Who Should I Start? Adam Thielen or Alec Pierce

Friday, May 2, 12:02 PM

Carolina Panthers veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen said that he talked with his family, and they wanted him to play in 2025. He plans to go through a similar process after this season, which is the final year of his contract. Depending on how the 34-year-old feels and what his family thinks after the 2025 campaign, Thielen could hang up his cleats and retire. He's returning for a third season in Carolina after playing in a career-low 10 games in 2024 due to a hamstring injury. In those 10 games, he caught 48 of his 62 targets for 615 yards and five touchdowns. He should continue to be a trusted weapon for young quarterback Bryce Young out of the slot this year, but the addition of first-round rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan will surely make Thielen harder to trust as a WR3/flex in fantasy based on volume alone like he was in 2023, when he recorded the third 1,000-yard season of his career on 103 targets.

Tuesday, July 29, 3:28 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (foot) returned to practice Tuesday after sitting out Monday with a blister in his foot. Pierce has stood out early in camp as he enters a contract year. The 25-year-old led the NFL with a sky-high 22.3 yards per catch and picked up seven touchdowns in 2024, but he only caught 37 passes on 69 targets. Pierce continues to deal with a less-than-stellar situation at quarterback with Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson Sr. vying for the job. There are also a handful of other Colts who could eat into his targets. Pierce finished third on the team in targets last year, trailing well behind Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs, and the Colts have since added first-round tight end Tyler Warren.