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When is Alec Pierce coming back? Will Alec Pierce play again this season? Read about Alec Pierce's return date and injury updates for 2026.
Injuries are an unfortunate part of fantasy football. Knowing how to navigate those situations can make or break a fantasy season. One tenet that many fantasy players live by is avoiding players who come into the 2026 season injured.
However, other players will target summer injuries in hopes of getting a player at a discount. One example is Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce. Pierce spent most of his summer recovering from an injury, which kept his ADP suppressed. That allowed fantasy drafters to get an explosive pass catcher from 2025 at a very reasonable price.
Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for Pierce to suffer a setback. Will he return to the field? Is he worth holding in fantasy? Let’s dive in.
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Alec Pierce Injury Update for Fantasy Football
Alec Pierce had a breakout season in 2025 for the Indianapolis Colts, catching 47 passes for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games. He posted his second consecutive season with at least 21.0 yards per reception, but more importantly, showed legitimate growth as a wide receiver and route runner.
The Colts felt confident enough in his growth that they not only offered him a major contract extension (four years, $114 million), but they also paved the way for him to have a larger role in their offense by trading away veteran wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Those moves signaled that the Colts believed they had a player capable of being their WR1 for the foreseeable future.
Unfortunately, not much has gone right since. Pierce missed almost all of the Colts’ offseason program and training camp after undergoing surgery on his ankle/heel in March 2026. Pierce was able to get back onto the field in Week 1, but struggled to make an immediate impact as he worked his way back into football shape, catching just five passes (on seven targets) for 72 yards.
Things got worse when Pierce went down with an injury in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs. After the game, it was confirmed that the injury was related to the same injury that derailed his offseason.
Pierce was seen in a walking boot, but head coach Shane Steichen made it clear that the veteran wide receiver had not undergone another surgery to fix the issue. The Colts did place Pierce on the injured reserve, a move that guarantees he will not be able to return to the field until Week 7 at the earliest.
Colts WR Alec Pierce (heel) placed on injured reserve, will miss a minimum of four games. pic.twitter.com/tutnBCLSUY
— NFL (@NFL) September 23, 2026
The fact that this is an aggravation of a previous injury that lingered throughout the summer is not good, but for now the Colts seem to believe that Pierce will return to the field in 2026.
Alec Pierce Fantasy Football Outlook
The original injury and surgery kept Alec Pierce’s ADP within a reasonable range throughout the summer despite the fact that he signed a major contract during free agency. However, the fact that Pierce couldn’t make it through two games before suffering a second injury to his heel/ankle is a bad omen for his 2026 season.
That said, Pierce’s ability to stretch defenses vertically combined with his growth as a contested catch wide receiver in 2025 makes him the kind of player that can flip fantasy matchups on a limited workload. The Colts had no problem using Pierce to attack downfield when he was “healthy” in Week 1. He ranked 16th among all wide receivers in air yards (103) and fourth in team air yards percentage (54.5%).
If your league has IR spots for injured players, he is a worthwhile stash in the hopes that this injury is just a sign that he needs more rest than a true re-injury. In leagues without an IR spot or a short bench, he is droppable for players who can contribute, especially with bye weeks on the horizon.
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Week 4 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Josh Downs, Keenan Allen, Tyler Warren. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 4.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
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Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 4 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 4 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 4 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 4 for Josh Downs, Keenan Allen, Tyler Warren:
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