Mike Wallace

                           RUSHING                            RECEIVING                            FANTASY

(+) Even in what seemed like a down year, Wallace finished in the Top-10 in WR fantasy points

(+) Finished with his most career targets (114) and receptions (72) last season

(+) One of the fastest players at any position in pads with the ball in his hands

(+) His acceleration from zero to sixty is unfathomable

(+) Pittsburgh is a passing team now, that's for sure

(+) The best stutter-step move we've seen in years (Sterling Sharpe and Victor Cruz are great at this too)

(+) The arrival of Antonio Brown actually helps him because he's not a guy that needs many touches to do his damage

(+) He's actually the red zone target for this team

(+) He scores from anywhere, as evidenced by his touchdowns of 2, 12, 19, 25, 28, 40, 80 and 95 yards last year. Those 80 & 95 yarders mean BIG points in leagues that give more points for longer TDs

(+) Wallace runs a 4.33 40-yard dash despite weighing 200 pounds

(+/–) Started the season out with three 100-yard games in the first three weeks…then went on to have only one more the rest of the season

(–) Slowed down BIG time in the second-half of the season:  1st half – 43 catches for 800 yards and five TDs; 2nd half – 29 catches for 393 yards and three TDs

(–) He's grumbling about not getting signed to a long term deal and isn't too happy with the franchise tag

(–) Emmanuel Sanders is going to be just as good as Antonio Brown many weeks, thus taking away even more targets from Wallace

(–) He might be a burner, but he’s not the greatest route-runner

A fine display, young Wallace!  Aye, and it certainly was a fine display indeed for young Mike Wallace in 2009.  Coming into his rookie season as a third-round pick out of Mississippi, Wallace wasn’t expected to be much more than a seldom-used fourth WR, but things changed pretty quickly.  Using his 4.33 speed, the rook had no problem stripping the WR3 spot from overrated Limas Sweed during the pre-season.  From there, Mike took the field on a regular basis and caught bomb after bomb after bomb en route to an NFL-leading 19.4 yards per reception.  Being the third receiver on any team means inconsistency, an aspect that remained part of Wallace’s game throughout the season, but he made a major splash in the process and gained a ton of confidence from his coaches in the process.

~  Ranked 28th in the league with 114.4WR fantasy points (basic scoring system)

~  Tied for 28th in the league with 6 receiving touchdowns

~  Tied for 47th in the league with 756 receiving yards

~  Ranked 58th in the league with 47.3 receiving yards per game

~  Tied for 104th in the league with 39 receptions

~  Ranked 88th in the league with 72 targets

~  Ranked 20th in the league with 14 receptions of 20+ yards

~  Tied for 73rd in the league with 28 catches for first downs

~  Ranked 150th in the league with 134 yards after the catch (YAC)

~  Set Career highs in every major statistical receiving category

It seems Mike Wallace took more direction from the likes of “Papa Smurf” Hines Ward his rookie year than that of the recently discarded Santonio Holmes.  Thank goodness for that, because being able to run a 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds at 6’0” tall, 200 lbs is talent you don’t want to just throw away.  Wallace will step into Holmes’ starting role this year, which could mean big things are on the horizon for the second-year receiver.  He might have a bit of a tough time in the opening stages of 2010 with Big Ben Roethlisberger suspended for at least the first 4 games, but make no mistake about it, Ben loves throwing the ball deep to whoever can get open.  He won’t be the same player that Holmes was immediately, but Pittsburgh is known for having their players ready to contribute in whatever way possible as soon as possible, so Wallace could very well end up scratching at the door of dependable fantasy WR3 status in 2010.  Take a chance.

~ Wallace will be a starter from Day 1, which might come close to doubling his targets in 2010 (72 targets in 2009)

~ If Pittsburgh wants to keep their running game steady, they’ll have to spread the field with Wallace’s speed

~ The players that could have a chance at taking away snaps from Wallace are Antwaan Randle El, Arnaz Battle, and rookie Emmanuel Sanders.  Get the point?

~ Wallace has already said that his goal for the season is to make the Pro Bowl, a goal in which he’ll have every chance to accomplish

Wallace does not have a Twitter account.  The official Team Twitter account comes through here:  Steelers Player Tweets

Follow Pyro® on Twitter @pyroman1ac

Considering the situation, this catch and concentration are pretty sick for a rookie:

Wallace signed a rookie contract back in June of 2009 worth $1.74 million over four years.  The deal also included a $555,000 signing bonus.  Here are the specs:

2010 - $395,000

2011 - $480,000

2012 – Restricted Free Agent

Either Antwaan Randle El or the rookie Emmanuel Sanders should be the handcuff to Wallace this year

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• Major Off-Season Moves


• 2010 NFL Draft

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