Alec Pierce, Top Fantasy Waiver-Wire WR Options After Michael Pittman Jr.'s Injury

The Indianapolis Colts and fantasy football players alike will have to scramble given the latest news regarding wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that Pittman is expected to miss multiple weeks with a back injury and could eventually be placed on injured reserve. If Indianapolis places him on IR, he will be forced to miss four games at a minimum.

The solution for the Colts and fantasy football players may be the same.

Rely on Alec Pierce and Josh Downs.

Downs and Pierce figure to be the most targeted wide receivers for the Colts while Pittman is sidelined, which makes them instant waiver-wire options. Frankly, they were quality waiver-wire options even before it was revealed Pittman may miss up to four games.

There should be some element of caution with Downs, though, as Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star reported he missed Wednesday's practice because of a toe injury.

Still, he is worth picking up for the potential a Pittman-less lineup brings to his fantasy value.

Dan Parr of NFL.com noted Downs has been the Colts' most-targeted receiver since he returned from injury during Week 3. That includes a head-turning 12 targets in the most recent game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which highlights just how reliable of an option he can be on underneath routes for either Joe Flacco or Anthony Richardson.

As for Pierce, the potential return of Richardson could do wonders for his fantasy value.

Atkins noted Richardson was limited in practice, which was a step up from last week when he didn't take any reps leading up to the Jaguars game. While Richardson still has to work on his overall accuracy as a passer, he rarely hesitates to uncork deep balls with his impressive arm strength.

Pierce is the perfect target for those deep balls, as he is averaging an incredible 28.3 yards per catch this season. Those opportunities figure to only increase when Pittman is out, so fantasy players should jump at the chance to add him.

Other waiver-wire possibilities at the position include Darnell Mooney of the Atlanta Falcons and Allen Lazard of the New York Jets.

Mooney has quickly established chemistry with quarterback Kirk Cousins and tallied nine catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns in Atlanta's most recent win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Perhaps most notably, he finished with an enticing 16 targets.

As for Lazard, he has four touchdowns in five games this season. He may be touchdown-dependent, but it is clear Aaron Rodgers looks for him when the Jets are in scoring position.

That makes him worthy of an add, especially for those looking to replace Pittman's production.