Who Should I Start? Jermaine Burton or Alec Pierce

Wednesday, September 11, 8:32 PM

When asked if Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton would warrant more snaps if Tee Higgins (hamstring) remains out in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, head coach Zac Taylor said, "I think Jermaine is making progress." Higgins hurt his hamstring last Thursday in practice and didn't play in the Week 1 loss to the New England Patriots. It wasn't a good sign that the 23-year-old Burton played just 8% of the offensive snaps behind Ja'Marr Chase, Andrei Iosivas, Trenton Irwin and Charlie Jones. Burton was selected in the third round of the NFL draft back in April but reportedly struggled with his professionalism during offseason workouts and in training camp. The talent is there, but it sounds like Burton needs to mature behind the scenes before he can expect to have any kind of significant role in the Bengals offense. He's merely a dynasty/keeper stash for now.

Monday, September 16, 12:38 AM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce led all pass-catchers when he grabbed five of his seven targets for 56 yards and a touchdown in the team's Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers. This now makes two weeks in a row where Pierce was the most productive member of the WR room, ahead of the likes of WRs Michael Pittman Jr. and Adonai Mitchell, who were projected to have more involved roles than Pierce. Pierce also led all three in snaps with 53, further solidifying himself as a legitimate option in the offense. It's unclear how snap shares may differ when WR Josh Downs (knee) returns to the lineup, but Pierce looks to be QB Anthony Richardson's favorite target thus far in the season. Fantasy managers in all formats should look to him as a Waiver Wire target but might want to follow the status of Downs' Week 3 availability against the Chicago Bears before inserting him into lineups.