Pittman said that he will undergo tests on his back Monday to determine whether he'll require offseason surgery, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.
Though he missed just one game all season, Pittman disclosed Monday that he's been feeling pain in his back since training camp. He first showed up on the Colts' injury report with a back issue in Week 3, when a scan revealed he was dealing with a small fracture. Pittman continued to play through the injury even though doctors informed him that his condition would likely worsen. Playing at less than 100 percent, in addition to lackluster quarterback play from Anthony Richardson (back) and Joe Flacco, contributed to a down season for Pittman. Pittman's 69-808-3 line on 111 targets represented a big step back from his career-best 2023 campaign, in which he produced a 109-1,152-4 line on 156 targets over 16 games.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Six grabs in OT win
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Pittman caught six of 10 targets for 72 yards in Sunday's 26-23 overtime win over the Jaguars.
It was another strong performance from Pittman, who benefitted from having Joe Flacco under center to close out the season rather than Anthony Richardson (back). Three of Pittman's four biggest yardage totals of 2024 came with Flacco at the helm of the Colts' offense, and the wideout closes the books on his fifth NFL campaign having posted a 69-808-3 line on 111 targets over 16 games, a big decline from 2023. Pittman is under contract through 2026 with $13 million of his 2025 salary already guaranteed, so Indy has little incentive to part ways with him in the offseason despite the difficulty he's had establishing chemistry with Richardson.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Sleeper WRs
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Pittman, Josh Downs, and Alec Pierce will all benefit with Joe Flacco as the starter in Week 18 against Jacksonville with Anthony Richardson (back) out. With Flacco starting in Week 17 at the Giants, Pittman benefited with nine catches for 109 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets. I like Pittman as a borderline starter in all leagues, and he had five catches for 37 yards and a touchdown on eight targets in Week 5 against the Jaguars with Flacco. Downs and Pierce are No. 3 Fantasy receivers in this matchup, and Pierce just had six catches for 122 yards and a touchdown on nine targets at the Giants in Week 17.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Breaks out with Flacco under center
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Pittman caught nine of 10 targets for 109 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 45-33 loss to the Giants.
The nine grabs were a season high for Pittman, while the 109 yards were his highest total since Week 4 and the trip to the end zone was his first since Week 6. All those performances came with Joe Flacco under center instead of Anthony Richardson (back/foot), and with the Colts now eliminated from postseason contention, the team could elect to sit Richardson in Week 18 regardless. If Pittman gets to work with Flacco again in his final game of the season, he could deliver big numbers versus the Jaguars.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Two catches in Week 16 win
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Pittman brought in two of three targets for 19 yards in the Colts' 38-30 win over the Titans on Sunday.
Pittman's final line was disappointing, but the blame can hardly be placed at the feet of the talented wideout considering Anthony Richardson threw only 11 times on the afternoon. Pittman's catch and yardage totals were his lowest since Week 9, while his target tally was a new season-low figure. Pittman has a solid chance of boosting his numbers at least slightly in a favorable Week 17 road battle against the inconsistent Giants defense.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Practices fully Thursday
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Pittman (back) practiced fully Thursday.
Pittman didn't practice Wednesday as he continues to manage a back issue, but the wideout's full participation a day later sets the stage for him to be available to face the Titans on Sunday. Since missing the Colts' Week 10 loss to the Bills, Pittman has averaged 7.8 targets over the team's subsequent four contests and is coming off a six-catch, 58-yard effort in a Week 15 defeat against the Broncos in which he logged nine targets.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: At practice Thursday
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Pittman (back) was spotted at practice Thursday, Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star reports.
Pittman didn't practice Wednesday, but his return to the field a day later suggests that his absence was maintenance related. If the wideout is deemed a full participant in Thursday's session, the stage would be set for Pittman to be available Sunday against the Titans.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Team-high six catches in Week 15
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Pittman caught six of nine targets for 58 yards and lost a fumble in Sunday's 31-13 loss to the Broncos.
Pittman fumbled at the end of a six-yard catch in the third quarter, but he led the Colts in targets, catches and receiving yards. Josh Downs had only 32 yards on eight targets after missing one game due to a shoulder injury, and Alec Pierce exited due to a concussion just before halftime. Pittman has at least seven targets in each of the past four games and should maintain a prominent role in the Colts' lackluster passing attack in Week 16 against the Titans.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: WRs to Sit
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Even though I like Josh Downs as a sleeper against the Broncos, I'm still worried about Pittman. With Downs back, Pittman can now expect to see more of Patrick Surtain II, which is a bad matchup for him. And Pittman has just four games all season with double digits in PPR, including once in his past six outings. Now, he does have at least seven targets in three games in a row, but Surtain won't allow Pittman much room to make plays. Pittman is just a No. 4 Fantasy receiver at best in the majority of leagues.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Five grabs in Sunday's win
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Pittman caught five of seven targets for 42 yards in Sunday's 25-24 win over the Patriots.
