Who Should I Start? Michael Pittman Jr. or Tank Dell

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.

Thursday, February 13, 5:42 PM

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said that wide receiver Tank Dell (knee) is "on the right track" in his recovery from a devastating knee injury that he suffered in 2024. "We'll see where he ends up," Ryans said. Dell has a long way to go in his recovery from a torn ACL, MCL and LCL, but it's nice to hear that things are going well early on. Despite Ryans' statement, there remains a pretty good chance that the 25-year-old won't be able to play at all in 2025 after needing multiple surgeries to fix the extensive damage to his left knee. And when the speedy deep threat does return for the Texans, he may never be the same. In addition to tearing all those ligaments, he dislocated his knee and suffered damage to his meniscus. In 14 games before his injury, Dell had 51 catches, 667 yards and three touchdowns on 81 targets. We'll continue to provide updates on Dell's long road to recovery