Who Should I Start? Alec Pierce or Luther Burden III

Thursday, November 20, 10:54 AM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce has become a trustworthy option for fantasy managers this season. In eight games, Pierce has hauled in 28 of 52 targets for 585 yards and a touchdown, averaging 9.8 half-PPR points per game. As of late, Pierce has been dominant, leading the NFL in receiving yards (366) from Week 7 to Week 10. His connection with Daniel Jones has been on point this season, and the Colts' offensive performance has opened more big-play opportunities for the deep threat receiver. However, he faces a very tough matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, who have allowed the fewest receiving yards to wide receivers in 2025. While a tough matchup causes a lot more risk, Pierce is worth starting as a WR3/FLEX play in Week 12.

Wednesday, November 19, 5:44 PM

Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III has earned a bigger role on offense going forward, according to head coach Ben Johnson. "You get what you earn. And I think he's earned the increased snaps," Johnson said. Burden only played 44% of the offensive snaps in the Week 11 win over the Minnesota Vikings, but it was only the second time all year he has played over 40% of the snaps, and they have come in back-to-back weeks. The 21-year-old pass-catcher caught three of his five targets against Minnesota for 27 yards. The second-rounder out of Missouri has six grabs on eight targets the last two weeks for 78 yards. Burden has been inconsistent in his first year in the NFL in an offense with plenty of mouths to feed, but it sounds as though he'll have a chance to jump DJ Moore for the WR2 in Chicago before the year is over. Fantasy managers looking for WR depth could do worse than Burden. He's rostered in only 9% of Yahoo leagues.