The Indianapolis Colts will face the New England Patriots in Week 13. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Alec Pierce.
Is Alec Pierce Playing in Week 13?
Updated at 11:30 AM on Sunday, December 1
Pierce is active today
Josh Downs isn’t the only Colts wide receiver dealing with an injury issue. Pierce also failed to practice on Wednesday and Thursday due to a foot problem.
Head coach Shane Steichen said Pierce was “good” on Monday after gingerly walking in the locker room after Sunday’s game. The positive news is that Pierce returned for a full practice on Friday, though he still ended up with a questionable designation.
With Josh Downs sidelined this week, Michael Pittman Jr. and second-round rookie Adonai Mitchell could see expanded roles, particularly if Pierce is limited or out.
We’ll continue to monitor the Colts’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Alec Pierce in Week 13?
Anthony Richardson overshot Alec Pierce on what should have been a chunk play and had a shot at becoming an 88-yard score. Such is life when opting to party with a profile like Pierce’s.
He finished the game with just a single grab (39 yards), and you know that level of risk is a part of the deal. He does have three straight games with a 30-yard reception, but is the juice worth the squeeze?
The Colts are one of six teams yet to have their bye, and Pierce is rare in that he has appeared in every one of his team’s games this season. With that knowledge, would you be surprised to know that 112 players have more receptions than him this season?
The Patriots were picked apart by Tua Tagovailoa a week ago, but even in his dominating effort, there were zero 30-yard gains. I’m never going to rank Pierce as a viable weekly option based on his volatile role, but if you’re swinging for the fences, there are few dart throws with a clearer path to a spike week.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Alec Pierce’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of 8 AM ET on Sunday morning, Pierce is projected to score 9.2 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 2.8 receptions for 49.2 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Patriots' Defense
Of all the elements of Jerod Mayo's start as head coach, the decline in the New England Patriots defense will be the most concerning. Having been a top-10 defense each of the last three years, to have fallen off this much is a major concern. New England needed the defense to be solid to support their rebuilding offense, and that hasn't been the case.
After trading away Matthew Judon before the season, the Patriots will need to address their failure to get pressure without blitzing this offseason. This should, in turn, help the turnover rate and the pass defense by not leaving New England's corners exposed in one-on-one matchups or having to cover for as long.
For the most part, the Dolphins did whatever they wanted in Week 12. The numbers did not look too bad in the end, and a defensive touchdown salvaged the day. However, Miami took its foot off the gas in the second half, and the turnover came when Skylar Thompson was in for a drive.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Alec Pierce’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 10:30 AM ET on Sunday, December 1. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 13 WR PPR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (at BAL)
2) Justin Jefferson | MIN (vs. ARI)
3) Nico Collins | HOU (at JAX)
4) Ja'Marr Chase | CIN (vs. PIT)
5) Puka Nacua | LAR (at NO)
6) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (vs. CHI)
7) George Pickens | PIT (at CIN)
8) Mike Evans | TB (at CAR)
9) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at GB)
10) CeeDee Lamb | DAL (vs. NYG)
11) Terry McLaurin | WAS (vs. TEN)
12) Cooper Kupp | LAR (at NO)
13) Tee Higgins | CIN (vs. PIT)
14) Drake London | ATL (vs. LAC)
15) Malik Nabers | NYG (at DAL)
16) Courtland Sutton | DEN (vs. CLE)
17) DK Metcalf | SEA (at NYJ)
18) Khalil Shakir | BUF (vs. SF)
19) Calvin Ridley | TEN (at WAS)
20) Zay Flowers | BAL (vs. PHI)
21) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at NYJ)
22) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at ATL)
23) Jayden Reed | GB (vs. MIA)
24) Jameson Williams | DET (vs. CHI)
25) Jauan Jennings | SF (at BUF)
26) Davante Adams | NYJ (vs. SEA)
27) Deebo Samuel Sr. | SF (at BUF)
28) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at GB)
29) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (vs. SEA)
30) DeVonta Smith | PHI (at BAL)
31) Darnell Mooney | ATL (vs. LAC)
32) Amari Cooper | BUF (vs. SF)
33) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (at NE)
34) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (at MIN)
35) Tank Dell | HOU (at JAX)
36) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. LV)
37) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at KC)
38) DJ Moore | CHI (at DET)
39) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. LV)
40) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (vs. HOU)
41) Keenan Allen | CHI (at DET)
42) Jordan Addison | MIN (vs. ARI)
43) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at ATL)
