Michael Pittman Jr Fantasy Football Outlook 2022 (How Will Matt Ryan Impact His Performance?)

After an uneventful rookie campaign, Michael Pittman Jr. took his game to new heights in the 2021 NFL season. The impressive wide receiver was the Indianapolis Colts' top pass-catching threat, finishing his sophomore year as the WR17 in PPR fantasy football formats.

While Pittman made the most out of what former Colts quarterback Carson Wentz gave him, the 24-year-old wideout now has an upgrade under center in the form of Matt Ryan. The only question remaining is how the former NFL MVP will impact Pittman's fantasy performance.

Michael Pittman Jr. Fantasy Football Outlook

Pittman should see plenty of action again as the Colts' No. 1 receiving threat. The former USC product turned a team-high 129 targets last season into 88 receptions, 1,082 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Now, Pittman has a great opportunity to build on that performance with Ryan as the QB. The former Falcons gunslinger has averaged over 4,500 passing yards and 27 touchdowns over the last 11 seasons. Even though he's no longer in his prime, he's still capable of helping Pittman take his game to the next level.

It'll be interesting to see how opposing defenses treat Pittman. They know what he's capable of now and the Colts don't exactly have other proven wideout threats. If nobody else in the WR room steps up, it could be a tougher experience for the third-year wideout.

The good news is that Pittman also has the benefit of having Jonathan Taylor in the backfield. He was the NFL's best rusher last season and a similar performance would take pressure off of the passing game's shoulders, potentially opening up more favorable opportunities for Pittman.

Michael Pittman Jr. Projections

Projections from the NFL odds on FanDuel Sportsbook are somewhat low for Pittman. He currently owns +4000 odds (T-No. 19) to lead the league in receiving touchdowns this fall. On top of that, his +5000 odds to pace the NFL in receiving yards puts him in a nine-way tie for the 26th-best odds.

In terms of exact totals, FanDuel has set Pittman's projected receiving yards total at 1,025.5 with -112 odds on both the over and under. Considering that Pittman averaged 12.3 yards per reception in 2021, he'd need about 83 receptions to hit the over this year.

 Michael Pittman Jr. a Good Fantasy Football Pick?

Any time that you can draft a talented team's No. 1 wideout, it's generally a good pick. That's absolutely the case for Pittman, who was the Colts' only viable fantasy pass-catching threat last season.

As it stands, Fantasy Pros lists Pittman as the 2022 campaign's WR13 in PPR formats, making him one of the best wideouts that you can get — especially in leagues with 12-plus competitors. He also carries an average draft position of 39.4, which means he should be off the board by the middle of the fourth round.

With Ryan in town, Pittman shouldn't have any issue surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight year.

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Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.