Albert

Wilson

The former Georgia State standout entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Chiefs, playing four seasons in Kansas City before joining the Dolphins for three seasons. He spent the previous three seasons with the Vikings and Raiders but never saw the field for either franchise despite continually finding himself on the active roster. Wilson accumulated 2,499 yards and 12 touchdowns on 218 career receptions.

Wilson was added to the practice squad last week, and now he is getting promoted to the active roster. Barring any injuries -- or possible Davante Adams suspension -- Wilson is unlikely to return fantasy value.

Wilson signed with the Vikings on a one-year deal in May. He had a shot at being a depth option at receiver and a kick returner, though Minnesota clearly liked what they had elsewhere on the roster. The move is a good sign for Ihmir Smith-Marsette. The Vikings added Smith-Marsette in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He didn’t see the field much as a rookie but did generate a few splash plays late in the year, scoring twice on a measly five catches. He will likely operate as the team’s primary kick returner while competing with Bisi Johnson for WR4 duties.

Wilson, 30 in July, parlayed a 42-554-3 line in 2017 with the Chiefs into a four-year, $17.75 million deal with the Dolphins as a free agent. He ended up catching a total of 94 balls for 955 yards and five touchdowns across 34 games for Miami, missing all of 2020 after opting out due to COVID concerns. In Minnesota, Wilson will compete for fourth wideout duties behind Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and K.J. Osborn.

Wilson won’t play in the Dolphins’ Monday night tilt against the Saints. His absence could open up more routes and targets for WR Isaiah Ford, who caught three passes for 51 yards last week against the Jets. Ford could see a handful of targets in the pass-heavy Miami offense.

With the DeVante Parker and Will Fuller-less Dolphins in dire need of someone to make a play behind Jaylen Waddle and Mike Gesicki, Wilson obliged, more than doubling his previous 2021 yards from scrimmage. Most of the gains, 64 of them to be exact, came on a late fourth quarter play where Wilson was put in motion pre-snap and the Ravens never accounted for him. Nice, but hardly repeatable. Even with the Jets on tap for Week 11, we would not look to Wilson as a desperation WR5 in PPR leagues.

Darlington added that Parker woke up with tightness in his hamstring and will not test it any further in warmups. With Will Fuller also out, Jaylen Waddle is going to be showered with targets. He vaults into WR2 territory while Mike Gesicki, who has been heavily targeted by Jacoby Brissett, is a locked-in TE1 this week. Albert Wilson and Preston Williams will both be tasked with larger roles this week.

Parker is also dealing with a shoulder issue his Week 5 status appears to be genuinely up in the air. With Will Fuller on injured reserve and facing the Buccaneers pass funnel defense, Parker could be in for significant downfield volume if healthy. If he’s unable to go it will mean a bigger role for Albert Wilson, and perhaps a more versatile role for Jaylen Waddle.

Williams still isn’t over the season-ending foot issue that struck him midseason last year. He needed surgery and still isn’t 100%. With Williams likely to sit, it’ll be DeVante Parker, first-rounder Jaylen Waddle, and Albert Wilson in three-wide sets against New England. Will Fuller is suspended for this one. Waddle is dirt-cheap on daily fantasy sites.

Wilson has reportedly shined in Dolphins training camp as most of the team’s starting wideouts are sidelined with various injuries. Fowler said Wilson “is finding open lanes against various coverages or simply outshaking people to the ball,” adding that it “would be a pretty big surprise if he doesn’t have a solidified role, possibly a sizable one.” Putting Wilson in Miami’s starting lineup is a big leap from dominating training camp with little competition, and the team’s investment in receiver this offseason tells us plenty about what they think of Wilson (and DeVante Parker, for that matter). Wilson, who opted out of the 2020 NFL season, has been productive when called upon: In the final three games of the 2019 season, he caught 18 balls for 197 yards.