Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Alec Pierce

Monday, November 3, 7:30 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday that the team will not open wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's (knee) 21-day practice window this week, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Shanahan mentioned recently that Aiyuk was getting closer to returning to practice, but apparently it won't be this week. The 27-year-old has been on the Physically Unable to Perform list all year after tearing his ACL and MCL on Oct. 20 last year. San Fran is still holding out hope that the former first-rounder will be able to help them this year, but fantasy managers stashing Aiyuk shouldn't be as confident that he'll be able to help out in 2025. In addition to Aiyuk, the Niners have been without Ricky Pearsall (knee) since Week 4 due to a sprained PCL. Jauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne, and Demarcus Robinson have been the team's starting receivers in three-wide sets in recent weeks.

Monday, November 3, 10:59 AM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce recorded six catches for 115 yards on a career-high 13 targets in his team's Week 9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pierce has now earned double-digit targets in two out of his last three games and has reached at least 67 receiving yards in five out of the seven games he's been healthy for this season. The 25-year-old has established himself as one of the NFL's premier downfield weapons, as he's currently leading the league in yards per reception (20.9) for the second straight season. Additionally, Pierce's recent bump in target volume could be a sign that the Colts are trusting him to be a more well-rounded wide receiver. It's worth noting that Colts quarterback Daniel Jones attempted 50 passes in Week 9, a trend unlikely to continue. Still, Pierce profiles as a high-upside fantasy WR3/4 and could be a player to target on the waiver wire heading into a Week 10 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.