Michael Pittman Jr. DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Indianapolis Colts wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. (back) and Ashton Dulin (ankle) both missed the first practice of Week 16 preparation on Wednesday. In addition, Alec Pierce (concussion) also did not practice, so Indy's receiving corps is a bit beat up heading into Sunday's game against the division-rival Tennessee Titans. Pittman has been battling through a back issue of late but hasn't missed a game because of it, and he played 96 percent of the offensive snaps in the Week 15 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Our guess is the Colts are just resting the veteran wideout before he returns to practice later this week and plays on Sunday. The 27-year-old former second-rounder has become more of a hard-to-trust WR4/flex in the Colts' low-volume passing attack with young quarterback Anthony Richardson struggling with his accuracy. Pittman does have at least five catches and seven targets in the last four games, though.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. led the team in targets, receptions, and yards in Sunday's 31-13 loss to the Broncos. Unfortunately, with Anthony Richardson under center that hasn't amounted to much this season, as the 27-year-old caught six of his nine targets for 58 yards and no scores. Pittman also lost one of the three fumbles the Colts lost on the day, further diminishing his fantasy output. The 6-foot-4 wideout has become Richardson's preferred option in the passing attack since being renamed starter back in Week 13, but hasn't found the end zone since Week 6 and hasn't topped 100 yards receiving since Week 4. The fifth-year pro gets a more favorable matchup in Week 16 against the Titans, but with the inefficiency of the passing game, Pittman figures to be a low-end WR3 or Flex option next Sunday.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. has at least seven targets and five catches in the last three games since Anthony Richardson was reinserted under center for Indy. It's an encouraging trend after a rough stretch of relative underperformance midseason and after missing Week 10's contest due to a back injury. The 27-year-old was a full participant in practice all week and with the issue seemingly behind him, especially after a bye week to rest up, he'll look to keep the momentum going in Week 15. However, that will be a challenge as the Colts take on the Broncos this week in Denver, with the Broncos holding opposing wide receivers to the ninth-fewest fantasy points so far this season. Pittman in particular has some things working against him, as the 6-foot-4 wideout will likely draw shadow coverage from star corner Patrick Surtain II and teammate Josh Downs (shoulder) looking like he'll return to action after getting two full practices in to end the week so there will again be more competition for targets. Combined with the fact that Richardson has completed 12 passes or fewer in six of his eight full games played in 2024 with a 7:9 TD:INT, Pittman looks like a risky borderline WR3/4 option.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. led the team in targets, catches, and receiving yards on Sunday, but with quarterback Anthony Richardson completing just 12 passes, it didn't amount to much. The 27-year-old caught five of seven targets for 42 scoreless yards, although the Colts were able to pull off a 25-24 victory anyway thanks to the legs of Jonathan Taylor and the aforementioned Richardson. Since Richardson was reinserted as the starting quarterback, Pittman Jr. has seemingly taken over as the preferred option in the passing game, although he had less competition on Sunday with Josh Downs out with an injury. The former second-round draft pick has at least seven targets and five catches in the last three games, however, it will be hard to exceed that output when the Colts come out of their by in Week 15 as they will face a stout Denver pass defense on the road.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. has had 15 targets and 11 catches over the last two weeks with Anthony Richardson under center, which is particularly impressive given Richardson's 53.4% completion rate during that time. Josh Downs had been the clear leader at the receiver position until two weeks ago, but now has eight catches on 12 targets over the last two weeks. Downs was injured last week and will not play Sunday, so Pittman will have even less competition for looks. The 27-year-old, who practiced in full all week, will face a Patriots pass defense that has yielded three 100-yard receivers in the last two games and has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to the WR position this season. Despite the setup, with Richardson not throwing many TD passes (five through seven full games) and winds that will make it feel close to freezing in Foxboro, the fifth-year pro looks like a WR3 on Sunday.