Friday, March 23, 2018

Eagles Sign Mike Wallace, Continue to Impress With Salary Cap Moves

Posted by Doc Fantasy
Friday, March 23, 2018 | 0 comments

Mike Wallace to Replace Torrey Smith

Philadelphia Eagles general manager, Howie Roseman, has quietly become one of the leagues best evaluators and negotiators. Signing former Ravens wide receiver Mike Wallace to a one-year contract is a nice veteran addition, but the process in which the team acquired him is quite impressive.

The start of the Eagles 2018 season has been dealing with a very tight salary cap. The team owned $5 Million to Torrey Smith after signing him to a contract last year. Smith was a big part of the Eagles’ playoff success, but with cap issues, he was one of the easier players to spot on the roster who would not return. However, rather than cut Smith, Roseman was able to trade him to Carolina for CB Daryl Worley. The Eagles have needed an upgrade at the corner position after losing Patrick Robinson to the Saints in free agency. Worley has shown flashes since being drafted as a third-round pick in 2016 and gives the Eagles some much-needed depth behind starters Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills. Daryl Worley’s contract is only $650,000, making his presence on the roster not only a nice upgrade but a bargain in terms of the cost towards the salary cap.

Mike Wallace’s new contract with the Eagles is one-year for $4 Million deal.

To recap, the Eagles replaced Torrey Smith with Mike Wallace, added a new corner that could challenge for a starting role and saved money in the process. That’s some masterful maneuvering.

The Eagles roster looks primed to repeat their success from last season. They haven’t lost many impact players in free agency and get LT Jason Peters and MLB Jordan Hicks back from injury. The team also could add a potential impact player with the 32nd overall pick in the NFL Draft, a luxury pick with no pressing needs. I went through a top ten list of sites to see where the Eagles rank in terms of Super Bowl betting odds for the 2018 season, and so far I haven’t been able to find one that doesn’t list the Eagles a favorite under 10 to 1. Despite being the second-best team in terms of odds to win the Super Bowl, behind the Patriots, 10 to 1 odds are actually pretty good in terms of payout.

Mike Wallace Fantasy Impact

After the Eagles traded away Torrey Smith, Dynasty owners who had 2nd-year WR Mack Hollins on their rosters were excited with the possibility that he could step up into a bigger role. Football Outsiders DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) had Hollins finish with a plus 24.8 percent DVOA in 2017. Smith, meanwhile, finished with a mark of minus 15.7. However, while Hollins looks to be apart of the future for the Eagles WR corps, the team felt a veteran speedster like Wallace was still needed.

31-year old Mike Wallace hasn’t been a game-breaker for quite some time but still averages 14-15 yards per catch while commanding defensive respect. He shouldn’t have any real fantasy value in redraft leagues but could be a player you might want to add with one of your last picks in a Best Ball league. The Eagles are a high scoring offense and Carson Wentz is great about spreading the ball around.

Mike Wallace Career Stats

Year	Team	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	100+	TD	Rush	Yds	TD
2009		16	39	756	47.3	1	6	5	48	0
2010		16	60	1257	78.6	7	10	5	39	0
2011		16	72	1193	74.6	4	8	5	57	0
2012		15	64	838	55.9	2	8	5	7	0
2013		16	73	930	58.1	4	5	3	33	0
2014		16	67	862	53.9	1	10	4	16	0
2015		16	39	473	29.6	0	2	1	6	0
2016		16	72	1017	63.6	2	4	5	31	0
2017		15	52	748	49.9	2	4	1	4	0