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Fantasy Football 2018: Don’t sleep on Eagles’ Mike Wallace

By Bill Pivetz

BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 27: Wide Receiver Mike Wallace #17 of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates after a catch in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium on November 27, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 27: Wide Receiver Mike Wallace #17 of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates after a catch in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium on November 27, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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The Eagles added veteran Mike Wallace to their receiving corps this offseason. He could be a top sleeper pick in fantasy football this season.

The Philadelphia Eagles wasted no time in improving their roster for a potential repeat as Super Bowl champions. While the offense wasn’t a problem, there were a couple of holes that needed to be filled. The front office decided that bringing in veteran Mike Wallace could be of some help. With this offense, he could be a potential fantasy football sleeper this year.

Wallace was a dominant receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010 and 2011, posting back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons. He then played four straight seasons without reaching 950 yards. Wallace bounced back in 2016 with another 1,000-plus yards but came back down last season with the Baltimore Ravens. It didn’t help that Joe Flacco had one of the worst seasons of his career.

Coming off a down year, the Eagles signed Wallace for cheap, $5 million for one season. He is listed on the offseason depth chart as the No. 3 wide receiver, behind Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor. The team also has Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz as an elite pass catcher, making Wallace the likely No. 4 passing option on the team.

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Despite those mouths to feed, the team let Torrey Smith and Trey Burton go in the offseason and veteran tight end Brent Celek retired. While they weren’t integral parts of the offense, that’s three less players the quarterback has to target.

They combined for 72 receptions, 808 yards and eight touchdowns. In standard PPR leagues, that equates to 200 fantasy points. Not a bad line for a potential No. 4 option.

However, the Eagles get the services of Darren Sproles back in their offense. He averaged 63 receptions per season between 2011 and 2016. He could take some of those receptions away from Wallace. Though, I think Wallace will hold his own as the slot receiver with Jeffery and Agholor on the outside.

Fantasy owners are not buying in on Wallace. He is currently listed as the No. 72 wide receiver drafted in ESPN leagues with a 170.0 ADP. He finished 38th among wide receivers in fantasy last year. You can extract a lot of value from Wallace if you draft him that late.

He is being drafted after Brandon Marshall, Christian Kirk, Michael Gallup and many others. I think Wallace will have a better season than all of those players this year. (Don’t remind me of this in January if it doesn’t happen).

Next: Fantasy Football Draft Strategy - What to do at pick #1?

Wallace may not be worth drafting in standard leagues. However, in deeper leagues, he is worth a bench option. The Eagles have one of the most high-scoring offenses which could lead to sleeper success for Wallace.

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