Pittman's stock skyrocketed last August following constant training camp reports of his budding rapport with Matt Ryan, but the breakout never happened. The entire situation couldn't have been worse for Pittman, changing quarterbacks and play-callers during the season. In Week 1 his 27.1 points in PPR made it look like he was on route to besting his WR21 per-game finish during his breakout 2021 season, but he topped 20 points just once after that and had five games where he didn't even reach double-digit points. The silver lining despite all of the chaos is that Pittman earned a 25.6% target share (17th-best) and nearly reached the triple-digit receptions mark (99). Rookie QB Anthony Richardson can get the ball to Pittman on the vertical plane and rookies tend to lean on one target, so Pittman has a strong opportunity to best his ADP and return value as soon as the middle of the fifth round of your drafts.
Colts' Michael Pittman: Stays busy in Week 14 loss
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Pittman brought in eight of 11 targets for 95 yards in the Colts' 34-14 loss to the Bengals on Sunday. He also recorded a two-point conversion catch.
Pittman put together a signature performance that saw him once again serve as the busiest pass catcher on the Colts. The fourth-year pro led the team across the board in three major receiving categories, and he's now posted at least eight receptions in six straight games. Pittman will head into a Week 15 Saturday afternoon matchup against the Steelers just five receptions away from his first 100-reception campaign, as well as only 16 yards short of his second 1,000-yard season.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Commands 16 more targets
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Pittman recorded 11 receptions on 16 targets for 105 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-28 overtime win over the Titans.
Pittman saw a season-high 16 targets and managed double-digit looks for the eighth time in 12 contests. He also managed his second consecutive 100-yard performance despite his longest gain going for only 14 yards. As is appropriate given Pittman's heavy involvement in the Colts' offense, he also caught a four-yard touchdown pass to win the game in overtime. While he may not have the same ceiling as the most elite pass catchers in the league, Pittman now has at least eight receptions in five straight games and has a very safe floor.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Another busy day in win
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Pittman brought in 10 of 13 targets for 107 yards in the Colts' 27-20 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Pittman led the Colts in receptions and receiving yards while tying for the team lead in targets. The sure-handed wideout's yardage total was his second highest of the season and marked his second time eclipsing the 100-yard mark on the campaign. The 26-year-old has no fewer than eight catches in four consecutive contests going into a Week 13 road matchup against the Titans.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: WRs to Start
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I like Pittman and Josh Downs in this matchup with the Buccaneers, who are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Pittman has been a beast all season and has scored at least 14.4 PPR points in five games in a row. And Downs, who has battled a knee injury the past two games, will hopefully be healthy coming off the Colts bye in Week 11. Prior to Week 9, Downs had scored at least 13.1 PPR points in four games in a row. Pittman is a top-10 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, and Downs is a starter in all three-receiver formats against Tampa Bay.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Targeted 12 times in win
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Pittman recorded eight receptions on 12 targets for 84 yards in Sunday's 10-6 win over the Patriots.
As the score indicates, neither offense had much success getting the ball into the end zone, but Pittman still had a productive day. He accounted for two of the Colts' seven longest plays from scrimmage with receptions of 14 and 13 yards, helping him to his highest yardage total since Week 6. Pittman now has eight catches in three consecutive games and should remain Gardner Minshew's top target coming out of the Colts' Week 11 bye.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Leading receiver in easy win
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Pittman caught all eight of his targets for 64 yards in Sunday's 27-13 win over the Panthers.
The Colts never trailed in the game and led 20-3 at halftime, so there was little need for Gardner Minshew to air it out, but Pittman was his top option on the day and paced Indianapolis in catches, targets and receiving yards. Per Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star, Pittman exited the game in the second quarter to be checked for a concussion but quickly returned. The fourth-year wideout has caught at least eight passes in three of the last four games and six of nine on the season, putting him on track for the first campaign of his career with triple-digit receptions. Pittman should be productive again in Week 10 against a Patriots secondary that just gave up a combined 9-142-1 line on 15 targets to the Washington duo of Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Busy day in Week 8 loss
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Pittman brought in eight of 13 targets for 40 yards and a touchdown in the Colts' 38-27 loss to the Saints on Sunday.
Pittman was in the familiar position of leading the Colts in receptions and targets, although his five yards per catch qualified as a season-low figure. Pittman also recorded his second touchdown in as many games when he found the end zone from 10 yards out in the first quarter, and he's now logged double-digit targets on five occasions thus far. Pittman should remain similarly busy in a Week 9 road battle against the Panthers.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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I'd expect the Saints to get physical with Pittman, which in turn should hurt his efficiency. But there's no denying his target volume, even though Minshew has missed him on deep throws. That's what you're hoping for with Pittman -- a lot of catches and some solid yardage with it. That keeps him in the low-end flex range in PPR, but in non-PPR he's too big of a risk. I'd rather start Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett and George Pickens in all formats, and Josh Downs in PPR.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Saves day with long score
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Pittman recorded two receptions on five targets for 83 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 39-38 loss to the Browns.
Pittman had limited involvement in the offense, as he matched his season low in targets. He was held to only eight yards through 54 minutes of the contest, but he found a seam in the middle of the Cleveland secondary and broke a few tackles to record a 75-yard touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter. Pittman entered the game with double-digit targets in four of six games, though the emergence of Josh Downs could make his volume a bit more volatile moving forward.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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It's hard to bench Pittman in PPR since he scored at least 13.6 PPR points in four of six games this season, and he scored at least 16.7 PPR points in two starts with Gardner Minshew. But Pittman could struggle in Week 7 against Cleveland, and the Browns are No. 1 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Cleveland has allowed just one touchdown to an opposing receiver all season, and George Pickens (22.7 PPR points in Week 2) and Brandon Aiyuk (11.6 PPR points in Week 6) are the only receivers with double digits in scoring against this defense, including matchups with Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, DeAndre Hopkins and Zay Flowers. Pittman is a low-end starter in all PPR leagues at best and a risky option in non-PPR leagues since he has just one touchdown this season.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Eclipses century mark in loss
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Pittman brought in nine of 14 targets for 109 yards in the Colts' 37-20 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday.
