Colts Kick Tires on Chase Claypool as Alec Pierce Sits Out Camp
Indianapolis worked out the 28-year-old, two years removed from an NFL snap. His last relevant season: 9 TDs as a 2020 rookie.
Pierce's camp absence matters more to fantasy than any Claypool signing
- Claypool worked out for Colts; 28, out of NFL 2 seasons
- Rookie peak: 62 rec, 873 yds, 9 TD in 2020
- 9.98 RAS out of Notre Dame in 2020
- Pierce: 47 rec, 1003 yds, 6 TD in 2025 (183 PPR)
- Also worked out for Packers in May
The Colts brought Chase Claypool in for a workout, and if you had to guess the timing, you'd land on the truth: Alec Pierce is sidelined and Indianapolis is short on proven bodies outside. Claypool is 28, a former second-round pick, and two full seasons removed from an NFL game after a toe injury wiped out his 2024 with Buffalo. This is a look, not a commitment.
The résumé that got him here is old. His best year was his 2020 rookie campaign in Pittsburgh — 62 catches, 873 yards, nine touchdowns over 16 games — which earned him All-Rookie honors. He followed with 59 grabs for 860 yards in 2021, then fell off a cliff: a busted trade to Chicago, a forgettable half-season in Miami in 2023, and then two years out of the league entirely.
On paper the fit is fine. At 6-foot-4, 238 pounds, Claypool profiles as a big possession receiver who can stretch the field vertically — not unlike the departed Michael Pittman Jr. in build and role. He was a freakish 9.98 RAS athlete coming out of Notre Dame. But that was six years and one lost toe ago, and there's no telling how much of that explosiveness survived two seasons on the couch.
Why Indy Even Bothered
Pierce is out of camp for at least another week, and the depth behind him is thin. The projected outside starters opposite Pierce are Ashton Dulin and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine — a pair who combined for 40 PPR points across the entire 2025 season (20 apiece). That's the kind of vacuum that gets an agent a phone call. Realistically, this reads as due diligence, kicking the tires to see whether there's any gas left in the tank.
The Fantasy Fallout
Don't rush to your waiver wire over this one. Claypool has zero fantasy relevance until he signs, makes a roster, and proves the toe and the athleticism are back — a stack of ifs. Even if he lands, he'd be fighting Dulin and Westbrook-Ikhine for the least valuable snaps in the offense.
The name worth tracking is Pierce. He posted 47 catches, 1,003 yards and six touchdowns for 183 PPR points in 2025 (15 games), trending up by 1.7 fantasy points per game over his final five. He's our WR25 and the only Colts receiver here who moves rosters. Keep an eye on his camp return — that's the real story. Claypool is background noise until proven otherwise.
