Fantasy Upside
Mike Wallace is still a deep threat at age 29 and will be going to a Baltimore offense that was severely missing a player who could take the top off the defense last year after the departure of Torrey Smith in free agency. Quarterback Joe Flacco has a big-time arm and he may be able to find Wallace in a way that his last two quarterbacks (Teddy Bridgewater and Ryan Tannehill) struggled to. Wallace should enjoy playing in an offense directed by Marc Trestman. In each of his 10 seasons as a play-caller, Trestman's offense has ranked in the top half of the league in pass attempts.
Fantasy Downside
Wallace isn’t assured a starting spot for the Ravens. Fellow wide-out Kamar Aiken had his moments last season and should return fighting for a starting spot, and although both are returning from injury, Steve Smith Sr. and last year’s first-round pick Breshad Perriman will both be in play for a starting job. Rookie fourth-round pick Chris Moore may get a chance as well. Wallace is now five seasons removed from his last 1,000-plus yard season, and there’s no guarantee he’ll find his vintage form again.
2016 Bottom Line
Wallace is a low-risk, high-upside option for fantasy owners looking to add some pop to their lineup. While it’s very possible Wallace ends up doing very little this season and struggles to see consistent snaps, he’s going toward the end of drafts and owners could do worse than stashing a speedster on the back end of the roster. He gets a little added bonus in leagues that reward big plays and takes a bit of a hit in PPR leagues, as he’s never caught more than 73 passes in a season.
Week 15 vs. Chicago
Mike Wallace caught his second touchdown of the season last week, finishing with 3-42-1. It was his only decent game this season since Week 4. For now we'll just write it up as an anomaly and go back to not treating Wallace as a respectable fantasy option.
Week 14 at Arizona
In Mike Wallace's last six games, he has a combined four receptions for 69 yards. Those are low numbers for a single game, let alone have it spread out over six. Wallace isn't used enough in this offense to warrant fantasy consideration.
Kyle Rudolph vs. Seattle
Mike Wallace has gone without a catch in back-to-back games now. He's not worth considering in fantasy.
Week 11 vs. Green Bay
Mike Wallace's last three games go like this: zero receptions, one reception and one reception. The only receiver worth playing in Minnesota is Stefon Diggs, and even he is struggling to put up big numbers. Wallace has a good matchup this week, but it's unlikely he puts up much production.
Week 10 at Oakland
In the last two weeks combined, Mike Wallace has one catch for four yards. He's being phased out of this offense and the only real receiving threat in Minnesota is Stefon Diggs. Wallace gets a strong matchup this week, so there's some room for optimism, but not much. He'll be a weak play against Oakland.
Week 9 vs. St. Louis
Pretty much every other receiver in Minnesota's offense has disappeared due to the emergence of Stefon Diggs. Mike Wallace didn't even have a catch last week. He should see receptions, but not enough to make him a strong play. Wallace should be viewed as a WR4 at best.
Week 8 at Chicago
Stefon Diggs has taken over as the main guy in Minnesota and Mike Wallace is just sort of there. While Diggs has gone over 100 yards in back-to-back games, Wallace has put up performances of 23 yards and 36 yards, respectively. Wallace has a good matchup this week, but he's had good matchups the last two weeks as well. The fact is he's simply not a great option. He'll still put up some numbers, and he should be viewed as a WR4.
Week 7 at Detroit
While rookie Stefon Diggs went off for 129 yards last week, veteran Mike Wallace was left with just two catches for 23 yards. Wallace will technically be the No. 1 receiver in this offense, but it's looking like Diggs will be the main man to own in fantasy among Minnesota wideouts.
We don't want to count Wallace out quite yet, though. He's held his own this season, including an 8-83-1 performance in Week 4. This week, he gets a favorable matchup against the Lions. When he played Detroit earlier this season, Wallace finished 3-38 against Detroit, but he should still be viewed as a WR3 this week.
Week 6 vs. Kansas City
Mike Wallace didn't practice Thursday (knee), and his status is in doubt for this week. If he does play, it's a great matchup against one of the poorer pass defenses in the league this season. If he's active, he will be limited by his injury and may not have as big of an impact as we would hope. Wallace's health is something to keep an eye on if you're an owner. If he does play, he will be a strong WR3 option.
