Mike Wallace: What Can Fantasy Football Owners Expect of Steelers WR?

Pittsburgh Steelers star Mike Wallace is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, and with the latest news from ESPN's Adam Schefter, it's time for fantasy football owners to look at where they should take him in their league's draft.

"

He always could change his mind, but Pittsburgh WR Mike Wallace is expected to report back to Steelers before the regular season begins.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 14, 2012"

Wallace should be taken as high as a second-round pick depending on the setup of your fantasy league, but if possible, make sure you know he is with the team before you draft him.

Let's look at what kind of offensive production fantasy owners can expect from Wallace this year.

Durability

Year	GP
2009	16
2010	16
2011	16

Wallace's durability has been excellent throughout his professional career. He has never missed a game and does a tremendous job keeping himself in game shape.

Since it appears that he will be arriving to the Steelers later than normal this season following his holdout, he might not have the same stamina he usually does in Week 1, but it's hard to imagine him missing any games because of it.

Expect Wallace to play all 16 games once again this season and continue his impressive durability.

Receptions

Year	REC
2009	39
2010	60
2011	72

Wallace's improvement in this area is encouraging for fantasy owners who need a top wide receiver for their team.

He could certainly reach 80-plus receptions this year since he's quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's best target in nearly every area of the field.

Expect Wallace's receptions total to either stay the same as last year or improve for the fourth consecutive season.

Receiving Yards

Year	YDS
2009	756
2010	1,257
2011	1,193

Wallace's receiving yards total decreased a bit last season, but he was still over 1,000 yards for the second straight season.

There's no reason why Wallace cannot reach 1,200 yards again, despite several of his wide receiver teammates getting better.

His amazing speed will give him plenty of opportunities to make big plays downfield and rack up a ton of yardage.

Touchdowns

Year	TD
2009	6
2010	10
2011	8

One of the reasons for Wallace's decrease in touchdowns last season was the emergence of Steelers wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown.

Roethlisberger has more weapons on offense now and many more options in the red zone. At just 6'0", Wallace doesn't have great size, but he's still a good red-zone target with his tremendous catching ability.

Expect Wallace to score anywhere from five to eight touchdowns this season. Reaching double digits like he did in 2010 will be difficult.

Follow @NicholasGoss35