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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.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (heel) was a big question mark heading into the 2026 season. And it wasn't due to his performance in 2025. He led the league in yards per reception in 2025 among qualifying receivers, with over 21.3 yards per reception.
His stat line of 47 catches for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns on 84 targets led him to a WR28 overall finish, which wasn't exactly earth-shattering on paper, though he did only play in 15 games. But he was expected to have an even bigger role this season. The fear, uncertainty, and doubt surrounding him was medical in nature.
He had surgery on his ankle in the offseason after a medical injection into the area failed to correct an ailment he'd been having, and he entered the season on the injury report with a heel issue. He aggravated that issue in Week 2. So when will he return to play, and what's his fantasy football outlook?
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Alec Pierce Injury Update for Fantasy Football
Pierce was placed on short-term injured reserve due to the latest injury aggravation he suffered. He already missed Week 3 and Week 4 due to IR, and will have to miss two more games before he's eligible to return in Week 7.
He was seen limping on multiple occasions at Colts practice leading up to the season, even as late as late August. But he quickly returned to practice, upgraded to full participation, and started playing in Week 1. It's hard not to imagine he was rushed back into action.
#Colts WRs Alec Pierce and Josh Downs talking as they watch practice. https://t.co/Hd5AGfS2nL
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) August 25, 2026
Not being able to walk without a limp after surgery and returning to play in less than a month doesn't make much sense. While we aren't medical experts, players rush back to play constantly in the NFL for a variety of reasons. It makes sense to be healthily skeptical at times.
The worry now is that he rushes himself back to play and is forced to sit again. Multiple re-aggravations of the same injury can lead to long-term issues, as well as compensatory injuries when other parts of the body have to work harder to make up for weakness in nearby structures.
Alec Pierce Fantasy Football Outlook
Pierce's outlook depends on his health. If he's able to return to 100 percent, he should resume his role as the clear WR1 for the Colts. And as the team declined to re-sign wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to an extension last offseason, there's less target competition for Pierce.
The Colts likely had planned on Pierce and tight end Tyler Warren to be the primary pass-catchers for the team, with WR Josh Downs mixing in to a lesser degree. But they signed WR Keenan Allen (groin) in the offseason, likely to play in 2WR sets alongside Pierce.
OH MY ALEC PIERCE.
MIAvsIND on CBS/Paramount+
https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt https://t.co/Kkc968cK3R— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
Colts QB Daniel Jones is also recovering from an injury of his own -- he tore his Achilles tendon late last season while trying to play through a lower-leg injury. He hasn't been very productive. As he continues to recover, perhaps he'll get back some of his passing upside.
But Indianapolis' offense is built on very shaky foundations right now. Pierce could very well not reach his previous level of play from a pure football perspective. We're just hoping additional targets in a more condensed passing offense make up for it.
When he's back, he'll be in WR3/flex territory with upside for more due to his big play ability.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Week 5 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 5.
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!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
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 5 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 5 (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 5 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 5 for Josh Downs, Keenan Allen, Tyler Warren:
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