On the Move: Breaking Down Michael Pittman to the Steelers

One of the best parts of the fantasy football offseason is watching good players land in the perfect spot to become another true, viable fantasy option for the upcoming year. Michael Pittman landing with the Pittsburgh Steelers is one such move. Pittman may not be a superstar, but he fits like a glove with this team and may be as valuable as ever for us managers.

Pittman has long been a strong WR2 with the potential – at least in my eyes – to evolve into a bargain WR1. He’s entering Year 7 of his career, and it hasn’t happened yet, so I’m of the belief that the WR1 Pittman ship has set sail. For all his talent, size and speed he’s only broken the 1,000-yard mark twice in his career and never come close to double-digit touchdowns. Those aren’t fun things to write, but facts don’t care about our feelings. He has, however, always been a healthy source of receptions, and he’s really never had the benefit of an elite QB throwing him the ball. He won’t have that in Pittsburgh in 2026, but if Aaron Rodgers does return as expected, that’s a pairing that can really work.

Let’s talk about Pittman’s game, and how it’s changed over time. Pittman was once a versatile, full-field threat who was being held back by elderly or subpar passers. He remains a high-end technician, proficient at separating on short and intermediate routes, but his downfield chops have been diminished by injuries. Pittman posted a 50% success rate on nines, 60% on outs and just 42.9% on corners routes, but he also wasn’t sent down the field all that often by the Colts. They understood what Pittman brings to the table, which was elite separation in the short and intermediate game. Digs, curls, slants and flat routes made up 70% of Pittman’s routes, and he was at 80% success or greater on each of them. He posted an 80.5% success rate vs. zone coverage (66th percentile) and a 70.8% win rate vs. man (64th percentile), making him a perfect complement to D.K. Metcalf who will spend almost all of his time on the outside as the Steelers’ X receiver.

One of the reasons the Steelers sputtered in the postseason and throughout the year at times was a lack of options in the passing game to make them truly balanced and lethal. Metcalf did the best he could, but the second-most targeted Steeler in 2025 was RB Kenneth Gainwell (85). The next-most targeted receiver was Calvin Austin, who was thrown to just 55 times, and a trip through their targets doesn’t find another WR until Roman Wilson and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who were tied at No. 8 with 21. Gainwell and Austin have signed elsewhere, vacating 140 targets which would all be better served going to Pittman in 2026.

This season, operating under the assumption that Rodgers returns for one last rodeo, Pittman could very well lead the team in targets. Touchdowns have never been a calling card for him, but he has the size for red zone opportunities, short area separation ability, and he set a career-high in TD receptions in 2025 with seven. Entering his age-29 season with multiple injuries on his record, Pittman has settled into more of a volume play, which works just fine on a team where the targets will be clearly centralized and coming from one of history’s most accurate passers. He was drafted as the WR50 at the time of the Colts’ team preview last year, with an ADP of No. 128 overall. That seems about where he’ll likely land again coming off a 784-yard season in which the Colts’ offense was best in the league for half the year. If Pittman’s ADP is in that range come draft day, bet your bottom dollar I’ll be recommending him as a screaming value.