Don't be fooled by the final numbers that were dragged down by the Sam Ehlinger games -- Pierce is a vertical threat. He topped 20 yards per reception (PPR) four times from Weeks 3-9 as a rookie. Pierce finished as a WR2 or better (PPR) just twice in 2022, but rookie QB Anthony Richardson is a vertically-oriented thrower and that fits Pierce's skill set as a size/speed weapon who dominated on the vertical plane at the collegiate level. Pierce is coming off the board in Round 14 and he makes for an excellent late-round sleeper target with an upgraded offensive system and a quarterback who fits what he does best.
Pierce secured both targets for 28 yards in the Colts' 31-20 win over the Texans on Sunday.
Pierce's disappointing start to the new campaign continued Sunday, as he was able to only marginally improve on a one-catch, five-yard Week 1 tally. The 2022 second-round pick put together a solid rookie season (41-593-2 across 16 games) that raised expectations coming into the new season, but he's been nothing more than a secondary option in the air attack thus far and has seen rookie Josh Downs outperform him as the No. 3 wideout. Pierce's next opportunity to jump start his season comes in a Week 3 road matchup versus the Ravens.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Just one reception in season opener
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Pierce had one reception for five yards on three targets in Sunday's loss to Jacksonville.
Pierce started at wide receiver along with Josh Downs and Michael Pittman in a three-WR set and played on 66 of the offense's 72 snaps, but he had little production as Anthony Richardson rarely threw the ball deep. The coaching staff limited the game plan for Richardson in his NFL debut, so the team likely will feature a more vertical passing game later in the season. Pierce may have limited opportunities as a receiver until Richardson throws more long passes as Indy's primary deep threat.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Held catchless
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Pierce was held without a catch on three targets in Thursday's 27-13 preseason win over the Eagles.
Pierce made the mistake in the first week of the preseason, dropping what would've been a 30-plus yard completion on his lone target. His second game playing with Anthony Richardson didn't go much better, though this time the blame fell on the rookie quarterback for throwing to Pierce when he was blanketed in coverage. Michael Pittman remains the Colts' clear top WR option, but Pierce should be choice B or C ahead of Indy's regular-season opener against Jacksonville on Sept. 10.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Big miss in preseason opener
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Pierce failed to corral a catchable ball on his only target in Saturday's preseason loss at Buffalo.
Pierce started at wide receiver and failed to bring in a nice 34-yard pass from Anthony Richardson near the goal line despite it hitting his hands. While the drop was a negative, it also shows he may be building a rapport with Richardson on deep passes. Pierce started 12 of his 16 games as a second-round rookie last year and accounted for nearly as many deep targets (15) as every other Colts wideout combined (18). He's set to return as the No. 2 wide receiver opposite Michael Pittman.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Three receptions in season finale
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Pierce had three receptions for 42 yards on four targets in Sunday's loss to Houston.
Pierce finished his rookie season with 41 receptions on 78 targets for 593 yards and two touchdowns. After failing to catch either of his two targets in his first game, he clicked with Matt Ryan and had 24 receptions for 373 yards and a touchdown over his next six games. He then had just 17 receptions for 220 yards and a touchdown in his last nine games as QB became a revolving door for the Colts. Pierce showed promise but could never clearly move into the No. 2 WR role and had just three red-zone targets despite his 6-3 height. Of course, it's hard to judge Pierce given Indy's troubles at quarterback and poor offensive line play. It's not clear if Pierce will be considered a cornerstone of the Indy receiving corps as the team revamps its offense for 2023.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Three receptions Sunday
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Pierce had three receptions for 15 yards on five targets in Sunday's loss to the Giants.
After a stretch where he had just eight receptions in six games, Pierce has had three receptions in both of the last two games. While that's not much production, at least he's showing some signs of relevance ahead of next season.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Weak production on eight targets
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Pierce caught three passes for 28 yards on eight targets against Philadelphia on Sunday.
Pierce's target count was encouraging, and his weak efficiency is rationalized by the fact that it was a very difficult matchup. Pierce saw a lot of Darius Slay, the top Eagles corner and one of the league's best corners in general. The Steelers don't have any such cover men on their defense, so Pierce has a good chance to get back on track against Pittsburgh in Week 12.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: No receptions Sunday
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Pierce did not have a reception on two targets in Sunday's win at Las Vegas.
Pierce played on 37 of the offense's 64 snaps and notably wasn't a starter (Austin Dulin started in a three-WR set). He had clicked with Matt Ryan earlier in the season, so it would have seemed the move back to Ryan as the starting quarterback would help Pierce. It's possible the coaching change to Jeff Saturday has moved Pierce back in the game plan, meaning this performance can't be entirely written off.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Just one reception in loss
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Pierce had one reception for 23 yards on two targets in Sunday's loss at New England.
