2022 Fantasy Football draft prep: Jamey Eisenberg’s Breakouts 3.0 include Michael Pittman making his move

Does Michael Pittman have what it takes to be a top 10 Fantasy receiver this year? Is he worth drafting as early as Round 2 in PPR? Am I a little too excited about Pittman?

The answer is yes to all of the above.

Pittman was a sophomore sensation in 2021, but I expect him to improve in his third year. I’m going to be aggressively targeting Pittman toward the end of Round 2 or early Round 3, and he’s one of my favorite breakout candidates. He was an easy choice to highlight in Breakouts 3.0.

• Jamey’s Sleepers 3.0

Pittman had 88 catches for 1,082 yards and six touchdowns last season on 129 targets, and he scored at least 16 PPR points in eight outings. The Colts got a quarterback upgrade this offseason with Matt Ryan replacing Carson Wentz, and Indianapolis has 149 vacated targets with Zach Pascal, Jack Doyle and T.Y. Hilton off the roster. 

Rookie Alec Pierce, a sleeper in deeper leagues, and hopefully a healthy Parris Campbell will help fill the void, but Pittman could go over the 140-target threshold this season. That should put him in elite company even if he plays like he did in 2021, but I’m expecting Ryan to help Pittman reach another level this season. Pittman has already praised Ryan’s accuracy during OTAs. 

“The ball is just right there, and you just turn and catch the ball. I mean, it just makes it easy,” Pittman said. “Matt can pretty much put it wherever he wants.” 

I have Pittman ranked as a top-10 receiver in PPR, and I would draft him ahead of guys like Mike Evans, Tyreek Hill and Deebo Samuel, among others. Call me crazy, but I’m excited about Pittman in 2022.