Michael Pittman Jr.’s short time in Pittsburgh has not gone well. The 28-year-old missed the Steelers’ Week 2 game against the Patriots with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, and then reaggravated it in practice on October 8. The Steelers placed him on IR on October 11.
Below, we will dish out a Pittman injury update and look at when he will return to the Steelers’ lineup.
Michael Pittman Jr. injury update: When will Steelers WR return?
The recovery time for plantar fasciitis is tricky, as it can be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly does not see Pittman returning anytime soon.
“They are not ruling out, I guess, surgery at this point,” Kaboly said, according to Steelers Collective. “And if that happens, he’s done.”
Kaboly appeared on 93.7 The Fan on Monday and reiterated that sentiment.
“Honestly, I just get bad vibes that Pittman is coming back,” Kaboly said. “I mean he very well could, but if he needs surgery he could be out for the year, and I don’t know if they’re waiting to see how that plays out.”
NFL trade rumors are heating up, with the deadline set for November 10, and the Steelers are consistently mentioned as a team that could be looking at acquiring a wide receiver.
All of that said, Pittman only missed one week earlier in the season with plantar fasciitis. We have seen numerous NFL players play with plantar fasciitis through the years, most notably Peyton Manning late in his career.
It is possible that Pittman Jr. only needs the minimum four missed games under NFL IR rules to return.
Pittman Jr. is eligible to return in Week 10 against the Bengals. The Steelers have their bye week in Week 9.
Here is a look at the Steelers’ schedule for mid-November and early December.
- Week 10 Sunday, November 15: Steelers at Bengals
- Week 11 Sunday, November 22: Steelers at Eagles
- Week 12 Friday, November 27: Broncos at Steelers
- Week 13 Sunday, December 6: Texans at Steelers
- Week 14 Monday, December 14: Steelers at Jaguars
Michael Pittman Jr. fantasy football stock
Pittman Jr. had an ADP of 107 overall this past summer, according to FantasyPros. He was around WR43.
Pittman Jr. looked like he was set to become one of the elite WRs in the NFL a few years back. In 2021, he had 1,082 yards receiving. In 2022, he had 925 yards receiving. And in 2023, he had a career-high 1,152 yards receiving. All of those prime years came as a member of the Colts.
His numbers began to dip in 2024, though, with the emergence of Alec Pierce in the Indy offense. Pittman Jr. had 808 yards receiving in 2024 and 784 yards receiving in 2025.
In three games played with the Steelers so far this season, Pittman Jr. has just 7 catches for 89 yards.
The former USC star is still rostered in 32 percent of Yahoo fantasy football leagues.
Steelers odds
The Steelers were +6500 to win the Super Bowl just prior to the start of the 2026 NFL season.
At Fanatics Sportsbook, Pittsburgh is currently +10000 to raise the Lombardi Trophy this coming February.
Mike McCarthy’s squad is currently 4-2 on the season. Its win total is set at 8.5, with juice on the Over.
The Steelers are currently +550 at Fanatics to win the highly-competitive AFC North.
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