Who Should I Start? David Njoku or Alec Pierce

Wednesday, October 22, 11:11 AM

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (knee) will return to practice on Wednesday from the knee injury that sidelined him for the team's Week 7 win over the Miami Dolphins, per The Athletic's Zac Jackson. Additionally, Jackson reports that Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said he is "hopeful" that Njoku will play in Week 8 against the New England Patriots. The 29-year-old recorded 23 catches for 223 yards and a touchdown on 36 targets across six games before getting injured. If Njoku returns, he would likely eat into the workload for Browns rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr., who earned a team-high five targets in Njoku's absence in Week 7. As long as Njoku and Fannin Jr. are splitting snaps in Cleveland, both players are hard for fantasy managers to trust for anything beyond low-end starter production.

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.