Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs is off to an impressive start to his second NFL season. Despite battling a toe injury in recent weeks, Downs is developing into a rising star for the Colts in 2024.
What is the latest on Downs’ nagging injury, and will he be able to play in Week 7 when the Colts face the Miami Dolphins?
The Latest on Josh Downs’ Injury
Downs didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice as he continues to manage his toe injury, but he did return to practice on Thursday and received a questionable designation on the final injury report. Appearing on Kay Adams’ show on Friday, Downs downplayed (sorry) the impact of his toe injury and declared himself good to go on Sunday.
#Colts WR @JoshDowns gives us an update on his toe injury 🔊@heykayadams @Colts | #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/4hDmbaS76N
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) October 18, 2024
Ahead of last week’s game against the Tennessee Titans in Week 6, Downs missed the team’s first two practices to start the week. So this week was a more positive practice trend, indicating he shouldn’t miss this game either.
It’s encouraging that Downs practiced the last two days and that he was able to play last week despite his early-week absences.
Josh Downs among WRs over the past three weeks:
🔹 89.7 receiving grade (1st)
🔹 25 receptions (1st)
🔹 15 first downs (T-1st)He has caught all 25 of his catchable targets pic.twitter.com/gGTtQyS5yi
— PFF IND Colts (@colts_pff) October 17, 2024
Given his performance over the last three weeks, the Colts were likely being cautious to ensure that he would be able to go in Week 7.
Over the last three games, with Joe Flacco stepping in at quarterback, Downs began to ascend to the next level. Since Week 4, he has hauled in 25 receptions for 217 yards and two touchdowns.
Downs’ Fantasy Outlook This Week
Downs and Michael Pittman Jr. had been thriving under Joe Flacco, making the decision under center one that impacted their Week 7 ranking by 20+ slots.
Last week, after Anthony Richardson was a late scratch, Downs saw a pair of targets on Indianapolis’ first drive, one that was capped with a 22-yard touchdown catch, vaulting him to his third straight top-20 performance (30 targets across those games).
However, with Richardson back in the starting lineup for Week 7, I’m dropping Downs out of my top 35. Only twice this season has a receiver reached 12 PPR points against the Dolphins, and neither time was that player in the slot for even 22% of his routes.
With Flacco starting, we’d be talking about a 10-ish point rise in my ranks, putting Downs on the Flex radar. However, this is the rare case where a starting quarterback’s return actually has a detrimental effect on the starting wide receivers.
