Who Should I Start? Chris Olave or Alec Pierce

Wednesday, October 22, 5:13 PM

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (ankle) missed practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury that he suffered in Sunday's loss to the Chicago Bears, a source told Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. However, he's expected to play on Sunday when the team hosts the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Olave apparently injured his ankle in last Sunday's loss but still managed to play 84% of the offensive snaps while dominating for fantasy managers with five catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns on seven targets. The 25-year-old former first-rounder is getting a maintenance day on Wednesday and should return to practice later this week and be fine to suit up against the division-rival Bucs this weekend. Olave has exactly 98 yards in each of the last two weeks and has been a must-start in fantasy lineups despite working with quarterback Spencer Rattler this year.

Wednesday, October 22, 11:29 AM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce earned a career-high 10 targets in his team's Week 7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, hauling in five catches for 98 yards. Pierce missed two games due to a concussion earlier this season, but he's been productive when healthy this season. Across five games, the 25-year-old has recorded 16 catches for 317 yards on 27 targets. Perhaps most encouragingly, Pierce has played at least 81% of the Colts' offensive snaps in both games since returning from the concussion. Part of the reason for his target spike in Week 7 was the absence of Colts wideout Josh Downs (concussion). When all three of Downs, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., and tight end Tyler Warren are healthy, it may be difficult for Pierce to see consistent target volume. However, given Pierce's big-play ability (career 17.8 yards per reception), he can post big weeks without seeing a huge target share. Pierce profiles as a boom/bust WR4/flex option for fantasy managers heading into a Week 8 matchup against the Tennessee Titans.