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    Should You Start Colts WR Josh Downs in Fantasy Football Week 8?

    Indianapolis Colts WR Josh Downs has been impressive in his rookie season -- does he belong in starting fantasy football lineups in Week 8?

    Josh Downs showed plenty of potential coming out of North Carolina, but he mysteriously fell down draft boards until the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft when the Indianapolis Colts finally stopped his draft day slide.

    He’s proving the other 31 teams that passed on him wrong by being an instant contributor in his rookie season. Downs has been a solid addition to fantasy football rosters that scooped him up off of the waiver wire. Should he be in starting lineups in Week 8 in a tough matchup, though?

    Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!

    Josh Downs’ Fantasy Outlook in Week 8

    Did you know that Downs has as many red-zone targets on the season as players like Jaylen Waddle, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and A.J. Brown?

    Gardner Minshew has been locking onto the rookie WR out of the slot this season, and he’s been producing in a big way for fantasy lineups here recently. Downs has now finished as a top-30 WR in his last three games, and he’s coming off of a monstrous performance in Week 7, where he finished as the WR3 in fantasy football.

    Looking ahead to Week 8, Downs has a tough matchup in front of him against the New Orleans Saints, who are a top-10 defense when it comes to allowing fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. However, he also had a difficult matchup in Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns, and he came through for fantasy managers there.

    As long as Minshew is at QB for the Colts, Downs has been seeing steady enough volume to be a reliable option in any matchup. His quick feet off the line of scrimmage allow him to get into his route quickly and create a reliable option in the quick passing game for his quarterback.

    Should You Start Downs in Week 8?

    Downs belongs in starting lineups as a low-end WR3 that gets a slight bump up in full-PPR formats. In a better matchup, he’d be higher in the rankings, but there are simply too many other more reliable options this week with zero teams on a bye.

    MORE: Fantasy News Tracker

    If you’re considering whether or not to start Downs over the other wide receivers you have on your roster, we have a free Start/Sit Optimizer that’s here to make these tough decisions easy for you! Simply enter in the options on your roster, and you’ll find our consensus projections there and ready to help!

    Kyle Yates’ Week 8 Fantasy Football WR Rankings

    1) Stefon Diggs | BUF (vs. TB)
    2) A.J. Brown | PHI (at WAS)
    3) Cooper Kupp | LAR (at DAL)
    4) Keenan Allen | LAC (vs. CHI)
    5) Tyreek Hill | MIA (vs. NE)
    6) Ja’Marr Chase | CIN (at SF)
    7) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (vs. LV)
    8) Davante Adams | LV (at DET)
    9) Brandon Aiyuk | SF (vs. CIN)
    10) CeeDee Lamb | DAL (vs. LAR)
    11) Puka Nacua | LAR (at DAL)
    12) Adam Thielen | CAR (vs. HOU)
    13) Mike Evans | TB (at BUF)
    14) Chris Olave | NO (at IND)
    15) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (vs. NE)
    16) Christian Kirk | JAX (at PIT)
    17) Zay Flowers | BAL (at ARI)
    18) DeVonta Smith | PHI (at WAS)
    19) Jordan Addison | MIN (at GB)
    20) Nico Collins | HOU (at CAR)

    21) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at DET)
    22) Terry McLaurin | WAS (vs. PHI)
    23) DJ Moore | CHI (at LAC)
    24) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (at NYG)
    25) George Pickens | PIT (vs. JAX)
    26) DK Metcalf | SEA (vs. CLE)
    27) Courtland Sutton | DEN (vs. KC)
    28) Calvin Ridley | JAX (at PIT)
    29) Joshua Palmer | LAC (vs. CHI)
    30) Chris Godwin | TB (at BUF)
    31) Amari Cooper | CLE (at SEA)
    32) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (vs. NO)
    33) Tee Higgins | CIN (at SF)
    34) Drake London | ATL (at TEN)
    35) Diontae Johnson | PIT (vs. JAX)
    36) Marquise Brown | ARI (vs. BAL)
    37) Tyler Lockett | SEA (vs. CLE)
    38) Rashee Rice | KC (at DEN)
    39) Josh Downs | IND (vs. NO)
    40) Gabe Davis | BUF (vs. TB)

