Fantasy Football Sleeper Alert: RookieBlitz.com Breakout Candidate - Mike Wallace
by Bryan Fontaine of RookieBlitz.com, follow Bryan on Twitter
Second–year wide receiver Mike Wallace is primed for a breakout season with the trade of Santonio Holmes to the New York Jets. Wallace is the prime candidate to replace the production of Santonio Holmes in the Pittsburgh passing attack. Holmes posted career highs in 2009 with 79 catches for 1,248 yards and five touchdowns.
Mike Wallace is coming off an impressive rookie campaign where he caught 39 passes for 756 yards (19.38 avg) and six touchdowns. Wallace settled in as the third receiver and proved that he could get open over the top of opposing defenses. He combined for 7 catches for 226 yards (32.29 avg) and 3 touchdowns over the final three games of the season.
Wallace is now the likely contender for the No. 1 wide receiver on the Steelers depth chart. Hines Ward will be 34 years-old entering this season and has shown no signs of slowing down. Ward will continue to thrive in intermediate routes, while Wallace inherits the big play role from Santonio Holmes.
Wallace was surprisingly consistent after a slow start to the season, which included his debut against the Titans in Week 1. In fact, Wallace was a viable starting option in seven of his 16 starts despite only being targeted a total of 72 times.
The Steelers will need to replace the production of Santonio Holmes and his 138 targets. Wallace will see an increase in targets from Ben Roethlisberger, but it is unlikely he will see as many targets as Holmes did. Wallace will also find it difficult to maintain his yards-per-catch average of 19.38 with his additional responsibilities. Wallace caught 54% of his targets as a rookie; with another year under his belt he should easily match the 57% catch percentage of Holmes.
Despite Pittsburgh’s preference to return to a power running, Wallace should still approach totals of 60 catches for 1056 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Mike Wallace will be a hot commodity as we get closer to the fantasy football season. Now is your chance to buy low in dynasty leagues for a player who will rival the production of Santonio Holmes for the fraction of the cost.
