Michael Pittman Jr. is just a year removed from being one of the best values in fantasy football. He’s largely an afterthought, even having fallen behind teammate Josh Downs in average draft position (ADP). Are fantasy managers sleeping on the Indianapolis Colts’ wide receiver this season?
Michael Pittman Jr. Fantasy Outlook
Let’s rewind to the 2022 season. Coming off a strong sophomore campaign that saw him average 14.0 fantasy points per game, Pittman is going in the early third round of fantasy drafts…and that’s too late. He is MY GUY. I want him everywhere. This is an ascending young talent poised to leap from solid WR2 to full-blown WR1. Of course, that didn’t happen.
Pittman was by no means bad in 2022. He was just the same, averaging 13.5 PPG. He was fine, but he didn’t provide the positive return on investment that justified my overly confident belief in him.
But the thing is, everything that made me so bullish on him was there. He saw a target share of over 25%. He caught 99 passes. He was the clear WR1. The peripherals checked out. Unfortunately, the Colts were awful. His quarterbacks were horrible. As a result, his efficiency cratered, preventing him from breaking through.
In 2023, Pittman’s ADP cratered. He was a seventh or eighth-round pick. An afterthought. And regrettably, I abandoned him. This guy that I was so into when he was a third-rounder was suddenly off my radar, going four rounds later. Bad process if I believed in the talent (which I did).
Pittman became one of the best values in fantasy in 2023, averaging 15.6 PPG. He became the guy I thought I was getting in 2023 at a much cheaper price, and I missed it.
Initially, I went all in on Pittman in 2024, again chasing my previous fail. But slowly, I pulled back on Pittman due to the Anthony Richardson situation, and he became a full fade. I finally got it right!
Pittman was a disaster last season. His target share dipped to 24.3%. He was only targeted on 23.4% of his routes run. He averaged 1.7 yards per route run and 7.3 yards per target. Those numbers ranked 57th and 78th, respectively.
While Pittman’s role didn’t necessarily change, his volume did, as the Colts were extremely run-heavy with Richardson. But was Pittman really that bad?
Pittman averaged 8.8 PPG with Richardson last season, compared to 12.7 PPG with Joe Flacco. Of course, Flacco is gone, but the point is more that Richardson games really held Pittman back, as the young quarterback is incapable of completing passes and leads to lower passing volume.
At the same time, Pittman was outplayed by teammate Josh Downs. So, perhaps it’s a little of both. Pittman and the offense are to blame.
Another huge issue was that Pittman hurt his back last season. The injury was so bad that he was set to be placed on IR, ending his season. A couple of days later, he changed his mind and played through the injury for the remainder of the year. It was abundantly clear that the injury impacted his play.
Michael Pittman Jr. making this play with a low-back fracture is pretty crazy. pic.twitter.com/4Ti9DzMNpn
— Colts Film Room (@ColtsFilmRoom) June 4, 2025
So, we have a wide receiver still in his prime who has seasons of 14.0, 13.5, 15.6, and 10.4 PPG over the past four years. Which one do you think is the outlier?
This season, the Colts still have Richardson, but they also signed Daniel Jones, who I project will make the majority of the starts for this team. Jones is not an NFL-caliber starting quarterback, but he has proven capable of getting the ball to his top receivers. He can complete passes and is much more of a stationary quarterback than Richardson.
I am very high on Downs this year, but Pittman is also on my list. They’re both way too cheap.
Pittman has three seasons finishing no lower than overall WR22. Yet, entering his age-28 season, he’s valued as if he’s cooked. He’s being valued as if 2024 is the norm and the 2021-2023 seasons never happened.
The Colts do not have a clear third option behind their top two receivers in the passing game. Rookie TE Tyler Warren could be that guy, but he should not be viewed as a threat to either Downs or Pittman.
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Pittman’s ADP is a staggering WR50. Last year, he battled injury and dreadful quarterback play in a disastrous season, finishing as the overall WR44. I struggle to see any sequence of events outside of an injury that actually takes him off the field that would prevent Pittman from at least meeting his ADP expectations.
I have Pittman ranked as my WR47, and even that is probably too low. But it’s still high enough to put me ahead of the consensus and make it more likely I land Pittman on my teams. Pittman and Downs are both trending toward “my guys” territory.
Cameron Sheath’s Michael Pittman Jr. Fantasy Projection
Michael Pittman Jr. has fallen into the 10th round of PPR drafts this year, as the 47th receiver off the board. That should pique the interest of fantasy managers, as the Colts’ star was a perennial WR2 before his injury-riddled 2024 campaign, and is entering a contract year.
Josh Downs enjoyed a small breakout last season, and rookie TE Tyler Warren looks ready to dominate from Day 1, making another WR2 finish a long shot for Pittman. Still, the receiver should get better quarterback play from a veteran Daniel Jones than he got from Anthony Richardson, and is believed to be over the back injury that plagued him in 2024.
Last year, over the six games in which Pittman and Joe Flacco both played at least 50% of snaps, the receiver averaged 14.3 fantasy points per game. That average would have ranked 24th among receivers last year, suggesting his WR47 ADP could be misplaced.Â
A high-end WR3 finish shouldn’t be out of reach for Pittman this season, regardless of Warren’s involvement. The Colts’ defense should keep them competitive throughout the year as they chase the playoffs, so there should be little worry of Pittman being phased out later in the year. A talented receiver with plenty to prove, any concerns surrounding Pittman are more than baked in, while his upside makes him a potential steal in the 10th round. Â
