The Colts selected USC WR Michael Pittman with the 34th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. The 6’4, 223-pounder impressed at the Combine with a 4.52-second 40 time and 36.5-inch vertical. He finished with an 86th percentile SPARQ score. Pittman improved his numbers in each of his 4 seasons at USC, culminating with a big 101-1,275-11 line in 2019. He ranked 4th in the nation in catches, 10th in receiving yards and 19th in TDs. His market shares — 28% of the receptions, 29% of the yards and 31% of the TDs — are just mediocre, though. And Pittman’s 2.32 yards per route run ranked 22nd among 30 of this year’s top WR prospects. He’s a strong route runner, especially for his size, and has a reliable pair of mitts, dropping just 2.8% of his catchable targets over the past 4 years. There’s just very little explosion to Pittman’s game, which would seem to limit his fantasy upside. He does have a clear path to a rookie-year role, though, with T.Y. Hilton the only established WR in Indianapolis.

Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. only caught 1 pass on 5 targets for 15 yards in Week 4 vs. the Rams. As disappointing of an outcome as that is, only one Indianapolis pass-catcher (TE Drew Ogletree) recorded more than 2 catches in this contest. The Colts were shut out in the first half and had to claw their way back to even force OT. Next week’s game vs. the Titans should produce much better results for Pittman Jr. and company.

Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. recorded a team-leading 9 catches on 11 targets for 77 yards vs. the Ravens in Week 3. We expected some good production from him, but hello, rookie WR Josh Downs! The first-year wideout had a solid breakout performance, logging 8 catches on 12 targets for 57 receiving yards in the contest. He’d been second on the Colts in targets so far this year, though this is the first game all year where Downs’ involvement translated to the box score. He’ll be a fun name to add off of the waiver wire this week in advance of Week 4 vs. the Rams.

Colts WR Michael Pittman led the team in receiving again in Week 2, hauling in 8 of his 12 targets for 56 receiving yards vs. the Texans. Even without QB Anthony Richardson (concussion) in the lineup for most of the game, Pittman continued to be the focal point of the aerial attack in Indianapolis. These totals are encouraging and will undoubtedly make fantasy managers feel better if Richardson cannot suit up in Week 3 vs. the Ravens. A small note to remember from this game is that rookie WR Josh Downs has now seen 12 targets (second-most on the Colts) through the first two games of 2023. His involvement has yet to translate into useable fantasy points, though he's a name to consider speculatively adding in deeper leagues.

Colts WR Michael Pittman led the Colts with 11 targets, eight catches, 97 yards, and a score in Sunday's loss to the Colts. Those 11 targets were a big 29.7% of the team total. Pittman's TD came on a 39-yard screen, flashing some impressive speed to beat the angles of a few Jaguars defenders. He's a big fantasy winner of Week 1. Pittman looks like the Colts' clear No. 1 WR -- AND it looks like this passing game will be more aggressive and productive than we initially thought.

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.