Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce had another one of his trademark long catches on Sunday, recording a 39-yarder, along with a 16-yard and 19-yard reception, totaling 74 yards on his three catches. A week after seeing a season-high in targets, with the return of Michael Pittman Jr., the 24-year-old had the third-most targets on the day for the Colts with four. With the performance, the former second-round pick maintained his team-lead in receiving yards with 590, 23 yards more than Josh Downs (567). Pierce figures to see similar target share and air yards next week against the Lions which will leave him in the WR4/5 range.
Alec Pierce Has Big-Play Ability In The WR5 Range In Week 11
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce had a strong showing in Week 10, posting a 4-81-1 line on a season-high seven targets. The increased action was likely a result of fellow wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. missing the game with a back injury, and unfortunately for Pierce, Pittman is due to return in Week 11. They are different receivers, though, so Pierce still has a chance for one of his trademark big plays as he can stretch the field with his speed. In fact, the 24-year-old has the seventh-most air yards in all of football and has the highest percentage of air yards of the Colts' receiving corps at 28.4%. With his big play ability and the fact that both Pittman and Josh Downs have missed games due to injury, Pierce somewhat surprisingly is the team's leader in receiving yards and touchdowns with 516 and four respectively. Look for Pierce to again garner a handful of targets in Week 11 with a few receptions and a chance for a long score, making the former second-round draft pick a boom/bust WR4/5 this week.
Alec Pierce Catches Four Balls, Scores In Week 10 Loss
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce caught two garbage-time passes on the Colts' final drive, including a 10-yard touchdown reception, giving him four catches for 81 yards and a score in Sunday's 30-20 loss to the Bills. In Michael Pittman Jr.'s (back) absence, Pierce tied a season-high in targets with seven, and the TD was his fourth of the season -- although just his first since Week 5. As of now, Pittman is considered week-to-week, so keep an eye on his status, as that could again mean a few extra targets for Pierce in Week 11 should Pittman miss another game. Regardless, Pierce is always a threat to score on a deep ball given his speed, but in Week 11, the 24-year-old will have to do it against a strong Jets pass defense, putting him in the WR4/5 range again.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce hauled in three passes for 41 yards in Week 9 after totaling three catches for 36 yards over the prior three weeks. With fellow wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. set to miss this week's game, Pierce could see an uptick in targets. If the 6-foot-3 wideout can convert a target or two into receptions, it could be a big day for the speedy receiver. So far this year, Pierce has earned only 12.84% target share compared to Pittman's 22.18%, yet Pierce commands 26.97% of the team's air yards compared to Pittman's 24.91%. That is because most of Pierce's targets are deep shots, having a whopping 22.60 average depth of target (aDOT) compared to an aDOT of 12.08 for Pittman. Still, the Colts offense struggled last week even with a so-called upgrade at quarterback with Joe Flacco under center instead of Anthony Richardson, and it could have a difficult day against a decent Bills pass defense. If the Colts rely on the ground game, as the Bills have allowed the second-most fantasy points to RBs, then the receivers may not stand to get much of boost in Pittman's absence. Pierce is still more of a boom/bust WR5 this week, with perhaps a better shot than recent weeks of catching a long one.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce will get a tough draw on Sunday Night Football when his team squares off against the Minnesota Vikings. Pierce has been the epitome of a boom/bust wideout this season, with three outings of at least 16 fantasy points and five others in the single digits, including a goose egg in Week 6 against the Tennessee Titans on 89% of snaps. With veteran quarterback Joe Flacco now in command of the offense, the outlook of all Colts pass-catchers is on the rise. Additionally, Minnesota has been one of the most stout units in the league this season against opposing rushing attacks, allowing just 3.9 yards per attempt. If they can be beaten anywhere, it's through the air. Still, the 24-year-old is little more than a desperation dart throw for the contest. Pierce is RotoBaller's PPR WR63 for Week 9's slate of action.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce has had some big plays this season, however, they've come on few catches. The 24-year-old owns a superb 25.5 yards per reception average thus far but has just 15 total catches in seven games. One of those catches was a 60-yard touchdown back in Week 1 versus the Texans, which is his opponent in Week 8. It was Anthony Richardson who threw him that ball and it will be Richardson under center again this week, while Houston has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season. Whether or not that translates to fantasy points for Pierce again seems like more of a roll of the dice with the second-year QB's poor completion rate (48.5%), so view the former second-round draft pick as a boom/bust candidate in the rematch versus the Texans as a WR5.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce caught two of his five targets for 15 yards in the team's 16-10 win over the Miami Dolphins. Pierce led Indy in targets, tied with wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Pierce and quarterback Anthony Richardson did connect on a 28-yard pass that nearly had him in the end zone, but the play was ultimately negated due to an illegal formation penalty. Pierce has been a very boom-or-bust option for fantasy managers and will likely continue to stay in a similar role moving forward. That being said, Pierce will have a more favorable matchup in Week 8 against the Houston Texans and can potentially be viewed as a WR4/5 option in the contest.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (shoulder) is officially active for Week 7 against the Miami Dolphins. He had been listed as questionable but was trending in the right direction ahead of kickoff. Pierce is listed third on the depth chart even though he leads the team in receiving yards this season. This is a direct product of the 24-year-old's big-play upside, which has allowed him to explode in some games while being somewhat of a non-factor in others. Pierce is one of the only Colts receivers who seems to have played better while catching passes from Anthony Richardson rather than Joe Flacco this year, so perhaps Richardson's return to the lineup this week is good news for the Cincinnati product. Still, he ranks outside the top 36 fantasy receivers for this weekend.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (shoulder) is expected to suit up against the Dolphins. The wideout is listed as questionable for this one. However, he logged a full practice session on Friday, which was a positive indication he would be on the field in Week 7. From a yardage standpoint, Pierce is the team's most productive receiver so far in 2024-25. But outside of a few strong fantasy showings, he's been irrelevant in most of the Colts' games this season. Still, Pierce has a proven upside, giving him credibility as a flex option, at the very least, even with Michael Pittman Jr. (back) and Josh Downs (toe) also in line to play.
Indianapolis Colts wide receivers Josh Downs (toe) and Alec Pierce (shoulder) are both listed as questionable for Sunday's game, according to James Boyd of The Athletic. Downs opened the week sitting out during Wednesday's practice but was able to upgrade to a limited status on Thursday and Friday. Pierce popped up on the injury report on Thursday but was able to log a limited session on Friday. Even though they both participated in Friday's practice in a limited capacity, it is a positive sign for their status heading into the weekend. If both wideouts can play, Downs should be viewed as a WR2 with upside, while Pierce should be viewed as a WR3 with upside facing the Miami Dolphins.
Alec Pierce
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