Alright, let’s talk about my journey with Alec Pierce in fantasy football. It wasn’t exactly straightforward, you know?
My First Look
So, I remember going through rookie profiles last year before my drafts. You see a lot of names, a lot of stats. Pierce popped up – Colts receiver, decent draft capital, good size, ran pretty fast. My first thought was, okay, potential deep threat guy. Indianapolis needed someone to stretch the field opposite Michael Pittman Jr., seemed logical.
I didn’t go crazy deep diving, didn’t spend hours watching college tape or anything. Just looked at the basics, read a few blurbs here and there. Seemed like a classic high-upside, low-floor kind of rookie pick, the type you might grab late.
Draft Day and the Season Grind
Come draft day in one of my leagues, I was looking at my board in the later rounds. Needed some receiver depth with potential. Pierce was sitting there. I thought back to my notes – big play potential, could earn a role. So, I pulled the trigger. Felt like a decent enough gamble at that stage.
- Initial hope: Maybe he clicks with Matt Ryan early.
- Reality check: That Colts offense was… rough. Really rough.
Watching the games, or checking the box scores later, was a rollercoaster. You’d see Pierce make a fantastic contested catch downfield one week, looked like the real deal. Then the next two weeks? Crickets. Maybe one target. It was super frustrating. The quarterback situation didn’t help, switching from Ryan to Sam Ehlinger and back. Just no consistency anywhere on that offense.
Key takeaway for me last year: Flashes are nice, but you can’t put flashes in your starting lineup. He stayed glued to my bench mostly.
Thinking About This Year
Now we’re looking ahead. The big change is Anthony Richardson at quarterback. This is where my head’s at now.
Richardson has an absolute cannon for an arm. Seriously, he can throw it a mile. On paper, that sounds perfect for a field stretcher like Pierce, right? That’s the dream scenario I’m thinking about. Big throws downfield connecting for huge plays.
But then I start thinking about the downsides.
- Richardson is raw. Accuracy might be an issue, especially deep.
- Will the Colts lean super heavy on the run with Richardson and Jonathan Taylor?
- How many targets will actually be left for Pierce after Pittman gets his share?
My Current Stance
So, where do I land on Alec Pierce for fantasy right now? I’m still holding onto him in that league where I drafted him. Why? Mostly because the cost was low, and the potential upside with Richardson’s arm strength is still tantalizing.
But I’m not actively trying to acquire him anywhere else. For me, he’s firmly in the ‘wait and see’ category. I need to see proof that Richardson can consistently get him the ball deep, and that the Colts’ offense will actually throw it enough to support more than one fantasy-relevant receiver.
Bottom line for me: He’s a bench stash, a lottery ticket. Could he boom? Maybe. Could he be just as frustrating as last year? Absolutely. I’m not betting the farm on him, just keeping an eye out during training camp and preseason to see how things develop with the new QB.
