Who Should I Start? Michael Pittman Jr. or Jayden Reed

Friday, January 10, 12:10 PM

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard said that wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (back) will not require surgery for the fractured back that he played through late in the 2024 season. "One tough dude. Example of what you want," Ballard said. It's a testament to Pittman's toughness that he missed just one game due to his back injury. But the 27-year-old's back issues and inconsistent play from the quarterback position in Indianapolis in 2024 led to Pittman posting only 808 receiving yards -- his fewest since his rookie season in 2020 -- to go with 69 receptions (also his lowest mark since 2020) and only three touchdowns in 16 games. Better health will give him a chance to rebound in 2025, but his overall upside might be dependent on quarterback Anthony Richardson's health and his ability to improve as a passer.

Monday, January 13, 4:13 PM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (shoulder) said on Monday that he will not need surgery on his shoulder after suffering a dislocation late in Sunday's 22-10 wild-card playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. "Thank God for that," Reed said. The 24-year-old slot receiver should be healed in time to take part in the team's offseason workouts this spring. Reed is one of Green Bay's best big-play threats through the air and on the ground, but he was inconsistent yet again as a fantasy commodity in the second half of the season and finished with a 55-857-6 receiving line on 75 targets through 17 regular-season games, adding 163 rushing yards and one TD on the ground on 20 carries. The former second-rounder finished as the WR26 in half-PPR scoring and will open his third season as a boom/bust WR3/flex option for fantasy managers.