The Indianapolis Colts will face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Josh Downs.
Is Josh Downs Playing in Week 9?
The Indianapolis Colts have been giving Josh Downs rest days since he injured his toe in Week 5. He hasn’t practiced on Wednesdays in either of the last two weeks. Now also battling a groin injury, Downs continued with that pattern ahead of Week 8.
Unsurprisingly, he did not participate in Wednesday’s practice leading up to Week 9. Downs returned for a full practice on Thursday and Friday and has no injury designation for Sunday’s game. The Colts seem intent on keeping Downs healthy by limiting his reps early in the week.
Downs missed the first two games of this season with a high ankle sprain. After returning, he was a top-20 fantasy WR in three straight games while catching passes from Joe Flacco.
Downs scored on a busted coverage with the more erratic Anthony Richardson under center in Week 8 but had mostly been rendered fantasy-irrelevant with the younger QB throwing passes. Flacco’s return to Indy’s starting lineup on Sunday should get Downs back in good fantasy graces.
We’ll continue to monitor the Colts’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Josh Downs in Week 9?
Downs certainly looked like the best receiver on this team last week, hauling in a 69-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Richardson and nearly having a 25-yarder later, a play that was reversed from a score to a 24-yard gain courtesy of review.
He might be the best fantasy option among the pass catchers in this offense moving forward, but with Joe Flacco taking over, we get a professional offensive approach, and that is a pair for fantasy managers.
Or is it?
Yes, his seven touchdown passes this season have gone to five different players and that’s annoying. But, in this admittedly small sample size, Downs has been targeted on 34.5% of his routes. For reference, Tyreek Hill was the only player to post a rate like that in 2023.
The type of target is obviously going to look very different between Flacco and Robinson. The depth of target will shrink, but the percentage of targets that are actually in his zip code skyrockets, and that makes him a fine Flex play in all formats against a Vikings defense that is routinely challenged underneath instead of over the top (sixth-lowest opponent aDOT this season).
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 9 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Josh Downs’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 9
Downs is projected to score 14.3 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 6.2 receptions for 60.2 yards and 0.4 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insights: Minnesota Vikings Defense
The Minnesota Vikings are coming off their worst defensive performance of the year, ranking 28th in Week 8. Prior to this week, they had been ranked inside the top 15 in all of their first six games and had been inside the top four on three occasions. The question now will be whether their 15th-ranked finish in Week 7 and their No. 28 rank in Week 8 are a product of facing good offenses or the start of a downturn in their fortunes.
The most concerning element for the Vikings’ defense will be the fact they are allowing touchdowns on 61.9% of red-zone trips, which ranks 24th in the league this year. Even if they’re a top-10 unit in nearly every other metric, if teams can convert in the red zone on 60%+ of their trips then it will be hard for Minnesota to win games convincingly.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Josh Downs’ Week 9 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 12:45 AM ET on Friday, December 27. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 WR PPR Rankings
1) Ja'Marr Chase | CIN (vs. DEN)
2) Puka Nacua | LAR (vs. ARI)
3) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (at SF)
4) Justin Jefferson | MIN (vs. GB)
5) Mike Evans | TB (vs. CAR)
6) Nico Collins | HOU (vs. BAL)
7) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. DAL)
8) Terry McLaurin | WAS (vs. ATL)
9) Davante Adams | NYJ (at BUF)
10) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at CLE)
11) Tee Higgins | CIN (vs. DEN)
12) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (vs. TEN)
13) Courtland Sutton | DEN (at CIN)
14) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at NE)
15) Drake London | ATL (at WAS)
16) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at CHI)
17) Malik Nabers | NYG (vs. IND)
18) Cooper Kupp | LAR (vs. ARI)
19) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (at BUF)
20) Jauan Jennings | SF (vs. DET)
21) Zay Flowers | BAL (at HOU)
22) Keenan Allen | CHI (vs. SEA)
23) DJ Moore | CHI (vs. SEA)
24) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at NO)
