Cardinals Hand $75 Million Payday Top Fantasy Football Sleeper

He might not be a surprise pick anymore because Arizona Cardinals fourth-year wide receiver Michael Wilson is being paid like one of the top receivers in football.

After two and a half seasons of putting up decent numbers for a former third round pick, Michael Wilson exploded onto the scene late last season. Wilson had three double digit reception games during a four week span in the middle of the season. He finished the year with 78 receptions, just over 1,000 yards and 7 TDs.

The Cardinals rewarded him with a 3-year, $75 million extension that makes him the 23rd-highest paid wide receiver in the league, according to Spotrac.

Wilson signed a three-year extension similar to the ones Eagles receiver Devonta Smith and Texans receiver Nico Collins signed in 2024. In fact, he slots right in between those two players in compensation.

Wilson is a late round steal

Currently, Michael Wilson is ranked 86th with an average draft position of 100.8, according to Yahoo.

So before the Cardinals made this official, you could have picked Wilson up for cheap in the early eight or tenth round, but now his ADP will inevitably rise because the Cardinals have made it clear that he is their guy.

How does 1,000 yards and over 180 fantasy points go undrafted for so long?

Well, 77% of his receptions and 80% of his yards came between Week’s 8 and 17. And when diving even deeper into his production, 60% of his receptions during that back stretch came in just three games, along with 55% of his receiving yards.

But even his normal games were still extremely productive. He caught at least one touchdown in each of his final five games. But once again, consistency is in question because after he caught a touchdown in Week 2 in September against the Panthers, Wilson didn’t catch another touchdown until December.

If his 2026 is anything like his 2025 then you may be in for some feast or famine with Wilson this season.