Michael Pittman Jr.

Fantasy Upside

Pittman showed flashes in his rookie year on his way to 40 catches, 503 yards and a touchdown. He had a nice outing against the Titans in Week 10, catching seven of the eight balls thrown his way for 101 yards, then followed that up with his sole touchdown a week later. Pittman could theoretically benefit from the addition of Carson Wentz at quarterback. If Wentz can get back to his 2017 form – the last time he was under Frank Reich – then the upside is there for Pittman to take a large leap.

Fantasy Downside

Have we asked the question about whether Pittman is any good? I’m not saying he definitely isn’t, but his PFF rating as a receiver among rookies last year wasn’t good. He was ranked 17th last season among rookie wide receivers, right in between Jalen Reagor and Devin Duvernay. It’s a small sample size to go off of, but with the injuries the Colts sustained at the position a year ago, you’d like to have seen Pittman step up a little more than double-digit fantasy points in just two games. Also, if Wentz is a trainwreck, this could be a long season for the Colts’ pass catchers.

2021 Bottom Line

Right now, Pittman is still worth targeting based on his upside with a 12th-round ADP. But that’s risen over the course of the offseason and he’s now going a round ahead of T.Y. Hilton who was still the top receiver for the Colts last year. Pittman is a boom-bust pick worth the low price tag but watch that ADP. If he keeps rising, Hilton is going to be the more valuable draft pick.

Week 15 vs. Houston Texans

Michael Pittman has a ton of upside and a great matchup this week, but fantasy owners in the playoffs should be wary of using him anyway. T.Y. Hilton seems to have found his stride – and relationship with Philip Rivers – and Pittman has only seen double-digit PPR fantasy points in two games this season, and not since four games ago, before Hilton’s resurgence. He has some upside as a deep-league WR3, but in most leagues, he’s too risky to trust.

Week 13 at Houston Texans

Michael Pittman Jr. caught just two of the nine balls thrown his way last week against the Titans, ending up with 28 yards on the day. Pittman has been all over the place in recent weeks, with varying targets and production. He has upside as a developing weapon in the offense, however, and he’s had at least seven targets in three of his last four games.

This week, Pittman has a fantastic matchup against the Texans, who rank 28th in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. He’s risky because this Colts’ offense hasn’t been super kind to wide receivers all year – just four out of 16 touchdown receptions have come from wide receivers this season – but he’s worth gambling on in a great matchup as a WR3 option in deep leagues.