Why Alec Pierce and Josh Downs are currently undervalued fantasy WRs

With Michael Pittman Jr. now in Pittsburgh, the door is open for Alec Pierce and Josh Downs in Indy. So why are they undervalued in fantasy?

One reason is probably Daniel Jones, who’s been recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. But with Jones’s Week 1 availability looking promising, the fantasy market should not be penalizing two receivers with strong top-40 potential and decent top-30 upside. Pittman’s 111 targets from last season are now up for grabs. Ashton Dulin, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and rookie Deion Burks probably won’t play outsized WR roles.

Sure, budding star Tyler Warren will command a high target share. But last year he led the team with 112 looks. He might top out at around 130. In other words, there are a lot more targets to go around, and only a small handful of receivers are likely to get them.

Pierce’s WR35 ADP assumes last year was a fluke, when he was the WR27 in points per game. That doesn’t make sense. Pierce was more productive with 84 targets than Pittman was with 32% more targets. We should expect Pierce to take another step forward on 100+ looks.

Meanwhile, Downs is only two years removed from being the WR31 in points per game. Still somehow only 24 years old, he’s a great bet to bounce back as the Colts‘ co-#1 or even wideout. Downs should far exceed his WR46 ADP expectations.

The fantasy market often uses the previous year’s stats as an ADP estimator. This sometimes works in static offenses. The Colts are different. Pittman’s departure makes this corps more streamlined, setting up bargain opportunities for their two best wideouts.

For a deeper dive on how to value the Colts’ top receivers, listen to this recent podcast episode.

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Why Alec Pierce and Josh Downs are currently undervalued fantasy WRs