Mike Wallace happy to see Santonio Holmes go
Second-year receiver Mike Wallace is the only obvious winner from the Steelers' trade of Santonio Holmes to the Jets. The Steelers certainly do not look any better, the Jets might have bitten off more than they can chew and Holmes could have trouble matching his prior stats.
Wallace caught 39 passes for 756 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie. Now, he could turn into the Steelers' No. 1 receiving threat, especially with 34-year-old Hines Ward going into this 13th season. Ward will have to continue in a major role, but at this point in his career, you're just hoping he can keep himself in one piece for the season. He still might be a borderline No. 2 receiver if you're ready to accept a few missed games.
Wallace will take over that big-play role Holmes filled (although the Steelers still can make some wide receiver moves in the draft). Don't expect a big jump in TDs, especially if the Steelers commit to the run as they have talked about. But he should see a bump in catches to 60-70 and be a 1,000-yard threat. He might be a bit of a reach as a No. 2 receiver. But if you can spend a seventh- or eighth-round pick on him as your third guy, you could be happy.
Holmes with the Jets is a far trickier situation, especially with Holmes expected to be suspended for the first four games of the season. That alone makes it difficult to spend a meaningful pick on him. Then you have his adjustment to a new team, playing with Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller and spending time in New York City to derail Holmes.
Second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez should have enough weapons to work with at this point. But predicting success out of Edwards or Holmes is tough given the uncertainty and inconsistency of each. I would be far happier letting somebody else spend their picks on those two rather than waste a meaningful selection. Once you get into the late rounds, you can take a chance because you are risking so little.
And despite the relative paucity of passes by the Jets last year (league-high 607 rushes vs. a league-low 393 passing attempts), Sanchez moves up as a legitimate backup fantasy quarterback. Not only should he naturally improve in his second season, but all of those receivers and the departure of running back Thomas Jones ought to convince coaches to open things up.
Second-year receiver Mike Wallace is the only obvious winner from the Steelers' trade of Santonio Holmes to the Jets. The Steelers certainly do not look any better, the Jets might have bitten off more than they can chew and Holmes could have trouble matching his prior stats.
Wallace caught 39 passes for 756 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie. Now, he could turn into the Steelers' No. 1 receiving threat, especially with 34-year-old Hines Ward going into this 13th season. Ward will have to continue in a major role, but at this point in his career, you're just hoping he can keep himself in one piece for the season. He still might be a borderline No. 2 receiver if you're ready to accept a few missed games.
Wallace will take over that big-play role Holmes filled (although the Steelers still can make some wide receiver moves in the draft). Don't expect a big jump in TDs, especially if the Steelers commit to the run as they have talked about. But he should see a bump in catches to 60-70 and be a 1,000-yard threat. He might be a bit of a reach as a No. 2 receiver. But if you can spend a seventh- or eighth-round pick on him as your third guy, you could be happy.
Holmes with the Jets is a far trickier situation, especially with Holmes expected to be suspended for the first four games of the season. That alone makes it difficult to spend a meaningful pick on him. Then you have his adjustment to a new team, playing with Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller and spending time in New York City to derail Holmes.
Second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez should have enough weapons to work with at this point. But predicting success out of Edwards or Holmes is tough given the uncertainty and inconsistency of each. I would be far happier letting somebody else spend their picks on those two rather than waste a meaningful selection. Once you get into the late rounds, you can take a chance because you are risking so little.
And despite the relative paucity of passes by the Jets last year (league-high 607 rushes vs. a league-low 393 passing attempts), Sanchez moves up as a legitimate backup fantasy quarterback. Not only should he naturally improve in his second season, but all of those receivers and the departure of running back Thomas Jones ought to convince coaches to open things up.
