Through two seasons, wide receiver Michael Wilson has not proven to be a weekly fantasy football producer. Still projected to be the WR2 of the Arizona Cardinals, is there any untapped upside that would compel fantasy managers to draft Wilson at the end of fantasy drafts?
Should You Draft Michael Wilson in Fantasy?
Most NFL teams have at least two wide receivers drafted in fantasy. After averaging 8.8 fantasy points per game as a rookie in 2023, Wilson was at least on the fantasy radar last year. He finished as the WR57, and typically, we see around 70 wide receivers drafted.
💥BIG PLAY MIKE💥
MICHAEL WILSON TOUCHDOWN pic.twitter.com/fZVZP7bsIS
— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) December 8, 2024
Fantasy managers weren’t expecting a superstar, especially with the Cardinals drafting Marvin Harrison Jr. Still, with Wilson maintaining the WR2 role without any real competition, the hope was that he could emerge as a useful bye-week fill-in.
Instead, we got mostly the same player. Technically, Wilson took a minor step backward, falling to 7.8 PPG. He had 17 fewer receiving yards despite playing three more games.
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While Kyler Murray can sustain multiple fantasy-relevant wide receivers, the talent of those players matters. Harrison and Trey McBride are locked in as his top two targets. Any potential third option would have to be good enough to command volume.
Wilson only commanded a 14.5% target share and was targeted on 14.5% of his routes run. That’s not going to cut it.
Throughout the season, he gave fantasy managers four startable weeks, plus two more in which he would’ve been a passable Flex. You can find that production through streaming and spot starters in most leagues.
Wilson’s averaged draft position (ADP) is around WR83. He’s right on the border of being drafted in standard-sized leagues. I have Wilson ranked as my WR76.
He is almost certain to outperform his ADP, but getting a WR5 at a WR7 price does nothing for fantasy managers. WR5s are not startable. Managers are better off throwing a dart at a player with more upside. There’s simply no need to draft Wilson this year.
Dan Fornek’s Michael Wilson Fantasy Projection
Michael Wilson quietly took a step as a player in 2024. Wilson played 16 games in his second season, catching 47 of 71 targets for 548 yards and four touchdowns. Wilson was the clear third target in the passing attack (behind Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr.), but still had six games with at least six targets and five games with 50+ receiving yards. He had three top 30 scoring weeks at wide receiver last season.
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The Cardinals didn’t add any significant pieces to their passing attack this offseason, which means Wilson should see a similar role in 2025. That isn’t a very fantasy-friendly role with Harrison Jr. and McBride healthy, but it could become quite valuable in fantasy if either player is forced to miss time with an injury. Wilson had a 91.1% route participation in 2024, 22nd among all wide receivers.
Wilson is a worthwhile bench stash at wide receiver, even if he isn’t a player you can consistently start. At best, you’re getting a player used as an intermediate weapon due to his body control and strength with touchdown upside. However, he’s shown the ability to be a low-end WR3 in games where Arizona is forced to throw the ball and would see a sharp increase in targets if either of Arizona’s top two pass catchers go down with an injury.
