Michael Pittman Jr. Fantasy Football Week 12 Scouting Report

Michael Pittman Jr.
WR
, Indianapolis Colts

Age: 27
Weight: 223 lbs
Height: 6' 4"
College: USC

ADP: 37
Depth Chart Ranking: 1

Pts	RecYds	RecTD	Rec	RuYds
53.2	412	2	35	0

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Scouting report

by Brandon Niles

· Jul 25, 2022 · 2:37 PM EDT

IND WR Michael Pittman Jr. - 2022 Fantasy Football Outlook

2022 Fantasy Upside
Michael Pittman had a breakout season as a sophomore in 2021, catching 88 of 129 targets for 1,082 yards and six touchdowns. He finished as the WR21 in half-PPR formats despite the Colts ranking 27th in the league in pass attempts. Matt Ryan should be a quarterback upgrade over Carson Wentz. While the Colts are built to run the ball and win with excellent defense, the addition of Ryan could open up the playbook a little. Wentz was most effective last season when he wasn’t asked to do too much, and the play-calling seemed to reflect that. Pittman is big, talented, and seems to be getting better. It’s a good time to buy the third-year receiver out of USC.

2022 Fantasy Downside
While Pittman is definitely on the upswing, the Colts added Alec Pierce out of Cincinnati in the second round. While Pierce could draw attention away from Pittman, he also means Pittman isn’t the only game in town anymore and could draw targets away as well in an offense that already didn’t throw the ball a ton last year. Pittman also will need to find the end zone more frequently, and Ryan wasn’t necessarily good at providing touchdowns to his elite receivers in Atlanta. Here’s the list of players with double-digit touchdown passes in a season with Matt Ryan:

2018 – 10 – Calvin Ridley
2012 – 10 – Julio Jones
2010 – 10 – Roddy White
2009 – 11 – Roddy White

That’s it. Four times, three of which were a decade ago, and never more than 11 touchdowns. Sheesh.

2022 Bottom Line
Pittman is really good and has a ton of upside, but you’ll pay a premium for his services. He’s being drafted as the WR14 in the third round of drafts right now, seven slots higher than his 2021 finish. We’re bullish on his output though, ranking him as a fringe top-10 wide receiver and we think he’ll continue his ascension into WR1 status.

by Brandon Niles

· Dec 31, 2021 · 10:40 AM EST

IND WR Michael Pittman Jr. - Week 17 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 17 vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Michael Pittman Jr. had a nice game last week against the Cardinals, catching eight of 12 targets for 82 yards. He’s been held out of the end zone in six straight games, but still gets heavy targets when the team chooses to throw. The problem is the team doesn’t want to throw if they can help it. That being said, Pittman has enjoyed a nice sophomore season, leading the team in every major receiving category, and he needs just 29 yards this weekend to reach 1,000.

This week, Pittman faces a Raiders defense that surprisingly ranks 10th in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. Expect another run-heavy approach from the Colts, and with Sam Ehlinger in line to start, it’s going to be risky to trust any of the pass-catchers. Consider him a WR3 option at best.

Update: Looks like Pittman may have Wentz behind center after all. That makes him a legit WR3 option instead of a fringe one, but it's still risky to bank on the Colts' passing game.

by Brandon Niles

· Dec 23, 2021 · 12:58 PM EST

IND WR Michael Pittman Jr. - Week 16 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 16 at Arizona Cardinals

Michael Pittman Jr. was held to just one catch on five targets for seven yards last week in a tough matchup against the Patriots. He’s been solid when the volume is there, but the Colts are trying to win games on the ground, which can limit opportunity for the pass-catchers some weeks.

This week, Pittman faces a Cardinals defense that ranks 11th in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. It should be a better game script for Pittman, depending on which Cardinals team shows up, but he’s still risky in a tough matchup. Consider him a fringe WR2 option in most leagues.

by Brandon Niles

· Dec 17, 2021 · 10:18 AM EST

IND WR Michael Pittman Jr. - Week 15 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 15 vs. New England Patriots

Michael Pittman Jr. had six catches for 77 yards against the Texans before the bye last week, and he added 33 rushing yards to his total as well. Pittman hasn’t been an elite fantasy player by any means this season, but he has hung around WR2 territory, with 882 yards and five touchdowns on 67 receptions. He leads the team in every major receiving category and should become the first Colts’ receiver to reach 1,000 yards in three years.

This week, Pittman faces a Patriots defense that ranks fifth in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. In a bad matchup and a game that may end up being a low-scoring, run-heavy affair, Pittman should be considered more of a WR3 than a WR2 option, and if you have better options, you might want to look elsewhere.

by Brandon Niles

· Dec 03, 2021 · 10:02 AM EST

IND WR Michael Pittman Jr. - Week 13 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 13 at Houston Texans

Michael Pittman Jr. had 53 yards and four receptions last week against the Buccaneers in a disappointing output for a nice matchup. Still, he was targeted 10 times and that’s a good sign for his continued usage. He’s had double-digit targets in four games this season and has had at least five in all but three games.

This week, Pittman faces a Texans defense that ranks 18th in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. It should be a nice rebound game for him, even though he was limited to two catches for 35 yards when he faced them back in mid-October. Pittman should be considered a fringe WR1 this week and be active in all leagues.

by Brandon Niles

· Nov 26, 2021 · 11:42 AM EST

IND WR Michael Pittman Jr. - Week 12 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 12 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Michael Pittman Jr. had a disappointing outing against the Bills last week, as the Colts got up early and just ran all over the Buffalo defense with Jonathan Taylor. Pittman ended up with just two receptions on five targets for 23 yards. Pittman had a string of five touchdowns in six games prior to last week, however, and he still seems to have emerged as the primary receiving option in Indianapolis.

This week, Pittman faces a Buccaneers defense that ranks 13th in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. He should rebound in a game where the Colts may need to throw the ball more than they’d like to. We have him ranked as a fringe WR1 this week and he should be active in all league formats.

by Brandon Niles

· Nov 19, 2021 · 9:58 AM EST

IND WR Michael Pittman Jr. - Week 11 Fantasy Football Outlook

Week 11 at Buffalo Bills

Michael Pittman Jr. caught all five balls thrown his way last week for 71 yards. It was good to see him produce modest numbers in a “down” week instead of bottoming out. The Colts are clearly using him as their primary receiving threat and had they been in a bit more of a competitive contest – the score was closer than the game played – Pittman likely would’ve found more targets headed his way.

This week, Pittman faces a Bills defense that ranks second in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. It’s a tough matchup, but he should still be considered a low-end WR2 option because of his recent targets and production. Game script could also favor increased work for the receiving corps, and the last time the Colts got in a shoot-out, Pittman had 15 targets. Start him.