After speculation that Alec Pierce would leave the Colts, the receiver is returning to Indianapolis on a four-year, $116 million deal, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Pierce is coming off the best season of his career. The wideout caught 47 passes for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns. Fantasy-wise, Pierce averaged 12.6 FPTS per game. He scored at least 17 FPTS five times, including a 32.2 FPTS outburst vs. the Texans in the regular-season finale.
Among pass catchers, Pierce finished 19th in YPPR (2.10) and 45th in FPTS per snap (0.23). Pierce handled a 15.9% target share and he was one of the most utilized deep threats in the league, ranking first in aDOT (20.0) and sixth in targets over 20 yards (28).
In the wake of Pierce inking this new deal Monday, the Colts also traded Michael Pittman Jr. to the Steelers, per Schefter.
Pittman handled a 21% target share for Indianapolis last season and with him out of the picture, Pierce becomes the Colts’ top receiver. The 25-year-old’s target share absolutely will increase from last season, likely in the 20% range.
This makes Pierce an attractive target to peruse in the mid-rounds of fantasy football drafts this summer, regardless of the uncertainty surrounding the Colts at quarterback with Daniel Jones recovering from a torn Achilles he suffered in early December. Having Jones under center would obviously be more ideal, but Pierce showed he can excel with different quarterbacks at the end of last season, scoring 24.6 FPTS vs. the 49ers with Phillip Rivers starting and then 32.2 FPTS vs. the Texans with Riley Leonard starting.
Following their moves Monday, the Colts still carry long +6000 odds to win the Super Bowl on DraftKings Sportsbook.
