Mike Wallace

With Steve Smith retiring, Wallace sits atop one of the shallower receiving depth charts in the league, virtually guaranteeing him a significant role in the Ravens passing attack. At 6-0, 205, Wallace has average size but blazing speed - he ran a 4.28 40 at the Combine, and even if at 31 he's lost a step, he's still in the top decile among NFL WR. That speed was evident in his per-play numbers last year - 8.7 YPT (15th) and five catches of 40-plus (T-6th). The Ravens barely looked to Wallace in the red zone last year (nine targets), so if he scores, it'll usually be from deep. The June addition of Jeremy Maclin does provide competition for Joe Flacco's attention, but the team's offseason losses included Steve Smith, Kamar Aiken and Dennis Pitta, a trio that combined for 272 targets and 185 receptions last year.

It's hard to remember Wallace was once the Steelers' star receiver, ahead of No. 2 option, the smaller, slower Antonio Brown. Three teams later, the speedster finds himself competing for a role in Baltimore. At 6-0, 205, Wallace and teammate Breshad Perriman are the league's only sub-4.30 40 WR heavier than 200 pounds (assuming Perriman hasn't lost a step after serious injuries to both knees in consecutive years). Even so, Wallace hasn't been a big-play threat since 2012, when he hauled in seven passes of 40-plus yards. Last year in Minnesota he saw only 72 targets and did little before being eclipsed by rookie Stefon Diggs. Wallace is in a better spot this year with big-armed Joe Flacco and a wide open depth chart. But it's no lock he carves out a regular role with Steve Smith and Kamar Aiken also vying for targets.

So much for that five-year, $60 million contract with the Dolphins. Traded for a mere fifth-round pick (and Miami had to include a seventh-rounder), Wallace will now ply his trade in Minnesota where he's tentatively atop the team's depth chart. Wallace wasn't terrible last year — he scored 10 times and managed a roughly average 12.9 YPC and 7.5 YPT — but for a player who was brought in to be a game changer given his blistering 4.28 40 speed, it wasn't nearly enough. The chief problem was the lack of big plays — only 10 catches of 20-plus yards and two of 40 or more on 115 targets. This followed a 2013 season with only 11 plays of 20-plus on 141 targets, and a meager 6.6 YPT. At 6-0, 200, Wallace is actually on the bigger side for such a burner, but he's not a physical or acrobatic pass catcher who can make plays without gaining separation. In Minnesota, he'll serve as a field stretcher at a minimum, but it's unclear whether he'll see more targets than teammate Charles Johnson and unlikely he'll be the team's leading red-zone target with the bigger Johnson as well as tight end Kyle Rudolph around. Adrian Peterson is returning, but the development of second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is a another variable.

The Dolphins gave Wallace $30 million guaranteed as part of a five-year deal, and he gave them 6.6. YPT (34th out of 37 100-target WR.) Part of the drop in efficiency was due to Ryan Tannehill’s struggles at quarterback behind a dismal (and dysfunctional) offensive line. And free-agent receivers often struggle during their first seasons adjusting to new systems – or at least the Dolphins hope. Wallace heads into 2014 as the team’s co-No.1 opposite Brian Hartline. At 6-0, 195, Wallace is actually big for a player with 4.33 speed, and he’s torched defenders down the field since he came into the league – even in a disappointing 2013, he had five catches of 40-plus yards (T. 10th). While he saw only 10 red-zone targets last year and isn’t built for a heavy workload in that area, last year’s usage patterns aren’t especially instructive. The Dolphins fired offensive coordinator Mike Sherman and replaced him with Bill Lazor, the Eagles’ quarterback coach who helped develop Nick Foles. If the line plays better – and it should as they used their first-round pick on tackle Ja’wuan James – and Tannehill develops, Wallace’s efficiency should pick up in his second year with the team.

Arguably the fastest player in the league, Wallace hasn't been anything special since the first half of 2011 when he put up a 43-800-5 line. Since then, Wallace went 29-393-3 in the second half of 2011 and then 64-838-8 with a meager 7.0 YPT in 2012. That didn't deter the Dolphins from signing Wallace to a five-year deal with $30 million guaranteed, however. At 6-0, 198, Wallace is actually big for a pure speedster, but he's not especially physical, so we'd be surprised if the Dolphins use him much near the goal line. That said, Wallace tends to score more touchdowns than most smallish receivers because he's so able to burn defenses deep. Wallace will start opposite Brian Hartline, quarterback Ryan Tannehill's favorite receiver last year, but with Davone Bess gone, both should see plenty of targets. Tannehill's development is the key variable here, something Wallace's presence should help.

It was a tale of two halves for Wallace who had 43 catches for 800 yards and five scores in the season’s first eight games. Over its last eight, he managed just 29-393-3, essentially a replacement value roster-filler in most formats. Some of the drop-off might have had to do with Ben Roethlisberger’s sprained ankle, though teammate Antonio Brown’s numbers actually got significantly better in the second half, so it likely had more to do with Wallace seeing a significant amount of double coverage. In any case, Wallace is one of the fastest players in the NFL, and at 6-0, 200, is bigger than most of the league’s pure speedsters. Despite the poor second half, Wallace still managed 10.7 YPT (5th) and seven catches of 40-plus yards (tied for 3rd). Wallace rarely sees red-zone work (just 11 targets), so he’ll have to do his scoring from deep, something of which he’s certainly capable, but he won’t pad his totals with the easier short touchdowns. At press time, Wallace was holding off on signing his first-round tender from the Steelers and threatening to hold out into training camp in the hopes of securing a multi-year deal. The Steelers claim to be interested in a long-term pact, but as Wallace wants top-tier receiver money, it’ll be interesting to see how this resolves.

How does a player with just 98 targets get 1,267 yards? By averaging an unheard of 12.7 yards per target, the highest mark among 90-target receivers in the last 10 years. At 6-0, 200, Wallace has just average size, but he's arguably the fastest straight-ahead receiver in the league, and he's extremely dangerous in the open field. Wallace led the league with a whopping 10 catches of 40-plus yards and 25 of 20-plus, all while missing his starting quarterback for the first four games of the year. While Wallace doesn't see much work from in close – just 10 red-zone looks and four inside the 10 – he was able to score 10 touchdowns, thanks to all of his big plays. Wallace enters his third year as an established starter and big-play man, playing opposite an aging Hines Ward. While it's hard to reach double-digit TDs exclusively as a downfield playmaker, Wallace should see more targets and catches and possibly more yardage if he comes anywhere close to his 2010 efficiency.

Wallace was fantastic last year as a rookie, emerging as the team’s No. 3 wideout and deep threat. Now with the departure of Santonio Holmes, he’ll get a chance to show his value as an every-down player. Wallace averaged a whopping 19.4 yards per catch, the most of any receiver in the league, and 10.2 yards per target (7th among 70-target receivers). He also had six catches of 40-yards or more (tied for 7th) on just 74 targets. In other words, on a per-target basis, he led the league in 40-plus plays. At 6-0, 199, Wallace has just average size, but he’s extremely explosive down the field and dangerous once he has the ball in his hands. He’s also tough enough to go over the middle, though that role — along with the red-zone work — will probably go largely to Hines Ward and Heath Miller. (Wallace had only seven redzone looks all year, and none from inside the 10). Of course, Wallace will see added attention from defenses as a starter, and his quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, will be suspended for at least four games at the start of the season.

Wallace is a receiver, but the best way for him to earn a spot on the active roster this year is through special teams. His speed should come in handy on kick returns.