Who Should I Start? Chris Godwin Jr. or Michael Pittman Jr.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
10.5 0.1 0.0 4.0 46.2 0.3

Chris Godwin Jr. News

Chris Godwin Jr. to Work Primarily Out of the Slot

Monday, July 20, 10:29 AM

Andrew Harbaugh of the Buccaneers Wire writes that Tampa Bay Buccaneers veteran wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. will mostly work out of the slot in 2026, with Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan operating on the outside. The 30-year-old's redraft fantasy stock is down this year despite future Hall of Famer Mike Evans moving to San Francisco, primarily because he's only played in 16 regular-season games in the last two years due to injuries. In nine games in 2025, Godwin caught a career-low 33 passes for 360 yards and only two touchdowns on 51 targets. However, even though he's a big question mark in terms of durability, Godwin could be a solid value pick in 2026 fantasy drafts, particularly PPR formats, now that he's fully healthy and coming off a strong offseason. With Evans gone and in a new offense that figures to feature quick-hitters underneath, Godwin could easily become veteran QB Baker Mayfield's go-to target as Tampa looks to get back to the postseason. Nobody should be expecting Godwin to produce like he was before his ankle injury in 2024, when he had a 50-576-5 line in seven games, but he could still be a pretty productive WR4/flex for fantasy managers in 2026 if he can stay healthy for the entire season.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
10.7 0.2 0.0 4.3 46.9 0.3

Michael Pittman Jr. News

Michael Pittman Jr. Could Run Full Route Tree in Pittsburgh

Thursday, July 16, 7:39 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers new head coach Mike McCarthy said he views wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. as a "versatile pass-catcher who can run all routes," which is a preference for receivers in McCarthy's offense, according to Chris Harlan of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Live. In his final season with the Indianapolis Colts in 2025, Pittman played 283 of his 615 snaps in the slot. In his six seasons with the Colts, the 28-year-old former second-rounder out of USC caught 485 passes for 5,254 yards and 25 touchdowns, but he regressed in 2025, finishing with an 80-784-7 line in 17 games. His 784 receiving yards were his fewest since his rookie year in 2020. Pittsburgh made an aggressive move to acquire Pittman from the Colts in a March trade, then signed him to a three-year, $59 million contract to give DK Metcalf some help. Last year, Metcalf led the Steelers with 59 catches on 99 targets, but the team lacked a reliable option to complement him. McCarthy is hoping Pittman is that man. A bounce-back campaign could be coming for Pittman, but with veteran QB Aaron Rodgers in the last season of his storied career, fantasy managers shouldn't just assume that Pittman will bounce back as a reliable weekly fantasy starter. RotoBaller currently has the former Colts wideout ranked as the No. 41 fantasy WR for 2026.


Chris Godwin Jr. vs. Michael Pittman Jr.

Still trying to decide between Godwin Jr. and Pittman Jr.? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Chris Godwin Jr. is projected to score 10.5 points this week while Michael Pittman Jr. is projected to score 10.7 points.