Second-year QB Anthony Richardson completed only half of his 24 attempts, and Pittman was by far the Colts' leader in catches and receiving yards as a result despite his modest numbers. Since missing a Week 10 contest with back trouble, Pittman has been his usual stalwart self, posting a 16-184-0 line on 22 targets over three contests, but his TD drought now sits at six games. He'll look to find paydirt again on the other side of the Colts' Week 14 bye,
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Sleeper WRs
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I haven't had many positive things to say about Pittman this season, given his lack of production, but he has performed better in the past two games since Anthony Richardson got his starting job back. And now Josh Downs (shoulder) won't play in Week 13 at New England. In his past two games, Pittman has 11 catches for 142 yards on 15 targets, and he scored 15.6 PPR points in Week 12 against the Lions. He could see Patriots standout cornerback Christian Gonzalez in Week 13, but New England has allowed six receivers to score at least 12.3 PPR points in the past five games. Given his recent spike in targets, Downs being out, and the matchup, I'm willing to trust Pittman again as a No. 3 receiver in the majority of leagues.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Five catches in return
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Pittman caught five of eight targets for 46 yards in Sunday's 28-27 win over the Jets.
Pittman was more involved in his return from a one-game absence due to a back injury, which was preceded by a pair of one-catch performances. He has been eclipsed as the top option in the Colts passing game by Josh Downs, who had a touchdown catch among his team-high 84 receiving yards Sunday. Up next for Pittman is a Week 12 home game against a Detroit defense that has allowed plenty of yardage to wide receivers, in part because the 9-1 Lions have spent the vast majority of their season playing from ahead.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Estimated as full participant
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Pittman (back) was listed as a full participant on Wednesday's practice estimate.
The Colts held a walk-through session Wednesday, and Pittman's listing as a full participant seemingly indicates that the wideout is making good progress after sitting out this past Sunday's loss to the Bills with a lingering back issue. Indianapolis is expected to hold a more traditional practice session Thursday, and assuming Pittman is once again a full participant in that session, he should be in the clear to play this Sunday versus the Jets. If Pittman is back in the lineup Sunday, he'll be on the receiving end of passes from Anthony Richardson, who has been reinstalled as Indianapolis' starting quarterback following a two-game benching.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Ruled out this week
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Head coach Shane Steichen said that Pittman (back/finger) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bills, Amanda Foster of the Colts' official site reports.
Pittman, who didn't participate in practice this week, thus is slated to miss his first game of the season. Per James Boyd of The Athletic, Steichen indicated Friday that Pittman is viewed as week-to-week, but at this stage the team is still not considering IR for the wideout. In Pittman's absence, Josh Downs and Alec Pierce are in line to lead the Colts' WR corps, with Ashton Dulin and Adonai Mitchell mixing in, while Anthony Gould is available in reserve.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Still not practicing
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Pittman (back/finger) remained sidelined at practice Friday, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.
Pittman also missed sessions Wednesday and Thursday, and his continued absence Friday doesn't bode well for his chances of playing Sunday against the Bills. If Pittman ends up being unavailable for the contest, the Colts' Week 10 wideout corps would be in line to be led by Josh Downs and Alec Pierce, with Ashton Dulin and Adonai Mitchell mixing in.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Not seen at Thursday's practice
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Pittman (back/finger) wasn't spotted at Thursday's practice, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.
Pittman didn't practice Wednesday, his norm since Week 6, so his absence a day later is notable. What the wideout -- who hasn't missed any games yet this season -- is able to do Friday, if anything, thus will be pivotal in terms of gauging the chances of him be able to continue to play through the back issue that he's been managing of late. The Colts face the Bills at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: WRs to Sit
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I was hopeful that Joe Flacco's return as the starter in Week 9 at Minnesota would help Pittman play at a high level again, but he had one catch for 14 yards on four targets. While Josh Downs is getting at least nine targets a game with Flacco, Pittman has been at nine combined targets in the past two games Flacco has started. Pittman is also dealing with back and finger injuries, and I would only start him in three-receiver leagues against the Bills in Week 10.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Just one catch in Week 9 loss
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Pittman caught one of four targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 21-13 loss to the Vikings.
Pittman was blanked on one first-half target and didn't see a substantial uptick in the second half. His quiet stat line was especially disappointing in the context of the Colts benching Anthony Richardson and starting Joe Flacco under center against the Vikings, as Pittman's pedestrian performance this season has been attributed in large part to Richardson's inaccuracy. After mustering at least 925 receiving yards in each of the previous three regular seasons, Pittman's on pace for only 691 receiving yards in 2024, with just 366 yards through nine games. Picking up the pace won't be easy in Week 10 against Buffalo's stout secondary.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Submits full practice
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Pittman (back) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.
Pittman sat out Wednesday's session, but his ability to log every rep in practice a day later clears up any concern about his status heading into Sunday's contest versus the Vikings. After signing a three-year, $70 million extension with the Colts in March, Pittman has slumped to a 29-352-2 receiving line on 53 targets through the team's first eight games, but his fantasy outlook should be rosier moving forward after head coach Shane Steichen announced that Joe Flacco will replace Anthony Richardson as the starting quarterback. While Flacco made two starts and an extended appearance off the bench in place of an injured Richardson from Weeks 4 through 6, Pittman produced 14 catches for 185 yards and scored both of his touchdowns on the season.
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Colts' Michael Pittman: Misses another Wednesday practice
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Pittman (back) didn't practice Wednesday.
Pittman's practice reps have been managed of late while he's nursed a back injury, as he's now been listed as a non-participant on four consecutive Wednesday injury reports. The Colts haven't suggested that Pittman suffered any setbacks coming out of Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Texans, when he logged a 95 percent snap share and finished with one catch for 16 yards on six targets. The expectation is that Pittman will upgrade to full participation Thursday and/or Friday to clear up any concern about his status for this weekend's game against the Vikings. Assuming he's available for the contest, Pittman's fantasy prospects should be bolstered by the installation of Joe Flacco over the struggling Anthony Richardson as the Colts' starting quarterback moving forward.
