BR: Michael Pittman Jr. Colts' Biggest Potential Fantasy Breakout in 2021

According to Bleacher Report, Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. has the biggest potential on the team to become a fantasy breakout star in 2021.

If a team drafts and develops their talent well then new standout players should seemingly come out of the woodwork every year or so and become stars.

Sometimes, you have to look beyond the stat sheet and actually watch the film to see examples, but other times, players make a name for themselves among the fantasy football community by putting up respectable numbers and becoming a consistent presence.

The Indianapolis Colts have had some adequate examples of the latter in recent years, and it seems as if another one may be coming down the pike.

Recently, Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report determined each NFL team's biggest potential fantasy breakout star for 2021, and second-year wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. emerged as the favorite for the Colts.

The Indianapolis Colts had to solve the quarterback position after Philip Rivers' retirement. The organization traded for Carson Wentz.

Whatever level of success Wentz experiences this fall will help determine which skill position performers post fantasy-worthy numbers. The 28-year-old quarterback is in the right situation to succeed.

An interesting aspect of any new quarterback is trying to determine who will become his favorite target. T.Y. Hilton remains with the Colts. But a changing of the guard may happen after seeing Michael Pittman Jr.'s transformation throughout his rookie campaign.

Pittman caught five passes for 90 yards in the Colts' playoff appearance against the Buffalo Bills. He posted a 100-yard game two months earlier against the rival Tennessee Titans. In total, 87 percent of Pittman's rookie production came after Week 8. Yet, his 331 yards after the catch still ranked third among rookies, per Pro Football Focus.

Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

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Pittman is too easy of an option to pass up.

The 34th-overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Pittman appears to be in line to become the Colts' top receiver sooner rather than later. With longtime WR1 T.Y. Hilton working under a one-year deal at 31 years old, the writing is on the wall.

At 6'4" and over 220 pounds with speed and hands, Pittman is a reliable target who can win in contested-catch situations and also create yards after the catch.

He certainly looks the part.

As a rookie, Pittman started eight of the 13 games in which he appeared, catching 40-of-61 targets for 503 yards (12.6 avg.) and 1 touchdown to go with 3 carries for 26 yards (8.7 avg.).

He became the first Colts rookie to have 100 receiving yards in a single game since 2014.  Pittman also became just the fifth Colts rookie in franchise history to log 55-plus receiving yards in three consecutive games, joining Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison, Andre Rison, and Bill Brooks.

In the Colts' lone playoff game, Pittman led all players on either team with 10 targets, catching 5 of them for 90 yards (18.0 avg.) as well as 1 carry for 11 yards. His yardage was the second-most by a rookie in a playoff game in franchise history.

Between Hilton, Pittman, Zach Pascal, and Marcus Johnson — the only four Colts receivers who were consistently present enough last year worth mentioning — Pittman led the group in catch percentage (70.2%) and yards after catch per reception (7.0 avg.), and he was second in drop percentage (7.0%), missed tackles forced (4), and passer rating when thrown to (95.9).

Looking ahead to 2021, Pittman has a new quarterback throwing his way in Carson Wentz.

The pair got together to throw shortly after Wentz was acquired by the Colts, worked together during organized team activities, and are slated to get together again before training camp begins.

Now a year into his NFL career, Pittman has been able to focus on his duties with the Colts as a receiver in their system this offseason. It's easy to see what would make him appealing from a fantasy perspective in 2021.

Do you expect Pittman to break out in 2021? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!

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