Who Should I Start? Rashod Bateman or Alec Pierce

Wednesday, November 26, 6:08 PM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (ankle) upgraded to a full practice on Wednesday and has been removed from the final injury report in Week 13, according to Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun. Bateman will put an end to his two-game absence due to an ankle sprain and will play against the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving Day on Thursday night. The matchup against Cincy's porous defense is an excellent one for Bateman to return to, but he may not be able to take advantage of it. The 25-year-old is having another disappointing season for fantasy football purposes, having caught just 16 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns on 32 targets through nine games. At best, fantasy managers should consider Bateman to be a low-upside WR5/flex in deeper leagues in his return to Baltimore's lineup.

Tuesday, November 25, 11:30 AM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce put up a dud in his team's Week 12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, recording just one catch for 26 yards on two targets. It was a disappointing result for the 25-year-old, as he had been showing signs of a breakout before the team's Week 11 bye. Across nine games this season, Pierce leads the NFL in yards per reception (21.1). At the same time, he's averaging a career-best six targets per game. Across four games before Indianapolis' Week 11 bye, Pierce's target rate had spiked even higher to 8.8 per contest. While Week 12 showcases that Pierce can still have bust weeks, he also holds explosive upside. Pierce should remain a waiver-wire priority in fantasy leagues with 12 or more teams heading into his Week 13 matchup against the Houston Texans.