Michael Pittman

With Josh Downs sidelined for this game, Pittman stepped up as the clear No. 1 receiver for Anthony Richardson, logging a 29 percent target share in the process. Though he seemingly did little with the increased role, his 42 yards were 20 more than any other Colts pass-catcher. He also drew two pass interference calls including a crucial one on the Colts' final drive that kept the chains moving on third down. Pittman's role will shrink if Josh Downs is healthy coming out of Indy's upcoming bye. With Downs active and Anthony Richardson under center, Pittman has struggled to do more than post WR4 numbers.

Colts WR Alec Pierce (foot) is active for today s game vs. the Patriots. He missed the first two practices of the week but returned to a full workout on Friday. With WRs Josh Downs (shoulder) and Ashton Dulin (ankle) out, Pierce, Michael Pittman, and Adonai Mitchell are locked in as the top three WRs against New England s 20th-ranked WR defense.

Head coach Shane Steichen called Downs a long-shot to play earlier this week, so the news isn't much of a surprise. Downs fell hard on his shoulder in the Colts' Week 12 loss to the Lions but played through the injury until the final whistle. Once the adrenaline wore off, it was fairly obvious that he would miss some time with the issue. Michael Pittman should pace the Colts in targets this week, putting him on the WR3 radar despite Anthony Richardson's accuracy woes.

Colts WR Alec Pierce (foot) did not practice on Wednesday. We don't have any details on his foot injury. WR Josh Downs (shoulder) is not expected to play vs. the Patriots this weekend, while WR Ashton Dulin (ankle) also missed Wednesday's practice. That leaves Michael Pittman, Adonai Mitchell, and Anthony Gould as the three healthy WRs on Indianapolis' active roster.

Pierce's absence, should it come to pass, has the potential to narrow the Colts passing game tree a little and provide extra value to Michael Pittman jr. and Adonai Mitchell this week. Thursday's practice will show more of the picture as to how close Pierce is to playing or not playing, but Shane Steichen said he was "fine" after being shaken up late against the Lions.