Michael Pittman Jr. Week 1 Outlook - Falcons at Steelers

By Derek Brown (FantasyPros), Sun, Sep 13th 2026, 12:44pm EDT

Michael Pittman Jr. had a tough 2025 season as he played through a back fracture and sustained a hamstring injury along the way. Pittman was still the WR26 in fantasy points per game as the Colts' go-to against two high. The back end of his 2025 season was crushed by Daniel Jones' injury. After Week 10, Pittman Jr. surpassed 40 receiving yards in a game only once. In Weeks 1-10, he was the WR9 in fantasy points per game. During that stretch, among 117 qualifying receivers, he was 23rd in target share (21%), 26th in receiving yards per game (58), 33rd in yards per route run (1.90), 31st in first-read share (24.5%), and 15th in first downs per route run (0.114). Unfortunately, the coverage matchup isn't in Pittman Jr.'s favor to kick off the 2026 season. Last year, in Weeks 12-18, Atlanta had the fourth-highest single-high rate (59.4%). Last year, in Weeks 1-10 against single-high, Pittman Jr. had only a 20% target-per-route-run rate and 1.45 yards per route run. The matchup on the perimeter is nice, though, if Atlanta's perimeter corners are as bad as they were to close 2025. Pittman Jr. could get into the end zone to save his day, but don't expect a massive stat line. In Weeks 12-18, Atlanta allowed the second-most fantasy points per game and the second-most receiving touchdowns to perimeter wide receivers.