point. Given his 5’9” frame, that may be Wilson's best long-term position for fantasy owners as we have seen quite a few smaller slot receivers become PPR assets.
2015 Downside
In an offense based around Jamaal Charles, Wilson will not get the volume needed to become a PPR weapon. And that is a problem for his fantasy value because his touchdown potential is going to be limited by the Chiefs heavy usage of Charles, burgeoning star Travis Kelce and Maclin. The Chiefs would really need to open up their offense for Albert to become a steady fantasy player.
Bottom Line
Wilson is a player to watch as a possible waiver acquisition, but will go undrafted in most fantasy leagues. Unless something happens to one of Kansas City’s stars, Wilson offers little upside.
Week 17 – Albert Wilson vs. San Diego Chargers
While Kansas City would be wise to bring in a ton of new personnel at wide receiver next year, Albert Wilson may be the one guy worth keeping. After a stint with the other undesirables that constitute the depth chart for the Chiefs, Wilson has been playing good football lately. He caught five passes for 87 yards in Week 16. Any fantasy owners playing for a championship this week should still stay away from Albert, but he might be a name to monitor for the future.
Week 16 – Albert Wilson at Pittsburgh Steelers
Remember in the movie Sixteen Candles, when Molly Ringwald was disturbed by Anthony Michael Hall, but admitted it was cool that he was the leader of the geeks? Well, of late Albert Wilson has emerged as the coolest of Kansas City’s gross group of wide receivers. Over the past two games, Wilson has seven receptions for 122 yards. That does not mean you need to add Wilson to your roster, but at least he has looked like a competent NFL receiver, unlike many of his comrades.
Week 13 – Albert Wilson vs. Denver Broncos
Heading into Week 12, Albert Wilson had two catches all year. He matched that total against Oakland and finished with 27 yards. While that could be interpreted as a very slight dose of progress, Wilson has shown nothing to indicate he will ever be a productive fantasy or real world player.