44) Rome Odunze | CHI (at DET)
45) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (at DEN)
46) Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG (at DAL)
47) Elijah Moore | CLE (at DEN)
48) Christian Watson | GB (vs. MIA)
49) Noah Brown | WAS (vs. TEN)
50) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (vs. SF)
51) Xavier Legette | CAR (vs. TB)
52) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. IND)
53) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (at WAS)
54) Keon Coleman | BUF (vs. SF)
55) Adam Thielen | CAR (vs. TB)
56) Brandin Cooks | DAL (vs. NYG)
57) Ricky Pearsall | SF (at BUF)
58) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs. IND)
59) Alec Pierce | IND (at NE)
60) Devaughn Vele | DEN (vs. CLE)
61) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (vs. LAC)
62) Darius Slayton | NYG (at DAL)
63) Rashod Bateman | BAL (vs. PHI)
64) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (vs. NYG)
65) Mike Williams | PIT (at CIN)
66) Jalen McMillan | TB (at CAR)
67) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at ATL)
68) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at NYJ)
69) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. LV)
70) Michael Wilson | ARI (at MIN)
71) Tre Tucker | LV (at KC)
72) Van Jefferson | PIT (at CIN)
73) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (at NO)
74) Parker Washington | JAX (vs. HOU)
75) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs. IND)
76) Mack Hollins | BUF (vs. SF)
77) Adonai Mitchell | IND (at NE)
78) Tyler Boyd | TEN (at WAS)
79) Calvin Austin III | PIT (at CIN)
80) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (vs. MIA)
81) Justin Watson | KC (vs. LV)
82) Diontae Johnson | BAL (vs. PHI)
83) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (vs. NYG)
84) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (vs. CLE)
85) Lil'Jordan Humphrey | DEN (vs. CLE)
86) John Metchie III | HOU (at JAX)
87) Ja'Lynn Polk | NE (vs. IND)
88) Jalen Nailor | MIN (vs. ARI)
89) Troy Franklin | DEN (vs. CLE)
90) Odell Beckham Jr. | MIA (at GB)
91) Kalif Raymond | DET (vs. CHI)
92) Tim Patrick | DET (vs. CHI)
93) Jahan Dotson | PHI (at BAL)
94) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (vs. TEN)
95) Malik Washington | MIA (at GB)
96) Nelson Agholor | BAL (vs. PHI)
97) Bo Melton | GB (vs. MIA)
98) Tylan Wallace | BAL (vs. PHI)
99) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (vs. TEN)
100) Mecole Hardman Jr. | KC (vs. LV)
101) Tutu Atwell | LAR (at NO)
102) Jalen Brooks | DAL (vs. NYG)
103) Dyami Brown | WAS (vs. TEN)
104) Xavier Hutchinson | HOU (at JAX)
105) DJ Turner | LV (at KC)
106) Tyler Johnson | LAR (at NO)
107) Robert Woods | HOU (at JAX)
108) Jalen Reagor | LAC (at ATL)
109) Jake Bobo | SEA (at NYJ)
110) Jordan Whittington | LAR (at NO)
111) Greg Dortch | ARI (at MIN)
112) Jonathan Mingo | DAL (vs. NYG)
113) Sterling Shepard | TB (at CAR)
114) Parris Campbell | PHI (at BAL)
115) Trey Palmer | TB (at CAR)
116) DeAndre Carter | CHI (at DET)
117) Laviska Shenault Jr. | SEA (at NYJ)
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots Trends
Indianapolis Colts
Team: Every Colt road game this season has been decided by one possession (most recent: Week 11’s 28-27 win in New York over the Jets).
QB: In Week 12, Anthony Richardson completed just 11-of-28 passes (39.3%) with zero touchdowns. He now has as many games this season with 25+ attempts and a sub-40% completion rate as the rest of the NFL (two),
Offense: Indianapolis was forced to punt on 60% of their drives on Sunday against the Lions, their highest rate this season.
Defense: The Colts are encouraging the checkdowns. In Week 11 against the Jets, their opponent's aDOT was 4.3 yards and last week, the Lions posted a 5.7 aDOT against Indy (prior to this run, no opponent had a sub-6.5-yard aDOT against the Colts).
Fantasy: The return of Richardson under center has decimated Jonathan Taylor’s efficiency. In those two weeks, Taylor has produced 58.4% under expectations (36 touches for 95 yards and zero scores).
Betting: The Colts fell to Malik Willis’ Packers in Week 2, but they’ve covered four of five road games since then.
New England Patriots
Team: The Patriots are tied with the Panthers for most losses by 15+ points this season (five). New England had two such results all of last season.
QB: The ups and downs of a rookie QB. Drake Maye’s completion percentage marks for the month of November (ending with the most recent): 70.7%, 60%, 75%, and 59.5%.
Offense: After scoring on over 40% of their drives in consecutive games (at Bears and vs. Rams), New England managed points on just one-of-12 drives in Miami (8.3%).
Defense: The Patriots have allowed an opponent to post a 125+ passer rating twice this season, both times in the past two weeks (Rams and Dolphins).
Fantasy: Rhamondre Stevenson hasn’t scored in three straight games and his production relative to expectations over that stretch is -41.1%. He now has five games this season with single-digit PPR points – three games with under five points to offset his three 20+ point games.
Betting: The Patriots are just 2-13-2 ATS over their past 17 at home.