Returning is Markus Wheaton, their third-round pick in 2013 who caught six passes as a rookie, three in his only start against Minnesota in the fourth game of the season. He missed four games with a hand injury and had surgery after the season.
This is a group that needs to come up to speed quickly with Ben Roethlisberger, who pushed hard for the Steelers to re-sign Jerricho Cotchery. Lance Moore will take Cotchery's spot in the slot and it's possible he could start when they deploy two receivers. But they need someone to play that split end or "X" spot, the one formerly occupied by Mike Wallace, then Emmanuel Sanders.
Our projection for split end: Wheaton.
Martavis Bryant is also in the mix and could win the job due to his outstanding size and physical skills. Normally, we'd defer to the veteran, but it's not like Wheaton had a solid rookie season to build on.
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