    41) DeAndre Hopkins | TEN (vs. ATL)
    42) Tank Dell | HOU (at CAR)
    43) Michael Thomas | NO (at IND)
    44) Romeo Doubs | GB (vs. MIN)
    45) Kendrick Bourne | NE (at MIA)
    46) Jerry Jeudy | DEN (vs. KC)
    47) Curtis Samuel | WAS (vs. PHI)
    48) Rashid Shaheed | NO (at IND)
    49) K.J. Osborn | MIN (at GB)
    50) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (vs. CLE)
    51) Josh Reynolds | DET (vs. LV)
    52) Brandin Cooks | DAL (vs. LAR)
    53) Michael Gallup | DAL (vs. LAR)
    54) Wan’Dale Robinson | NYG (vs. NYJ)
    55) Jayden Reed | GB (vs. MIN)
    56) Elijah Moore | CLE (at SEA)
    57) Christian Watson | GB (vs. MIN)
    58) Odell Beckham Jr. | BAL (at ARI)
    59) DJ Chark | CAR (vs. HOU)
    60) Tutu Atwell | LAR (at DAL)

    61) Jahan Dotson | WAS (vs. PHI)
    62) Allen Lazard | NYJ (at NYG)
    63) Michael Wilson | ARI (vs. BAL)
    64) Tyler Boyd | CIN (at SF)
    65) Jameson Williams | DET (vs. LV)
    66) Darius Slayton | NYG (vs. NYJ)
    67) Rondale Moore | ARI (vs. BAL)
    68) Jalin Hyatt | NYG (vs. NYJ)
    69) Kadarius Toney | KC (at DEN)
    70) Nelson Agholor | BAL (at ARI)
    71) Jauan Jennings | SF (vs. CIN)
    72) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (vs. KC)
    73) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | KC (at DEN)
    74) Darnell Mooney | CHI (at LAC)
    75) Treylon Burks | TEN (vs. ATL)
    76) Skyy Moore | KC (at DEN)
    77) Brandon Powell | MIN (at GB)
    78) Quentin Johnston | LAC (vs. CHI)
    79) Rashod Bateman | BAL (at ARI)
    80) Demario Douglas | NE (at MIA)

    81) Braxton Berrios | MIA (vs. NE)
    82) DeVante Parker | NE (at MIA)
    83) Trey Palmer | TB (at BUF)
    84) Jake Bobo | SEA (vs. CLE)
    85) Jonathan Mingo | CAR (vs. HOU)
    86) Alec Pierce | IND (vs. NO)
    87) Robert Woods | HOU (at CAR)
    88) Donovan Peoples-Jones | CLE (at SEA)
    89) Kalif Raymond | DET (vs. LV)
    90) Cedrick Wilson Jr. | MIA (vs. NE)
    91) Allen Robinson II | PIT (vs. JAX)
    92) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (vs. ATL)
    93) Mecole Hardman Jr. | KC (at DEN)
    94) Tyler Scott | CHI (at LAC)
    95) Ray-Ray McCloud III | SF (vs. CIN)
    96) Mack Hollins | ATL (at TEN)
    97) JuJu Smith-Schuster | NE (at MIA)
    98) Deonte Harty | BUF (vs. TB)
    99) Olamide Zaccheaus | PHI (at WAS)
    100) Khalil Shakir | BUF (vs. TB)

    101) Van Jefferson | ATL (at TEN)
    102) Tre Tucker | LV (at DET)
    103) Jamal Agnew | JAX (at PIT)
    104) Isaiah Hodgins | NYG (vs. NYJ)
    105) Calvin Austin III | PIT (vs. JAX)
    106) Randall Cobb | NYJ (at NYG)
    107) Brandon Johnson | DEN (vs. KC)
    108) Terrace Marshall Jr. | CAR (vs. HOU)
    109) Deven Thompkins | TB (at BUF)
    110) Deebo Samuel | SF (vs. CIN)
    111) Noah Brown | HOU (at CAR)
    112) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (vs. MIN)
    113) Laviska Shenault Jr. | CAR (vs. HOU)
    114) Marquise Goodwin | CLE (at SEA)
    115) Hunter Renfrow | LV (at DET)
    116) Trenton Irwin | CIN (at SF)
    117) Tyquan Thornton | NE (at MIA)
    118) Kyle Philips | TEN (vs. ATL)
    119) Dyami Brown | WAS (vs. PHI)
    120) Chris Moore | TEN (vs. ATL)
    121) Justyn Ross | KC (at DEN)
    122) Julio Jones | PHI (at WAS)
    123) Sterling Shepard | NYG (vs. NYJ)
    124) Samori Toure | GB (vs. MIN)
    125) Derius Davis | LAC (vs. CHI)
    126) Tim Jones | JAX (at PIT)
    127) Trent Sherfield | BUF (vs. TB)
    128) Andrei Iosivas | CIN (at SF)
    129) John Metchie III | HOU (at CAR)
    130) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (vs. LAR)

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