Colts beat writer Kevin Bowen considers WR Josh Downs “the ideal slot receiver complement.” While Michael Pittman will kick inside some, Downs’ path to playing in 3-WR sets (with Alec Pierce) looks clear. Bowen adds that the rookie showed a “strong early connection” with QB Anthony Richardson, with Downs “easily creating space in those short areas of the field.” Colts area scout Chad Henry shared the same sentiment. “He’s a playmaker,” Henry said of Downs. “We don’t have a whole lot of guys like him. He’s sort of a human chain mover. Good luck covering him in a short area.” Downs missed part of the spring with a knee issue, but all indications suggest it’s minor. Depending on the play of Richardson, Downs could become a deep-league PPR spot starter. For now, though, he’s not someone to circle on your cheat sheet.
Colts WR Alec Pierce admitted that he hit the rookie wall in 2022. “I don’t know if I necessarily felt it. But I think looking back on the film [late in the season], I did feel like I just wasn’t moving as good as I was early in the season.” While bad QB play factored in, Pierce mustered only nine catches for 82 yards over the final month. The second-year deep threat also noted an offseason area of emphasis. “I definitely needed to work more on my route-running at the top of routes, creating separation,” Pierce said. He projects as a full-time outside WR for new HC Shane Steichen, but we’re not expecting Indy to resemble a pass-happy offense. Pierce isn’t someone we’re looking to aggressively target in best ball leagues — even with an ADP past WR70.
The Colts have named Jim Bob Cooter their new OC. He turned in 3 generally underwhelming seasons as Lions OC from 2016-2018, with finishes of 21st, 13th and 24th in total yards. Cooter then bounced to Jets RBs coach to Eagles "consultant" to Jaguars passing-game coordinator this past year, playing a part in QB Trevor Lawrence's breakout season. Cooter will work under offensive-minded HC Shane Steichen in Indianapolis. Steichen is expected to call plays, according to The Athletic's Zak Keefer.
Shane Steichen is set to be named the Colts' HC, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Rumors of the move gained steam in the days leading up to the Eagles' Super Bowl loss, and Steichen is flying to Indianapolis on Monday afternoon to finalize the deal. The 37-year-old spent the past 2 seasons as Philadelphia's OC under HC Nick Sirianni, helping the Eagles to 14th- and then 3rd-place finishes in total yards. Prior to that, he spent the 2020 campaign as Chargers OC, leading that team to a 9th-place finish in yards with rookie QB Justin Herbert. With the 4th overall pick of this spring's draft, there's a good chance that Steichen is again working with a rookie signal-caller in 2023. Shoddy QB play left the Colts among the bottom 6th in both points and total yards last year. But they have an elite RB in Jonathan Taylor and a young, developing WR corps led by Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce.
Colts WR Michael Pittman caught 10 balls for 60 yards in Saturday's OT loss to the Vikings. He drew 14 targets, accounting for 42.4% of Indy's total pass attempts. No other Colt drew more than 4 looks or exceeded 2 receptions. WRs Parris Campbell and Alec Pierce tied for 2nd in targets. Campbell caught 2 balls for 13 yards. Pierce went catchless. The Colts finish up with the Chargers and Giants the next 2 weeks.
Colts WR Michael Pittman set season-lows in targets (4), catches (2) and yards (16) in Week 13. Yikes. Pittman was shadowed by CB Trevon Diggs for 83% of his routes, per Next Gen Stats. Diggs didn’t give up a single reception, as he blanketed Pittman all night. Despite the tough matchup, it’s certainly a disappointing result considering the production from Alec Pierce (4-86-1) and Parris Campbell (4-43). Pittman will look to rebound Sunday at Minnesota.
Colts WR Alec Pierce caught just 3 passes for 28 yards in Sunday's loss to the Eagles, but he drew a team-high 8 targets. That came in the 1st game all season in which Pierce ran more routes than WR Parris Campbell. Michael Pittman (7) and Campbell (6) finished close behind in targets. Pittman led the team with 6 catches and 75 yards. Campbell caught 5 balls for 67 yards. Next up for Indy: an upside passing matchup with Pittsburgh.
Colts WR Parris Campbell led the team with 12 targets, 10 receptions and 70 receiving yards in Sunday's loss to the Titans, adding Indy's only offensive TD. It marked his 2nd straight game of double-digit targets, though high volume for QB Matt Ryan has certainly helped. Campbell garnered 27.3% of Ryan's pass attempts Sunday and 22.5% over the past 2 games combined. He'll be worth a look in WR3 territory for the Week 8 home date with Washington. Michael Pittman checked in 2nd among Colts WRs against Tennessee, with a 6-58 receiving line on 9 targets. Rookie Alec Pierce collected just 3 catches for 37 yards on 4 targets. The team's TEs combined for just 2 catches and 10 yards on 3 targets.
