Alec Pierce signed a massive deal this offseason to stay in Indianapolis. The ink has dried on a 4-year, $ 114 million deal. He is now the highest-paid WR on the roster, and the second-highest-paid player on the Colts. Michael Pittman Jr. is now in Pittsburgh. So, it is safe to say the Colts have made Pierce a focus of their offense. What does this mean for fantasy football? Should you take him at his 2026 ADP? I think so. Let’s get into it.
Alec Pierce Might Be A Steal in Fantasy Football
Big Play Ability
Last year, Alec Pierce set career highs in targets, receptions, and catch percentage. He still had over 21 yards per reception (highest in football by almost 4 yards per reception). That was down from his 2024 numbers, too. Pierce had 84 targets, which translated into 47 receptions, 1003 yards, and 6 touchdowns. In fantasy, he was the WR28 (WR 26 in PPG). It was even better in the 12 games Daniel Jones threw more than 7 passes in. Alec Pierce was on pace for over 50 receptions and 1100 yards. The two developed a rapport last year, and Alec Pierce certainly benefited from the best QB play of his career. Daniel Jones is back in Indiana.
Add in Michael Pittman Jr. being in Pittsburgh this year to the equation. Michael Pittman Jr. had 111 targets and seven touchdowns last year with the Colts. Those vacated targets, including in the red zone, are up for grabs. With Alec Pierce getting the bag and having the rapport with Daniel Jones, there is no reason to think he can’t finish with 55-65 receptions, 1100-1200 yards, and 6-8 touchdowns when you factor in the vacated targets. That should be enough to sneak in as a top 24 WR in fantasy,
A top-24 WR season would be quite the return on investment this year for Alec Pierce. Alec Pierce is currently going as the WR40 in ADP on Sleeper. This is the top of the 9th round and is WR3 / WR4 territory. So, even if Alec Pierce hit his ceiling last year, if he only matched it this year, it would be a fine upside play in fantasy. For the most part, the WRs and RBs in the area make this decision easier. I will take him over guys like Parker Washington, the other B. Robinson in Atlanta, Chuba Hubbard, and Blake Corum, with routine consistency.
Be sure to check our fantasy football preview of Alec Pierce and the 2026 Colts!
A Tough Choice
One might have to choose, though, between Alec Pierce and Chris Godwin at ADP. Godwin has a WR2 finish in his history, and Mike Evans is no longer in Tampa Bay. Could Godwin be the WR1 in Tampa again? Maybe. However, Godwin only has that one season in 2019 where he finished higher than WR16 in PPR. He also hasn’t finished higher than WR29 in PPR since 2022. He has missed 18 games in the last two seasons, and Emeka Egbuka might have been drafted to be the new alpha in Tampa. So, the upside with Chris Godwin might just be a thing of the past.
Finally, people might prefer teammate Josh Downs in fantasy from this offense. Josh Downs is cheaper at WR55. That is the 13th round. He also might fit the Michael Pittman mold better in the offense. So he could be the prime candidate for many of the vacated targets. However, Downs only had 58/566/4 last year. That was WR57 in PPG last year. You would not even have had a return on investment at these WR55 prices. And that was basically a fully healthy season for Downs.
Maybe Both?
So, even if Downs returns to his previous career high of 72/803/5, that would barely be inside the top 30, which was where Pierce was already at last year. There are just players with better upside than Downs. But if you are convinced in Downs, what’s the harm in taking Pierce in the 9th and Downs in the 13th, to see how the offense looks in the first couple of weeks? Then make the necessary roster moves once we know how this offense will look. I bet it’s Pierce, though.
The upside with Pierce is evident, and even at reasonable gains this year, he should massively outproduce his ADP. So, I will have several shares of Pierce at those prices. You should too.
Looking for your favorite team? This link will take you to the rest of our 2026 Look Inside team previews.
A Look Inside the Indianapolis Colts
Editor’s Note: While this article focused on Alec Pierce in fantasy football, we don’t want to leave you hanging on the rest of the team. Here is a quick look at the other fantasy-relevant Colts from Ryan Weisse.
Daniel Jones
The biggest concern with Pierce, Downs, or just about any piece of this Colts offense is the health of Daniel Jones. He was playing the best football of his career last year before tearing his Achilles in Week 14. After he went down, the Colts offense fell apart. It was already hard to trust Jones, and now you throw in an Achilles injury? If it was good enough to bring down a Greek hero, Jones is certainly no match. For the sake of the WRs, I hope he is healthy. For fantasy, I am out on Danny Dimes.
Jonathan Taylor
Who would’ve thought a great season could be a red flag? Jonathan Taylor finished with over 1900 total yards and 20 TDs last year. He was the RB4 on the season. The problem: he touched the ball 369 times in 2025. That is a massive workload, and history says RBs break down the following season. The last time Taylor did this, he missed six games and only scored four TDs the next year. He’s still a first-round pick, but there is more risk than we’d like to admit.
Josh Downs
Full Disclosure: I am in the Josh Downs camp Chris mentioned in this article. I don’t like betting on big plays, and Downs is the safer option. With Michael Pittman gone, I think Downs gets back to 2024 usage, where he finished as the WR35 in fantasy in 14 games, and was pacing as a top-20 WR. He might be the best value in the late rounds of fantasy football this season.
Tyler Warren
Warren is another member of this offense I really like. He finished as the TE4 as a rookie, and 2025 is setting up even better. Between Pittman’s vacated targets and likely TD regression from Taylor, Warren could see an uptick in volume and scoring this season. He is priced relatively cheaply for a guy with true TE1-overall upside.
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