Michael

Wilson

Now safely ensconced as the Cardinals’ No. 2 receiver, Wilson (hamstring) will miss his first game all season. Although Wilson faced little pressure from the likes of Greg Dortch and company behind him on the receiver depth chart, he took a step back statistically on his rookie year thanks to Trey McBride’s continued ascendance and Marvin Harrison Jr.'s arrival in the desert. Wilson can make impressive plays on the boundary, but he lacks a clear path forward in Dynasty leagues because he’s not going to jump MHJ and McBride dominates the compiling work in Arizona. Turning 25 in February, Wilson also won’t be particularly young for a third-year pro.

Wilson was added to the Friday injury report with a Limited Participant designation, indicating the second-year WR strained his hamstring in practice today. While he technically has a chance to play, given the questionable tag, a soft tissue injury suffered 48 hours before kickoff is a bad sign. Fantasy managers should expect him to miss Week 18.

That makes three straight contests where Wilson has been held below 50 yards. Some of that has to do with strong fantasy outings from Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr;, as they combined for 16 catches for 219 yards in the close loss. There’s no reason to think of Wilson as a fantasy factor for Week 18 against the 49ers.

Wilson has now been held below 50 yards in back-to-back games after previously clearing that mark in three straight. Of course, he hasn’t reached 60 since Week 5. Wilson won’t be relevant to Week 17 lineup decisions.

Wilson only caught two balls last week but came down with a 41-yard score to save the few fantasy managers still starting him. The second-year wideout couldn’t recreate the magic this time around and ended the day with fewer than 40 yards for the eighth time this year. Wilson is good for the occasional big play but doesn’t see the ball enough to crack most fantasy lineups. He is stuck in the WR5/6 range for Week 16.

Wilson started the game with a bang, catching a 41-yard score in the Cardinals’ first drive of the game. He was all but invisible from there on, with Marvin Harrison, Jr. and Trey McBride combining for 22 of the team’s 38 targets. It was Wilson’s second straight solid outing; he had 55 yards on five receptions last week against the Vikings. Wilson will be a desperation fantasy play next week against the Patriots.

It was one of the highest yardage totals for Wilson in 2024, and only the fourth time he’s had more than four receptions in a game this season. Wilson’s Week 13 highlight came on a tipped ball that landed right in his arms in the middle of the field, just before he nabbed a 22-yarder from Kyler Murray. Wilson, as usual, ran a full complement of routes as a regular in two receiver sets. Wilson is only a fantasy option in deeper formats going forward.

Wilson quietly operates as the Cardinals’ No. 4 pass-catching option, getting four targets on the day. He made a big 30-yard reception in the fourth quarter to put the Cardinals into the red zone to highlight his day. Wilson also had a second quarter touchdown called back due to a holding penalty. Wilson is a downfield perimeter option and is no more than a touchdown-dependent WR5 for Week 13 against the Vikings.

Wilson is just a complementary player, operating as the team’s No. 4 passing game weapon behind Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride and James Conner. He does not need to be rostered in 12-team leagues and is on bye in Week 11.

Wilson was a non-factor in the run-heavy win. The Cardinals’ No. 3 pass catcher is largely a matchup-based flex option and the situation simply did not call for his services. He is a WR5/6 against the Jets in Week 10.