Michael Pittman Jr. is not one of the names fans think of when mentioning the best wide receivers in the league. Following the 2021 season and some of the moves the Indianapolis Colts made, his name might be remembered more often.

Last season, just his second in the NFL, Pittman had 1,082 receiving yards, averaging 12.3 yards per catch. He also added six touchdowns, as opposed to just one in his rookie year.

Pittman skyrocketing in 2021 was one of the bright spots of a team that failed to make the playoffs. With a very big addition to the team's offense, he could run it back and become a very intriguing player to have in fantasy football leagues and earn some precious points every week.

With that being said, here is the fantasy football outlook for Michael Pittman Jr. in the 2022 NFL season.

Michael Pittman Jr. 2022 Fantasy Football Outlook

During his breakout year, Michael Pittman Jr. becomes the Colts' first option at wide receiver, running a route of 96% of offensive dropbacks, the third highest in the league, behind Pro Bowlers Cooper Kupp and Ja'Marr Chase, WR1 and WR4 last season, respectively.

Pittman had a 25.7% target share in 2021, but that number jumps to 31% when considering only Weeks 13-18. For comparison, the next highest for a Colt last season was Zach Pascal at 13%. Pittman finished in the top 25 in targets per game among wideouts with 7.59 per game, and for fantasy football fanatics, it placed him in the top 30 in the entire league in points-per-reception.

Another important stat for Pittman was that he had 18 contested catches, the fourth most in the entire NFL. Even if he is not exactly wide open, his performance last year can still make the quarterback consider Pittman as the main target.

Speaking of quarterback, Indianapolis brought former MVP, Matt Ryan. The veteran has a history of delivering standout results to his No. 1 wide receivers over his career, which could mean an even bigger role for Michael Pittman Jr for the Colts.

However, in recent years, the duo of Ryan and Julio Jones did not meet expectations. Jones left the Atlanta Falcons on bad terms, especially after only having 42 touchdowns from Ryan's passes in his last 106 games with the team.

Still, having a quality player like Ryan under center could be enough to make Pittman go over 1,000 yards once again.

Another thing that could help the former USC Trojan is that Indianapolis also has a player by the name of Jonathan Taylor. The running back was one of, if not the best at his position last season and should once again have a big year. His 1,811 rushing yards could make teams pay extra attention to the Colts' running game, which opens the doors to more quality passes, meaning more open and easy targets to Pittman.

Taylor's rushing abilities could also take some of the pressure off Pittman and Ryan's shoulders on the passing game, allowing the duo to focus more on quality instead of quantity. It might mean he won't have the same team-high 129 targets and 88 receptions from last year, but perhaps the yardage can remain solid with smarter throws.

Overall, there are many great options at the wide receiver position in 2022. The already mentioned Kupp and Chase, Miami's Tyreek Hill and Minnesota's Justin Jefferson are just some that come to mind. Because of that, Michael Pittman Jr should be available around the fourth round in most fantasy football leagues as a top 10 wideout. If the players are patient and lucky, they might even be able to snag Pittman in the fifth round.