Is Mike Wallace Ready to Return to WR1 Status in 2015?

People don’t like to use Mike Wallace’s time spent in Pittsburgh as a tool to project his first year with the Minnesota Vikings for the upcoming season and that’s totally fair—it was a while ago after all. Wallace last played for the Steelers in the 2012 season, catching 64 passes and eight touchdowns. He played four seasons (2009-12) in Pittsburgh, totaling 32 touchdowns on 235 receptions.

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During those four seasons, the Steelers played their division rival, the Cincinnati Bengals, twice per season with Mike Zimmer running the Bengals’ defense. Now the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, Zimmer knows how dangerous Wallace can be and should be seen as a huge positive considering that the second-year head coach was a key component in Minnesota trading for Wallace.

This is a good reason to like Mike Wallace this season.

Wallace is also praising how Norv Turner’s offense will better suit him when compared to his two seasons in Miami. Wallace caught 73 passes with five touchdowns in his first season in Miami, then followed it up with a 67-reception season that resulted in 10 touchdowns. That’s 140 catches and 15 touchdowns in two seasons for all the mathematicians out there, and Wallace believes he’s in an offense now that suits him even better.

This too is a good reason to like Mike Wallace this season.

Wallace is about to enter his seventh season in the NFL. He has four seasons with eight or more touchdown catches, and two seasons with less than seven touchdown catches. Wallace hasn’t had fewer than 60 catches since his rookie year in the NFL. At the very worst, Wallace will catch 70 passes and seven touchdowns.

This is a good floor to have for a wide receiver, and is also another good reason to like Mike Wallace this season.

Wallace finished in the top-20 in scoring for wide receivers last season in ESPN (18) and Yahoo (20) scoring last season. Here is a list of running backs Wallace has lined up with in his career with Pittsburgh and Miami: Rashard Mendenhall, Willie Parker, Isaac Redman, Mewelde Moore, Jonathan Dwyer, Lamar Miller, Daniel Thomas, and LaMichael James. Wallace will be playing a full season with Adrian Peterson this season.

This is another good reason to like Mike Wallace this season.

Wallace will have four juicy matchups next season. The Vikings obviously face the Chicago Bears twice, who gave up the third-most passing yards per game last season and are transitioning with a new head coach. They face the Atlanta Falcons who gave up the most passing yards per game last season and are transitioning with a new head coach and finally, they face the Arizona Cardinals who gave up the fourth-most passing yards per game and are transitioning with a new defensive coordinator. A quarter of Wallace’s season will be played with above average match-ups.

Yep, this is a good reason to like Mike Wallace this season as well.

The phrase boom-or-bust seems to be attached to Wallace a lot this season and I’m not sure where the bust factor comes into play. I vote boom—Wallace will finish in the top-20 for wide receivers and I think Turner figures out how to get the most out of him with the combination of a full season of Peterson. Scratch the top-20, I’m going all-in on the Vikings this season and Wallace in particular. Put him down to finish in the top-15 for the upcoming season.

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