Sam Ehlinger passed for just 103 yards as the Colts struggled in a blowout loss, so it's hard to read too much into this performance. Indy has a much better matchup at Las Vegas this week, but Ehlinger's struggles could limit Pierce to only a few deep balls per game.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Sneaky Sleeper in PPR (Lineup Decisions)
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Pierce has nine-plus PPR points in five of his past six games, setting up a low-end safety net you can feel decent about. I'm not saying to race him into lineups -- I even like Terrace Marshall a little bit more -- but with six teams on bye I feel like Pierce can fill in with a shot at some pretty good production given the matchup. He's in lineups for me over Curtis Samuel (same type of player, Pierce has more upside for smash plays), Marvin Jones and Julio Jones.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Leads Colts in receiving yards
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Pierce recorded three receptions on five targets for 65 yards in Sunday's 17-16 loss to the Commanders.
Pierce's line isn't all that impressive on its own, but he made a couple of athletic catches and was regularly targeted deep down the field. His performance was highlighted by a 47-yard catch, the Colts' longest play from scrimmage. While the switch from Matt Ryan to Sam Ehlinger at quarterback could hurt the likes of Michael Pittman and Jonathan Taylor, Pierce is one potential beneficiary due to the relative arm strength of each signal-caller combined with Pierce's role in the offense.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Just three receptions
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Pierce had three receptions for 37 yards on four targets in Sunday's loss at Tennessee.
Pierce has become a favorite target of Matt Ryan, but he didn't get many looks Sunday with the passing offense struggling. Ryan needed to check down to shorter targets while constantly under pressure, leading to nine targets for Michael Pittman in the slot and five for running back Nyheim Hines.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Week 7 Adds (WR Preview)
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Pierce played a season-high 65% of the snaps in Week 7 and I wouldn't expect that to be his season-high for long. He looks like the clear No. 2 wide receiver in an offense that is surprisingly second in the NFL in pass attempts.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Week 7 Waiver Priority List
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It was looking like an ugly game for Pierce in Week 6 against Jacksonville until he caught a 32-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left, and he only finished the game with three catches for 49 yards on seven targets. But he's now scored at least 12 PPR points in three games in a row, and he has 16 targets in his past two outings. The Colts are second in the NFL in pass attempts, and Pierce had four catches for 80 yards on six targets in Week 4 against the Titans, who he faces this week. Pierce should continue to get better as the season goes on, and he's worth adding for at least 10 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Finds end zone in win
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Pierce brought in three of seven targets for 49 yards and a touchdown in the Colts' 34-27 win over the Jaguars on Sunday.
Pierce was putting together a relatively quiet encore to his career-best 8-81 line against the Broncos in Week 5, but he delivered at the most critical time via a 32-yard scoring grab with only 17 seconds remaining that turned out to be the game-winning touchdown. Pierce appears to be getting increasingly comfortable the more he plays with Matt Ryan, and he'll aim to continue building that chemistry in a Week 7 AFC South road matchup against the Titans.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Week 6 Adds (WR Preview)
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Pierce has topped 12 PPR Fantasy points in each of his last two games and he still hasn't played 60% of the snaps in a game yet. Expect his role to grow after Matt Ryan gushed about him.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Week 6 Waiver Priority List
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We've had Pierce mentioned in this column for the past two weeks, and he just continues to produce. In Week 5 at Denver, Pierce had his best game of the season with eight catches for 81 yards on nine targets, and he's now scored at least 12 PPR points in consecutive outings. He is clearly the No. 2 option in the Colts passing game behind Michael Pittman, and Pierce can be considered a No. 3 Fantasy receiver heading into Week 6 against the Jaguars. Pierce is worth 10-15 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Week 5 Waiver Priority List
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We've had Pierce mentioned in this column for the past two weeks, and he just continues to produce. In Week 5 at Denver, Pierce had his best game of the season with eight catches for 81 yards on nine targets, and he's now scored at least 12 PPR points in consecutive outings. He is clearly the No. 2 option in the Colts passing game behind Michael Pittman, and Pierce can be considered a No. 3 Fantasy receiver heading into Week 6 against the Jaguars. Pierce is worth 10-15 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Week 5 Waiver Priority List
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I like what Pierce has done the past two games with 11 targets for seven catches and 141 yards against the Chiefs and Titans, and hopefully he can build off that this week against the Broncos on Thursday night. The Colts need playmakers in the passing game, and Matt Ryan should start to rely on Pierce more moving forward. We'll see how he does with more opportunities, but it's worth it to take a flier on him now in deeper leagues. Pierce is worth 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Colts' Alec Pierce: Past concussion, will play Sunday
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Pierce cleared the concussion protocol Thursday and will be available for Sunday's game against the Chiefs, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.
Pierce picked up the head injury Week 1, when he played 51 percent of the Colts' offensive snaps but was unable to haul in either of his targets. The rookie second-round pick will miss just one game as a result of the injury, and he'll set his sights on his first reception as a pro this weekend.
