Who Should I Start? Alec Pierce or C.J. Stroud

Thursday, December 18, 4:26 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (Achilles) is listed as a limited practice participant on Thursday's injury report due to an Achilles issue. Pierce played 100% of the Colts' offensive snaps in Week 15, so this could be more of an injury management situation than an acute injury. Still, Pierce will likely need to log a full practice on either Friday or Saturday to avoid being listed as questionable for his team's Week 16 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. Across 12 games this season, Pierce has recorded 39 receptions for 785 yards and two touchdowns on 68 targets. However, he recorded just one catch on one target in Week 15, which was Indianapolis' first game with Philip Rivers under center as its starting quarterback. If Pierce were to miss Week 16, Colts wideouts Josh Downs (personal) and Michael Pittman Jr. could each see an uptick in targets.

Friday, December 19, 10:11 AM

Across 11 starts this season, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has completed 65.3% of his pass attempts for 2,441 yards, 15 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Since returning from a concussion that forced him to miss three games from Week 10 through Week 12, the 24-year-old has played some of his best football. Over his last three outings, Stroud is averaging 246.3 passing yards per game and has thrown four touchdowns to just one interception. The Houston offense as a whole is coming off one of its best performances in Week 15 against the Arizona Cardinals, putting up close to 400 yards of total offense and 40 points. The Texans host the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 16 before a more challenging matchup in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Stroud could have an opportunity to extend his recent run of solid play and profiles as a borderline fantasy QB1 down the stretch of the season.