Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs was a late addition to the injury report this week, scaring fantasy football managers about his availability to play today against the Carolina Panthers. Will Downs play versus the Panthers? What is the latest news with regard to his injury status? And, if he does play, what is his fantasy outlook for today?
Is Josh Downs Going To Play Week 9?
Downs surprised fantasy managers by appearing on the injury report on Thursday after not being on it on Wednesday. He has a knee injury and has been struggling for the second half of the week. However, he has practiced both Thursday and Friday, albeit in a limited capacity.
Adam Schefter of ESPN provided an update on Downs early Sunday morning. He posted on X, “Colts’ WR Josh Downs, listed as questionable for Sunday due to a knee injury, is “tracking to play” vs. the Panthers, per source. He still wants to see how it feels pre-game, and he’s not 100 percent, but he wants and intends to play.”
It seems that Downs will be officially a game-time decision, but with the likelihood that he will play today. However, with that knee injury meaning he won’t be 100% even if he does start, what does that mean for his potential fantasy outlook for today?
What Is Downs’ Potential Fantasy Outlook for Today?
Downs has had an impressive run over the past month, propelling him to WR31 on the season after a slow start to his NFL career.
The change of quarterback from Anthony Richardson to Gardner Minshew has led to an increased volume of passes — and an increased amount of work for Downs specifically.
According to PFN’s Consensus Rankings, Downs is currently ranked as the WR29. However, should fantasy managers be worried about his matchup as much as the injury?
Coming into Week 9, the Panthers are currently ranked 25th in the NFL in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. They are conceding just 24.9 fantasy points per game.
And Downs this week has an even matchup against Panthers cornerback Troy Hill. Hill comes into this week allowing 0.27 fantasy points per route run against him, according to the FantasyPoints Data Suite.
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Downs, if fully fit, will see some passing volume. However, Alec Pierce did run more routes than Downs last week, so the Colts could go to alternative targets if they don’t feel Downs can handle the workload.
The Panthers have also struggled to stop the run this season. They are currently giving up 28.7 fantasy points per game to fantasy running backs, behind only the Denver Broncos for most fantasy points to running backs in the NFL.
The Colts could move into a heavier running-game script, especially if they go ahead early. And, with Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss producing in recent weeks, they have plenty of potency on the ground to exploit the Panthers’ weakness.
Personally, Downs is a low-end, volume-dependent WR3 this week. I don’t see a significant upside to Downs this week. Fantasy managers might have better options on their bench that could deliver a higher upside, like Rashid Shaheed of the New Orleans Saints versus the Chicago Bears, or Michael Thomas in the same game who has an excellent matchup against Tyrique Stevenson of the Bears.
Fantasy managers might lose the safe floor with Downs this week if he isn’t 100%, and he doesn’t have the matchup to chase great upside. Therefore, fantasy managers should evaluate their bench and the PFN Consensus Rankings to explore their options in full.
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