Fantasy Football Week 14 Start 'Em Sit 'Em: DK Metcalf vs Michael Pittman Jr.
In this story:
DK Metcalf is a player of great ability, but with strugglesome output of recent. Michael Pittman Jr. is a player of great early-season output, be he is now being outshined by Alec Pierce. Both players here are tremendous and despite recent downticks in output, they can play at a high-level in any given week. They are never must-bench assets and today, we will determine whether they are must-starts, and which is better than the other.
The Case for DK Metcalf
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 14 Ranking: WR28
Metcalf has played all 12 Games for the Steelers this season. He has 75 Targets (23% Target Share), 45 Receptions, 605 Yards, and 5 Touchdowns. Metcalf is the WR23 in Non-PPR formats.
The Red Zone is especial as to where Metcalf has done well this year. He has a 19% Red Zone Target Share, but he has caught 7-of-9 Targets for (3) Touchdowns.
Many Fantasy Football owners have been rolling their eyes at the output of Metcalf, but they may not need to. His is averaging (6.5) Targets per Game over his last four games, so the volume is there. It is a matter of time that he breaks out for another big game.
How much of DK Metcalf’s lack of production an actual Metcalf problem?
— MikedUpSports (@MikedUpSports1) December 1, 2025
I’d blame Arthur Smith/lack of secondary options.
Smith’s best weapon in Atlanta was Drake London. He’s a beast.
Here are his stats with Smith (2023)
Take a look without him the next year: pic.twitter.com/qkfD2rcyyb
The Steelers will face the Ravens in Week 14. The Ravens are 24th versus Wide Receivers, allowing (171.8) Yards per Game and (1.0) Touchdowns per Game. This will be a moderate matchup for Metcalf.
The Case for Michael Pittman Jr.
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 14 Ranking: WR17
Pittman Jr. has played all 12 Games for the Colts this season. He has 81 Targets (23% Target Share), 60 Receptions, 620 Yards, and 7 Touchdowns. Pittman Jr. is the WR13 in Fantasy Football.
Per NFL Pro:
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) November 26, 2025
Tyler Warren leads the Colts with 662 receiving yards, Alec Pierce is 2nd with 611, and Michael Pittman Jr. is 3rd with 607 yards.
The Colts are the only team in the NFL to have 3 players with at least 600 receiving yards in 2025. pic.twitter.com/RVoZOe5zYZ
Pittman has very similar numbers to Metcalf as he also had a 19% Red Zone Target Share. He has caught 7-of-11 Targets for (5) Touchdowns.
The issue with Pittman Jr. is that he is on a huge downtick in recent weeks. He has (8) Total Targets over his last three games. However, these games have also been against the Falcons, Chiefs, and Texans. Two of these three opponents are Top-10 versus Wide Receivers. Even then, Pittman Jr. scored (1) Touchdown over this stretch.
In Week 14, the Colts will play the Jaguars. The Jaguars are 18th versus Wide Receivers, having allowed (137.9) Yards per Game and (1.0) Touchdowns per Game. Pittman Jr. has a moderate matchup.
Start 'Em Sit 'Em: DK Metcalf vs Michael Pittman Jr.
Both Metcalf and Pittman Jr. have very similar scoring probabilities. However, Pittman Jr. is on a better offense, and that will boost his upside. The Colts are implied to score (24.25) points in Week 14 while the Steelers are implied to score (18.75) points.
We must always favor volume and touchdown upside. That will give Pittman Jr. the upper hand.
Start Michael Pittman Jr. for better upside on a better offense.
More Fantasy Sports On SI News:
Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.