Former Oregon State wide receiver Markus Wheaton was an electric playmaker in his four years with the Beavers. Wheaton put up career best numbers during his 2012 senior season, ranking in the top three in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns in the Pac-12, which helped to boost his draft stock. After a strong combine performance, where Wheaton displayed his quickness, smarts and sure hands, the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to select Wheaton in the third round of April’s draft as the likely replacement from the recently departed Mike Wallace. Let’s take a look Wheatons potential fantasy impact for the 2013 season, as well as down the road.
College Stats | Year | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD's |
| 2009 | 8 | 89 | 11.1 | 0 |
| 2010 | 55 | 675 | 12.3 | 4 |
| 2011 | 73 | 986 | 13.5 | 1 |
| 2012 | 91 | 1,244 | 13.7 | 11 |
| Totals: | 227 | 2,994 | 13.2 | 16 |
As you can see, Wheaton put up big numbers in his last two seasons, particularly in 2012 when he really took his game to another level. He’s a valuable weapon on the outside despite his 5’11” frame, using his speed to cause separation and big hands to haul in the ball. He’s at his most potent lined up in the slot though, where he can break away from slower linebackers with ease. Wheaton makes great catches, always using his hands to bring the ball in, which also makes him a constant threat in the redzone.
Wheaton will likely compete for the No. 3 receiver position on the depth chart behind Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders but will still see a ton of playing time, likely lined up in the slot. There’s also a chance that the Steelers may not want to risk their top two receivers in the return game, and could look to the nimble and speedy Wheaton instead.
In the end, Wheaton will put up good numbers for a rookie, probably finishing in the top five amongst fantasy rookie receivers by year’s end. But, the fact that Brown and Sanders will likely grab the majority of the targets from Ben Roethlisberger will hurt Wheaton’s fantasy value in 2013. That said, Wheaton is still going to pull in enough catches and rack up enough yards to be a decent WR3 or bench option good for a spot start or two if necessary this coming season. In dynasty leagues, Wheaton will be valuable down the road, with Sanders’ long-term future with the team in question and could eventually even supplant him as the team’s No. 2 receiver.
2013 Stat Projections: 55 receptions, 700 receiving yards and five touchdowns.