Michael Pittman's Foot Gave Out Again — Steelers' $59M Wideout Out Weeks, Misses Colts Game

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers' $59 million investment in Michael Pittman Jr. is officially a sunk cost for October. Head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Thursday that Pittman re-injured his left foot and will miss multiple weeks — a brutal development for a player who was supposed to get a revenge game against his old team this weekend.

"It's the same foot, so it's going to be a multiple-week injury," McCarthy said, per Reuters, adding that the team is "still going through the evaluation of his roster position." That last line is doing a lot of work. When a coach starts talking about "roster position" evaluation for a receiver in October, he's telling you injured reserve is on the table.

The timing is almost cruel. Pittman spent six seasons in Indianapolis before the Colts shipped him to Pittsburgh in March, along with a seventh-round pick, in exchange for a sixth-rounder the Colts used on defensive lineman Caden Curry. He told Yahoo Sports earlier this week he was eager to face his old teammates. "A couple of them have texted, reached out," Pittman said, per the Indianapolis Star. "I haven't texted back because we're not friends right now. We're not friends until after the game, and then I'll talk to them."

He won't be talking to them on the field. Instead, he'll be watching from the sideline as the Colts walk into Acrisure Stadium for Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff.

Let's be honest about what this signing has produced so far. Pittman has seven receptions on 12 targets for 89 scoreless yards in three games — all starts. That's the production of a third receiver, not a man playing on a three-year, $59 million extension. The Steelers already missed him once this season when the same foot kept him out of the Week 2 game. Now the same foot has cost him the season's middle stretch, and the coaching staff's own language suggests they don't know when he'll be back.

The frustration boiled over in Week 3, when Pittman drew Aaron Rodgers' visible wrath after a drop, per the IndyStar. For a quarterback with Rodgers' temperament and a receiving corps this thin, patience is not a bottomless resource.

Here's where it gets interesting for fantasy managers, because Pittsburgh's depth chart just became a feeding frenzy. Sports Illustrated's fantasy desk is planting its flag on second-year receiver Roman Wilson as the must-add pickup of the week. Wilson has been the most efficient receiver in Pittsburgh by a wide margin — 14 receptions for 188 yards and two touchdowns on 24 targets, with exactly six targets in every game this season. SI argues he could be a weekly starter and may end up more trustworthy than DK Metcalf, who has the targets (33) but not the efficiency (16 catches, 213 yards, one touchdown).

Rookie Germie Bernard is the deeper-league lottery ticket. He saw eight of his 11 targets back in Week 2 — the game Pittman missed — and has been targeted just three times since. He's behind Wilson in the pecking order, per SI, but the path to snaps is suddenly wide open.

And if you're holding Pittman in a redraft league, SI's advice is blunt: if you have an empty IR slot, stash him; otherwise, it's probably safe to just drop him. A 29-year-old possession receiver with a bad foot, no chemistry with his quarterback, and an offense that's already mediocre isn't a stash — he's a roster clogger.

The broader injury picture for Sunday is worth noting — and this week's NFL injury wire has been brutal across the league. Pittsburgh's Thursday report also had cornerback Jamel Dean (ankle) not practicing, with running back Rico Dowdle (toe), cornerback Jalen Ramsey (wrist) and safety DeShon Elliott (knee) limited. Defensive tackle Cam Heyward got a veteran rest day and was a full participant, per the IndyStar.

Indianapolis is hardly at full strength either. Center Tanor Bortolini (ankle) and cornerback Charvarius Ward (rest, groin) were limited, linebacker Jaylon Carlies (rib), receiver Ashton Dulin (hamstring) and defensive end Arden Key (hamstring) did not practice, and defensive tackle Grover Stewart got a rest day. The Colts did get linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither (knee) back to full practice on Thursday.

For context on what Pittsburgh thought it was buying: Pittman caught 80 passes for 784 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns in 17 games with Indianapolis last season. He posted two 1,000-yard seasons with the Colts despite constant quarterback turnover after being drafted 34th overall in 2020. Over 98 career games, he's at 492 catches for 5,343 yards and 25 touchdowns, per Reuters. That's a real NFL receiver's resume. The question is whether his body still cooperates.