Colts Star Player is Being ‘Overvalued’ in 2023 Fantasy Leagues

The NFL is among the most popular fantasy sports attractions for the world’s cell phones. For the Indianapolis Colts, it was a year of fantasy football dominance in 2021 from running back Jonathan Taylor, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., and the defense/special teams portions.

However, 2022 was a different story. Many took the aforementioned Taylor as their consensus number-one pick. This led to seeing an abysmal team surrounding Taylor, leading to a down season that was a shadow of 2021.

The other star, Pittman, did what he could in a horrific quarterback situation that featured a former NFL MVP who lost all grip on the speed of the game, a former Super Bowl champion who threw no touchdowns but four interceptions, and a young gun that may not have been ready for the defenses he saw. Yet, Pittman still was targeted 142 times for 99 receptions (both career highs) and four touchdowns.

Given the ridiculousness that was plaguing the Colts’ locker room at Lucas Oil Stadium makes it even more impressive that Pittman could log so many catches with such inconsistency. And poor inconsistency at that.

Pittman will be the subject of this piece. What will be mixed with it is the article from ESPN’s Daniel Dopp that covers the three overvalued/undervalued players in NFL fantasy leagues. While Colts fans may not be the happiest with Pittman’s entry, Dopp’s description is very fair and true.

Dopp puts Pittman under the designation of being “overvalued” as the 2023 NFL season approaches. Pittman has put together a pretty great resume for a wideout who has had a whopping five quarterbacks throw him passes in his first three seasons. Yet, he’s continuously seemed to stay the constant threat in the Colts’ passing attack.

However, Dopp makes a sympathetic statement for Pittman and the situation he’s faced as a Colts player, mostly pointing toward the 2022 season for his reasoning:

After finishing as WR16 in 2021, Pittman’s value took a hit because of inconsistent quarterback play, and that’s putting it politely because it was closer to disgusting than inconsistent, but I’m not here to get hung up on semantics. This “overvalued” designation has nothing to do with Pittman as a player; this is 100% about the situation he finds himself in, yet again, with an inaccurate QB under center. This time he gets this year’s No. 4 overall draft pick, Anthony Richardson, throwing him the ball -- which is the one part of Richardson’s game that needs the most work. Pittman can overcome a lot of things with his size, but he’s going to need some serious help to get back to his days as a top-20 WR. Pittman currently is my WR30.

To give fans an idea of what company Pittman could find himself in at WR30, ESPN’s Mike Clay recently placed Pittman in similar territory (WR32) on his list. Ahead of Pittman were names like the Pittsburgh Steelers' Diontae Johnson (WR 22), New Orleans Saints' Chris Olave (WR 18), and Cincinnati Bengals' Tee Higgins (WR 13).

This is understandable, given that Indianapolis had nothing like what those players had at QB in 2022. Even the Saints leaned on vets like Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston to head their offense, and it was far more coordinated and easier to watch than Indianapolis’. While neither will knock the socks off of defense consistently, it’s still light years ahead of the Colts’ comedic-at-best QB rotation that ensued.

It’s also understandable why the worry of a rookie QB makes the entry. With the current accuracy issues that Anthony Richardson is working through with head coach Shane Steichen and his QB-centered staff, it could be a while before it’s up to speed with the rest of the offense.

Regardless of the QB situation, Pittman may have something to say about this placing. He’s performed over and over again with a new face leading the charge under center annually. Last year it was another three tacked onto that list, so Pittman should be happy to nestle into a new offense with a QB who will have some serious potential and could be there for a while.

Outlook

Pittman has continued to play very well despite circumstances at the most important position that he can’t control. He may be currently overvalued with how last year went, but is there a chance that Richardson could lean on Pittman more than ever? Will fellow receiver Alec Pierce’s presence open up opportunities to show that Pittman may be undervalued? It’s going to be a wild card season for fantasy football owners when they see Pittman’s name cross their board.

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