Mike McCarthy Unsure If Michael Pittman Jr. Returns in Week 3

What Happened Michael Pittman Jr. sat out Pittsburgh's 20-3 loss to the Patriots after battling a foot injury that limited him in practice all last week. He was limited Wednesday, then didn't practice Thursday or Friday, and now his Week 3 status against the Cincinnati Bengals is genuinely up in the air.

Head coach Mike McCarthy didn't sugarcoat it during his Monday press conference. "Different injury, but I know he made progress," McCarthy said, noting Pittman is in the evaluation group for Wednesday's practice. "Hopefully we'll have a good plan for him. But I don't have a feel one way or the other if he's gonna be available this week."

Why the Uncertainty This isn't Pittman's first injury scare of the season — he already missed a significant chunk of training camp with a different ailment. Pittman himself echoed McCarthy's noncommittal tone earlier Monday, confirming this foot issue is separate from his camp injury but stopping short of predicting when he'll be back on the field.

That kind of layered injury history tends to make coaches more cautious. McCarthy isn't rushing to clear his WR2 for a game that's still days away, and the fact that Pittman is only in the "evaluation group" rather than a clear practice plan suggests the team is taking a wait-and-see approach rather than targeting a hard return date.

What to Watch This Week All eyes now turn to Pittman's practice participation over the next few days. If he's limited again on Wednesday, that's a real red flag for his Sunday availability. A full or even limited-but-progressing session, on the other hand, would be a strong signal he's trending toward playing.

Pittsburgh's offense already felt the absence of a key perimeter target in the loss to New England, and losing Pittman again would put more pressure on the rest of the receiving corps against a Bengals defense that will be looking to exploit any thin spots. Fantasy managers and Steelers fans alike should treat this as a game-time-decision situation until final Friday injury designations drop.

The Bottom Line Nothing is settled yet. McCarthy's honesty about not having "a feel one way or the other" is refreshingly direct, but it also means there's no easy answer here. Keep an eye on Wednesday's practice report — that's likely to be the first real tell on whether Pittman suits up in Week 3.