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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) broke out as arguably the best deep-threat wide receiver in the NFL last season.
Among WRs with 40 or more receptions, he led the league in yards per catch (21.3) and eclipsed 1,000 yards, scoring six touchdowns in just 15 games.
This season, he was expected to be a fantasy football draft steal, serve as the WR1 for the Colts, and put up big numbers. So when will he return from his injury, and what's his fantasy football outlook?
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Alec Pierce Injury Update for Fantasy Football
For once, and on a Monday, too, we finally have an update that isn't "no update," but rather a recent one that can update even those who typically stay on top of the latest injury news.
Pierce won't return to practice ahead of Week 7. That means it's highly unlikely he plays in Week 7 after not practicing at all, though we have seen that happen before. Instead, it's more reasonable to expect a Week 9 return date.
More from Steichen:
-Daniel Jones will start on Sunday
-Lou Anarumo will still call plays
-Sauce Gardner (left calf) "week-to-week"
-Alec Pierce won't practice this week. Still in the rehab process (I'm not expecting him back anytime soon.)
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) October 19, 2026
Week 8 could happen, of course, but the Colts would be wise to let him heal fully this time. He rushed himself back from an offseason ankle injury and ramped up too quickly to full practices before re-injuring his heel.
Expect a return within the next two weeks. Perhaps Colts head coach Shane Steichen is afraid for his job after the team just fired its general manager, Chris Ballard.
Alec Pierce Fantasy Football Outlook
The Colts just somehow lost to the worst team in the NFL -- the Tennessee Titans pulled out an improbable victory over them. It's likely a healthy Pierce would have made a difference in the game.
Pierce should immediately return as the WR1, depending on how healthy he is when he comes back, and get fed plenty of targets. The problem is that Colts QB Daniel Jones is still playing terrible football. He tore his Achilles last season, so it's understandable.
Cor'Dale Flott gets the @Titans' 2nd INT of the game!
TENvsIND on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/3MY2SGycGh— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026
Jones had a hot streak with the team early last season, but he was playing behind a great offensive line and had an excellent run game to rely on. He's a draft bust and has hurt the team far too often this season with his poor play.
It's possible that Steichen will scheme as many plays up for Pierce as possible once he's fully healthy. And that should help the offense. Pierce should be treated as a WR2 when he returns and plays without restrictions.
DANNY DIMES DEEP BALL TO ALEC PIERCE.
ATLvsIND on @NFLNetwork
Also streaming on @NFLPlus https://t.co/offSgAe7ul— NFL (@NFL) November 9, 2025
Pierce should get the ball at a higher rate than he did last season. The Colts paid him plenty of money to stay with the team, and Jones has been reluctant to throw the ball to slot WR Josh Downs much, despite him separating at a high rate.
Pierce should be held on to in fantasy leagues, and is a solid buy-low in redraft leagues. He may need until Week 10 or so to get things going, but should be an every-week starter after that.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Week 7 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 7.
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 7 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 7 (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 7 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 7 for Josh Downs, Keenan Allen, Tyler Warren:
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