Who Should I Start? Jaylen Waddle or Alec Pierce

Monday, January 6, 12:07 PM

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle caught four of nine targets for 44 yards in the 32-20 Week 18 loss to the New York Jets. He also carried the ball once for six yards. It was a disappointing ending to a season where Waddle was at career lows in all major receiving statistics. He failed to reach 1000 yards for the first time as a pro and finished third on the team in receiving yards behind Jonnu Smith. With Tyreek Hill making it abundantly clear that he wants to be traded out of Miami, there's a chance Waddle can return to being the WR1 for the first time since 2021. Tua Tagovailoa missing four games heavily contributed to Waddle's decline, but he looks to head into 2025 fully healthy. He will look to start fresh and return to his old self when the season returns in September.

Sunday, January 5, 8:34 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce did his usual thing on Sunday, catching a deep 40-yard touchdown pass on the team's opening drive and adding another 17-yard catch in the 26-23 win over the Jaguars. Despite only 37 receptions on the season, the 24-year-old finishes as the Colts' receiving leader with 824 yards and seven touchdowns. With blazing speed, he led the league in average depth of target (aDOT) which helped him rack up the yardage. The former second-round draft pick will likely fill a similar role in 2025 but, unless he can garner additional targets, it's hard to envision outpacing this season's production. Nevertheless, he should be worthy of at least a bench spot in next year's drafts, as he can be a viable (yet volatile) fill-in when the bye weeks hit.