Michael Pittman Jr. Injury Updates | Shark Bites

Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. returned from missing Week 16 with a shoulder injury to regain control of the team's receiving in Sunday's win over the Raiders. Pittman posted an unimpressive 5-46 receiving line on 7 targets. But he drew a target on 30.4% of the team's pass attempts and claimed 33.3% of Colts completions. WR Alec Pierce took his lone catch for a 58-yard TD to lead the team in receiving yards. Rookie WR Josh Downs followed with 53 yards on just 2 receptions. QB Gardner Minshew attempted just 23 passes, completing 15 for 224 yards on a day that found Indy running on more than half of its offensive plays. Pittman looks like the only startable Colts pass-catcher for most fantasy formats in Week 18. Indy faces Houston, which allowed Pittman 8 receptions back in Week 2. Pittman also caught 8+ passes in six straight full outings before the Week 15 game he left early.

Colts WR Michael Pittman (concussion, shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Falcons. He’s cleared concussion protocol but had a shoulder added to the injury report on Friday and was limited in practice. We’ll look for additonal updates on that situation and get Indianapolis’ inactives around 11:30 am ET on Sunday.

Colts WR Michael Pittman (concussion) was listed as limited on Wednesday's injury report. So he's made some progress through the protocol and has a chance to be cleared for this weekend's game vs. the Falcons. We'll update his status again tomorrow.

Colts rookie WR Josh Downs caught all six of his targets for a team-high 97 yards in Sunday's win over the Titans. Downs actually had two other targets -- one completed, one not -- negated by offensive penalties. He made half of those receptions with each QB, in a game Anthony Richardson left early with a right shoulder injury. Downs remains third among Colts WRs in snaps and routes but continues to easily beat WR Alec Pierce in targets per route. He looks like a decent PPR WR3 for Week 6 at Jacksonville. Tougher matchups with Cleveland and New Orleans sit beyond that. WR Michael Pittman led Downs 7-6 in official targets against Tennessee, posting a 5-52 receiving line. No other Colt caught more than two passes.

The Colts plan to ease WR Michael Pittman into training camp after his offseason hip injury, according to the Indianapolis Star's Nate Atkins. "Pittman said he's completely over it, but they just want to be cautious bringing him back into the fold," Atkins writes. This doesn't sound like a concern, although missed reps aren't ideal as Pittman settles into a new offense with a new QB.

Colts WR Michael Pittman returned from his 1-game quad injury to draw a team-high 9 targets in Sunday's win over the Chiefs. He turned that into team highs in receptions (8) and receiving yards (72) but watched TE Jelani Woods claim both of the team's TDs. Although operating as the clear top target through his 2 games, Pittman has stopped short of truly dominating in that area, claiming 25.3% of QB Matt Ryan's total attempts in those contests. That level will work for supporting his fantasy production going forward but doesn't match the biggest target hogs around the league. Alec Pierce checked in 2nd among Colts wideouts Sunday with 5 targets in his return from a concussion.

Colts WR Michael Pittman (quad) is not listed on the final Week 3 injury report. He was limited on Wednesday and Thursday and put in a full practice on Friday. It looks like Pittman is ready for a full slate of snaps vs. the Chiefs this weekend. He should be back in fantasy lineups after his 9-121-1 line in the opener.

Colts WR Michael Pittman (quad) remained limited in Thursday's practice. He seems on track to return for this weekend's game vs. the Chiefs, but we'll see how he's listed on the final injury report tomorrow.

Colts HC Frank Reich said Monday that WR Michael Pittman has “made good progress” with his quad injury and is on track to return for Sunday's game vs. the Chiefs. We'll track his practice participation this week.

Colts WRs Michael Pittman (ankle) and Parris Campbell (abdomen) are questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Rams. Both guys were added to the injury report and limited in Friday's practice. Campbell wasn't a fantasy option anyway after running a route on just 65% of pass plays in the opener. Pittman is also better off on fantasy benches this week at less than 100% and in a tough matchup.

Stephen Holder of The Athletic reports that WR T.Y. Hilton is expected to miss "multiple weeks" with an injury he initially suffered in practice last Wednesday. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that he's being evaluated for an "upper back/neck injury." We'll see about the specific diagnosis and return timeline. Hilton already didn't sit high in the rankings, so he's not worth much attention in typical fantasy football drafts. Hilton's absence will help the target outlooks for WRs Michael Pittman, Parris Campbell and Zach Pascal.

Colts QB Carson Wentz will undergo foot surgery and is expected to be out 5-12 weeks, HC Frank Reich announced Monday. Wentz's injury reportedly dates back to high school, but a broken bone recently came loose and is causing pain. The surgery will remove that piece of bone. The timeline is wide-ranging and would have Wentz back anywhere between early September and late October. That means Wentz has an outside chance to be ready for Week 1 -- or could be out for about half the season. We'll be on the lookout for updates on his surgery and rehab. But at this point, Wentz isn't worth drafting in lineup-setting leagues and should be considered just a QB3 in best ball. His situation also adds risk to Indianapolis' skill-position players, namely RB Jonathan Taylor and WRs Michael Pittman, T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell.

Update: Reich added that he expects to have a better idea of Wentz's return date in about 2-3 weeks.

The Athletic's Stephen Holder predicts that Michael Pittman will become the Colts' #1 WR this season. "If he wants to become the Colts’ go-to wide receiver, the opportunity is there," Holder writes. "And I happen to think he’s very much up to the task." Pittman didn't stuff the stat sheet as a rookie. But his development was stunted in September by a significant calf injury. He returned to play 72+% of the Colts' offensive snaps in each of the final 10 games -- and went for 90 yards in the playoff loss in Buffalo. With T.Y. Hilton past his prime and Parris Campbell's already lengthy injury history, Pittman certainly has a chance to lead this team in targets. We like him as an upside pick at his 8th- or 9th-round price tag.