At 3-10 heading into Week 15, the Arizona Cardinals are staring down the barrel of a fourth straight losing season. It will also be their ninth playoff-less year in the last decade.
Then they have the whole Kyler Murray saga to worry about. Not to mention the fact that head coach Jonathan Gannon’s head might be on the chopping block.
In short, there’s not a lot of positives right now in the desert.
Even their prized 2024 first-round pick, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., can’t catch a break as a heel injury is going to cost him a second straight game in Week 15. Gannon confirmed on December 12 that the wideout will be out for the team’s upcoming road matchup with the Houston Texans, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
But there is a silver lining here. An injury to one young, underperforming wideout means a big opportunity for another young, overperforming wideout: Michael Wilson.
Michael Wilson has been the best WR in the NFL over the last month
As a 2023 third-round pick, Michael Wilson doesn’t have the same pedigree as a No. 4 overall selection with a Hall of Fame father like Marvin Harrison Jr. But Wilson has arguably outplayed his more famous counterpart this season.
It’s when Harrison has missed time this season that Wilson has really shone. In his first two seasons, Wilson had around 550 yards and under 50 receptions. He seemed headed for another year like that before Harrison’s bout with appendicitis set the stage for Wilson to break out.
In Week 11 without MHJ, Wilson had 15 receptions for 185 yards on 18 targets. The next week, with Harrison still battling his appendix, Wilson had 10 receptions for 118 yards on 15 targets. Harrison returned in Week 13, and Wilson had 36 yards on three catches.
But when his WR buddy sat out again in Week 14 (this time with the heel that he’s still dealing with) Wilson went nuclear again, nabbing 11 balls for 142 yards and a pair of TDs on 16 targets.
All in, Wilson has put up 39 catches for 481 yards on 56 targets over the last month. All of those represent NFL highs during that time.
And if Harrison misses any more time, we could be looking at a possible Pro Bowl season for Wilson, who already has career highs of 61 receptions and 712 yards with four games to go.
Not to mention Wilson’s explosions are coming at the perfect time for fantasy football managers. Even against the top-ranked Houston Texans defense, Michael Wilson is all set for another 15+ target, 10+ reception, 100+ yard game in Week 15—the first week of the fantasy football playoffs.
Godspeed to all Michael Wilson managers. Good luck to those with Marvin Harrison Jr. Stock.