Alec Pierce was firmly off the fantasy radar heading into
2024. Despite being a second-round pick in 2022, the Indianapolis Colts wideout
never seemed to find his footing in the league and underwhelmed during his
first two professional campaigns.

Pierce has begun the new season re-writing the narrative surrounding him while emerging as the top receiver in Indianapolis’ offense. His red-hot start includes a three-catch, 125-yard, one-touchdown outing in the opener followed by a five-catch, 56-yard, one-score performance in Week 2.

The wideout has already matched his touchdown total from each of the last two seasons while placing as the WR10 in Week 1—the best weekly finish of his entire career—and still ranked as a respectable WR17 in Week 2 despite coming back down to earth a bit.

The 24-year-old is accomplishing this despite working within an offense that doesn’t seem to be emphasizing the pass too heavily. Second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson threw just 17 times in a tough loss to the Houston Texans to start the year, and while he doubled that volume this past Sunday, it was necessary due to the Colts playing from behind against a tough Green Bay Packers defense.

Pierce clearly has the support of his quarterback, who has
not only targeted him more times (10 targets) than any other Colts player
outside of star wideout Michael Pittman Jr., (15 targets), but also wore a t-shirt
during pre-game warmups this weekend that prominently featured the
third-year wideout.

The battery has established a strong rapport already—their 181 yards and two touchdowns vastly outpace the combined production of both Pittman and No. 3 receiver Ashton Dulin—and that should only continue to grow as Pierce gets more comfortable with his prominent role in Indy’s offense.

While Pierce still needs to prove he can perform like a top-20 receiver on a consistent basis, he’s now shown enough for fantasy managers to start believing in him and to get him on their roster. Pierce is still available in nearly three-quarters of leagues even after his breakout Week 1 game, although that percentage should drastically shoot up after waivers process in the coming days.