Colts QB Matt Ryan threw for a season-high 356 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's loss to the Titans. He spread the ball around. TE Mo Alie-Cox, WR Alec Pierce and WR Michael Pittman tied for the target lead with 6 apiece. Alie-Cox caught all of his for 85 yards and both TDs. Pierce caught 4 balls for 80 yards. Pittman was limited to 3 catches for 31 yards. TE Kyle Granson and WR Parris Campbell also hauled in 4 receptions apiece. Challenging matchups with Denver and Jacksonville lie ahead the next 2 weeks.
Colts WR Michael Pittman returned from his 1-game quad injury to draw a team-high 9 targets in Sunday's win over the Chiefs. He turned that into team highs in receptions (8) and receiving yards (72) but watched TE Jelani Woods claim both of the team's TDs. Although operating as the clear top target through his 2 games, Pittman has stopped short of truly dominating in that area, claiming 25.3% of QB Matt Ryan's total attempts in those contests. That level will work for supporting his fantasy production going forward but doesn't match the biggest target hogs around the league. Alec Pierce checked in 2nd among Colts wideouts Sunday with 5 targets in his return from a concussion.
Colts WR Alec Pierce (concussion) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final injury report. He’ll play vs. the Chiefs this weekend but isn’t a viable fantasy starter at this point.
Colts WR Alec Pierce (concussion) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. He's on track to return for this weekend's game vs. the Chiefs but isn't a viable fantasy play at this stage.
Colts WR Alec Pierce (concussion) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Jaguars. The rookie made some progress through the protocol this week and has a good chance to be cleared for Week 3. Look for WR Ashton Dulin to pick up most of Pierce's snaps against Jacksonville.
Colts WR Alec Pierce (concussion) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. It gives him a shot to be cleared in time for Sunday's game vs. the Jaguars. Pierce's status has taken on increased importance with WR Michael Pittman dealing with a quad injury.
Colts WR Alec Pierce developed concussion symptoms in the wake of Sunday's game against the Texans and has entered the league protocol, HC Frank Reich told reporters Wednesday. We'll see whether Pierce can get through ahead of Sunday's game. Pierce ranked 3rd on the team in route rate and drew only 2 targets in the opener, so he shouldn't be near fantasy lineups even if he's back.
Colts WR Michael Pittman drew 13 targets in Sunday's tie with Houston, 6 more than his nearest teammate. Matt Ryan's 50 pass attempts helped enhance that number, but the 26% target share marked a nice start for Indy's clear lead wideout. He proved efficient, too, racking up a 9-121-1 receiving line. RB Jonathan Taylor and TE Kyle Granson tied for 2nd on the team with 7 targets apiece. RB Nyheim Hines and WR Ashton Dulin followed at 6 apiece. No one else drew more than 4. That made Week 1 disappointing for WRs Parris Campbell and Alec Pierce, who drew targets on just 7.7% and 6.3% of routes, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus. (For context: Pittman finished at 27.1%, Dulin at 46.2%.) Campbell and/or Pierce will need things to change before making sense for fantasy football lineups.
The Athletic's James Boyd expects Alec Pierce to emerge as the Colts' 2nd most targeted WR. Boyd believes Pierce's combination of size and speed will make him a more valuable weapon for QB Matt Ryan than WR Parris Campbell, especially in the red zone. We ultimately like targeting both these guys near the end of fantasy drafts.
Colts QB Matt Ryan showed some love for rookie WR Alec Pierce. “More so than anything he does on the field, it’s the combination of the work ethic, the competitiveness, all of the intangible stuff combined with the talent,” Ryan explained. “If you’re going to be a great player in this league, which I think he can be, you’ve got to have it all.” It’s been a smooth summer for Pierce, who’s most recently impressed at join practices with Detroit. “It was good to see Alec make a couple of those plays [in joint practices]– a couple of those back-shoulder plays,” HC Frank Reich said. “I thought Matt put a couple of those right on the money. Alec made the plays. Those are the kind of things we saw from Alec in college.” A Round 2 pick, Pierce looks like a dark horse candidate for 90-100 targets.
Colts HC Frank Reich wants a more balanced offense this season after ranking 28th in pass rate last year. "You don’t see teams that have this ground-and-pound run game win championships,” Reich said. “You just don’t. I’m sure it’s happened with one or two teams, but our best formula is to be balanced." Reich also conceded that it will mean fewer touches for RB Jonathan Taylor. "I’m not saying he won’t lead the league in touches, because you never know how things are going to play out. But I almost don’t want him to," he said of Taylor. “The goal is not to lead the league in rushing. The goal is not to make him the MVP of the league. The goal is to win championships." Taylor easily led the league with 332 carries last year -- 25 more than anyone else. So he can afford to lose some and still be a fantasy stud. More passing, of course, would be good news for QB Matt Ryan, WR Michael Pittman and the rest of the Colts' pass catchers.
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