Pittman led Colts pass catchers in all major receiving categories with numbers that either tied or established new season highs. The dependable fourth-year pro now has recorded at least eight catches in four of his first six games, and following Sunday's prolific output, it's clear he already has plenty of chemistry with Gardner Minshew. Pittman's next opportunity to build on his impressive start to the campaign comes in a tough home matchup versus the Browns in Week 7.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Start Him In PPR (Lineup Decisions)
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If you're starting Pittman you're banking on him and Minshew landing on the same page a bunch. It also helps the cause that the Jaguars aren't exactly terrible against the run (3.6 yards per carry allowed), meaning that the Colts can't easily dominate on the ground for four quarters. He's best as a low-end WR2 in PPR leagues but no better than a flex in half- and non-PPR. For example, I'd start Zay Flowers, Tyler Lockett and Amari Cooper over Pittman in non-PPR, but not in PPR.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Manages 52 yards
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Pittman recorded five receptions on seven targets for 52 yards in Sunday's 23-16 win over the Titans.
Pittman led the Colts in targets but was overshadowed by a big performance from Josh Downs. Positively, the former did manage a 27-yard catch late in the third quarter -- his third reception of at least 20 yards this season -- that helped set up a field goal to extend the team's lead. Even so, after delivering a minimum of eight catches in Indianapolis' first three games, Pittman has combined to record only six receptions for 67 yards across the last two contests.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: WRS to Start
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Let's go back to Pittman despite his poor game in Week 4 against the Rams when he scored just 4.5 PPR points with one catch for 15 yards on five targets. Prior to that, he had at least 13.6 PPR points in each of his three previous games, with at least 11 targets in each outing. He has a beautiful matchup in Week 5 against the Titans, who have already allowed seven receivers to score at least 13.8 PPR points this year. And Pittman has at least six catches in three of his past four meetings with Tennessee going back to 2021, including two games over that span with at least 12.8 PPR points.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Just one catch
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Pittman secured one of five targets for 15 yards during Sunday's 29-23 overtime loss to the Rams.
After starting the year with three straight games with double-digit targets, the Rams kept rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson mostly in check until the fourth quarter, which left little opportunity for any Colts receiver to produce. Despite tying for the team lead in targets, Pittman could come down with only one catch, albeit one that helped lead the Colts to their second touchdown of the game. Despite the poor outing, Pittman still boasts a respectable 26-245-1 line through four games and is the clear top option in the Colts' receiving corps. The veteran wideout will look to bounce back in Week 5 against the Titans.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: WRs to Start
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I was wrong about Pittman this season, and I'm glad that he's performing at a high level in PPR. He's seen at least 11 targets in all three games this year, and he's scored at least 13.6 PPR points in each outing. Now, he only has one touchdown and one game over 77 receiving yards, so Fantasy managers in non-PPR leagues should only use him as a No. 3 receiver. But he has at least eight catches in every outing, and it shouldn't matter if Anthony Richardson (concussion) or Gardner Minshew starts in Week 4 against the Rams because both quarterbacks have leaned on Pittman. The Rams have also allowed one receiver to score at least 13.7 PPR points in each game this season.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Sees 11 more targets
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Pittman recorded nine catches on 11 targets for 77 yards in Sunday's 22-19 overtime win over the Ravens.
Pittman led the team in receptions and yards while also drawing double-digit targets for the third consecutive game to begin the season. His stat line was modest given the volume, though he still accounted for long gains of 34 and 13 yards. As his stat lines have indicated to this point, Pittman doesn't have the highest upside, but he has a locked-in role in the Colts' offense and is particularly trustworthy in PPR-scoring formats.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Eight catches in Week 2 win
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Pittman secured eight of 12 targets for 56 yards in the Colts' 31-20 win over the Texans on Sunday. He also committed a fumble that was recovered by Indianapolis.
Pittman led the Colts in receptions and receiving yards on a day when Anthony Richardson (concussion) and Gardner Minshew spread the ball around to eight different targets. Pittman has been as busy as expected over the first two games, recording 16 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown on 23 targets. He'll look to keep up his strong start with either Richardson or Minshew under center in a Week 3 road matchup against the Ravens.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Start Him (Lineup Decisions)
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The Colts learned their lesson and should involve Pittman plenty moving forward. But unless he breaks through for more large gains every week, there could be some disappointing sub-15 PPR stat lines. A reminder: he fell below 15 PPR points 10 times in 16 games last year. But it didn't happen in two games against the Texans, and even though Houston's pass defense looked better than expected last week, I don't think they can keep Pittman from getting catches this week. In PPR I'm happy to start him over Terry McLaurin, Christian Kirk and Zay Flowers, but in half- or non-PPR I'd put those guys ahead of him.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: WRs to Sit
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I loved seeing Pittman get 11 targets from Anthony Richardson in Week 1 against Jacksonville, and he converted them into eight catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. That's very encouraging for his outlook moving forward, and you can still start Pittman in three-receiver leagues in Week 2 against the Texans. But I'd pump the brakes about using Pittman in all formats this week. Houston has allowed just six touchdowns to receivers in the past 18 games going back to last year, which is the fewest in the NFL. Now, Pittman has two of them, so keep that in mind, but I don't want to overvalue Pittman yet despite his strong debut with Richardson in Week 1.
