In this weekly column, I typically explore some young players who haven’t made much of a consistent impact to date on their fantasy football teams. Some players may be available on your waiver 
wire, some may be available via a cheap or moderate trade. Acquiring or not acquiring one of these players could decide how well your dynasty or keeper team does for the next few years. This week I take a look at two up and coming receivers in the Bears Marques Wilson and the Rams Stedman Bailey.
WR-Marques Wilson, CHI- This second year receiver is starting to get his NFL bearings after missing the majority of his first two NFL seasons. Early summer reports had him training along Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery to work on his craft. In the game against the Cowboys, he had the most yards and targets since he came off the injured reserve (broken collarbone) in Week 11. Sure, his two catches for 19 yards alone is not impressive, but two of those missed targets were deep targets that the wide out drew pass interference penalties on.
Wilson lines up on both sides of the formation, mostly on the outside, but occasionally in the slot. He gets a quick release off the line, using his hands to get past the corner within a yard or two of the line of scrimmage. The young receiver seems a bit skinny at 184 lbs., but has great height at 6’ 4” and does a good job shielding the defender from the ball. He changes directions quickly, can sky to get the ball, and catches it in stride. Wilson was unable to get to a badly thrown worm burner from Jay Cutler, but seemed to get more of the quarterback’s attention after Marshall left the game due to a rib injury.
The second year wide out is a willing blocker both in the running game and once another receiver caught the ball. Wilson adjusts to poorly thrown passes while using double moves to get open and just was a step away from a long touchdown. He even knocked the ball out of defenders hands when his corner stepped in front of a pass targeted for him. The receiver appeared to suffer a shoulder injury in the second half, but remained in the game showing some surprising toughness. In shallower leagues, Wilson might be available and should be owned in leagues that roster six or more receivers per team. The wide out will certainly get a chance to show what he has with Marshall on injured reserve for the next three weeks.
WR-Stedman Bailey, STL-This second year receiver is starting to turn fantasy owners heads with his hundred yard five reception game in Week 13. He is the more physical of the former West Virginia wide outs, sorry former first rounder Tavon Austin. Bailey demonstrates that toughness blocking downfield and keeps in front of his man until the whistle blows. It was a bit concerning to have him leave the field when the Rams went to double tight end sets.
Bailey spent most of the game split out wide, but got sent into motion on a few occasions to get a better matchup. He is a willing receiver in the middle of the field with great concentration. The receiver made a beautiful one-handed grab in stride without taking his eyes off the defender bearing down on him. There is a lot of fight in him as he leaves his feet to dive for a first down to keep the drive alive. Bailey tracks the deep ball well, gets behind his coverage to bring the ball to the one yard line. He doesn’t have quite the same foot speed that Austin does, but he is willing to spin out of trouble to gain extra yardage. The Rams offense could be ready to explode in the future and Bailey might be one of the cheapest offensive options to get now. I would be happy with him as a WR4 with the upside to become a WR2-3.
Do you like what you are reading? Do you want extra insight at the Senior Bowl? Please donate using my PayPal button to make sure I attend this year’s Senior Bowl Game and the week of practice before the game. You can follow me on Twitter @AndrewMiley or the site @Dynasty_Blitz.
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