AlecPierce

News: 13 hours agoColts head coach Shane Steichen said Monday that Pierce (heel) will "most likely not" have his 21-day practice window opened in Week 8, Jake Arthur of Roundtable.io reports.

Spin: A couple weeks ago, Pierce shed the cast that he had been wearing to protect his surgically repaired left heel, but the wideout looks like he'll remain limited to rehab work for at least another week before potentially making his return to practice. In Pierce's continued absence, the Colts will lean on Josh Downs, Keenan Allen and Laquon Treadwell to serve as their primary receiver trio, though none of the three have been consistent fantasy producers while quarterback Daniel Jones (4:7 TD:INT, 5.8 yards per attempt) has struggled mightily through the first seven weeks of the season.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Pierce has spent the majority of his first four NFL seasons as a situational deep threat, but that didn't stop him from becoming one of the league's highest-paid wide receivers during the offseason. The 2022 second-round pick is fresh off a career year and he's now paced all receivers in YPR, YPT and aDOT each of the last two seasons. However, he's yet to finish a season better than 48th at WR in target share (18%), 42nd in targets (84), 45th in catches (47), 18th in yards (1,003), 18th in TDs (seven) or 25th in fantasy PPG. Of course, with Michael Pittman Jr. no longer in the mix, Pierce is a good bet for a more well-rounded role as Daniel Jones' top target. There's some risk here, but the 26-year-old's hefty contract suggests we should take him seriously as a fantasy WR3.