25) Jordan Addison | MIN (vs. GB)
26) DK Metcalf | SEA (at CHI)
27) George Pickens | PIT (vs. KC)
28) Calvin Ridley | TEN (at JAX)
29) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. DAL)
30) Adam Thielen | CAR (at TB)
31) Khalil Shakir | BUF (vs. NYJ)
32) Jameson Williams | DET (at SF)
33) Deebo Samuel Sr. | SF (vs. DET)
34) Jayden Reed | GB (at MIN)
35) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (at PIT)
36) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (at LAR)
37) Xavier Worthy | KC (at PIT)
38) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at CLE)
39) Darnell Mooney | ATL (at WAS)
40) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (vs. MIA)
41) Josh Downs | IND (at NYG)
42) Jalen McMillan | TB (vs. CAR)
43) Hollywood Brown | KC (at PIT)
44) Rome Odunze | CHI (vs. SEA)
45) Romeo Doubs | GB (at MIN)
46) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (at NYG)
47) Amari Cooper | BUF (vs. NYJ)
48) Rashod Bateman | BAL (at HOU)
49) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at NE)
50) Jalen Coker | CAR (at TB)
51) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. LAC)
52) Xavier Legette | CAR (at TB)
53) Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG (vs. IND)
54) Christian Watson | GB (at MIN)
55) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (at JAX)
56) Elijah Moore | CLE (vs. MIA)
57) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (vs. NYJ)
58) Calvin Austin III | PIT (vs. KC)
59) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at NE)
60) Robert Woods | HOU (vs. BAL)
61) Parker Washington | JAX (vs. TEN)
62) Tim Patrick | DET (at SF)
63) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (at WAS)
64) John Metchie III | HOU (vs. BAL)
65) Keon Coleman | BUF (vs. NYJ)
66) David Moore | CAR (at TB)
67) Devaughn Vele | DEN (at CIN)
68) Michael Wilson | ARI (at LAR)
69) Tre Tucker | LV (at NO)
70) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs. LAC)
71) Mike Williams | PIT (vs. KC)
72) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (at CIN)
73) Andrei Iosivas | CIN (vs. DEN)
74) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs. LAC)
75) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (vs. ATL)
76) Malik Washington | MIA (at CLE)
77) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (at PHI)
78) Brandin Cooks | DAL (at PHI)
79) Sterling Shepard | TB (vs. CAR)
80) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at CHI)
81) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (vs. ARI)
82) Adonai Mitchell | IND (at NYG)
83) Dyami Brown | WAS (vs. ATL)
84) Alec Pierce | IND (at NYG)
85) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (at MIN)
86) Allen Lazard | NYJ (at BUF)
87) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (at PHI)
88) Van Jefferson | PIT (vs. KC)
89) Darius Slayton | NYG (vs. IND)
90) Ricky Pearsall | SF (vs. DET)
91) Jamison Crowder | WAS (vs. ATL)
92) Tyler Boyd | TEN (at JAX)
93) Troy Franklin | DEN (at CIN)
94) Kevin Austin Jr. | NO (vs. LV)
95) Mack Hollins | BUF (vs. NYJ)
96) Tutu Atwell | LAR (vs. ARI)
97) Jalen Nailor | MIN (vs. GB)
98) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (at PIT)
99) Michael Woods II | CLE (vs. MIA)
100) Justin Watson | KC (at PIT)
Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings Insights
Indianapolis Colts
Team: The Colts are 4-4 this season, with five games decided by a field goal or less (2-3 in those games).
QB: Pressure is one thing; seeing ghosts is another – Richardson went 6-of-20 for 78 yards and an interception against the Texans when not pressured.
Offense: The Colts gained 21.2 yards per drive in the Week 7 win against the Dolphins, their lowest rate of the season. In the loss to the Texans on Sunday, that number was 21.0.
Defense: In Weeks 1-5, the Colts forced a punt on 23.6% of drives, a rate that has spiked to 48.6% since.
Fantasy: Anthony Richardson hit Josh Downs for a 69-yard touchdown pass of the season – his third of 50-plus yards.
Betting: Indianapolis has covered eight of their past 10 road primetime games (this is their first game since Week 13, 2022).
Minnesota Vikings
Team: The Vikings have played just three true road games this season – after this week, they go on the road for three straight (Jaguars, Titans, and Bears).
QB: Sam Darnold posted his highest in-pocket passer rating of the season on Thursday night (134.0, he’s been over 106.0 in six of seven games.
Offense: In Weeks 1-4, Minnesota averaged 6.5 yards per play on first down, a rate that is down to 4.8 since.
Defense: The Vikings posted their highest pressure rate of the season in Week 7 against the Lions (58.6%) but couldn’t make Matthew Stafford uncomfortable in Week 8 (11.8%, 18 percentage points below their previous season low).
Fantasy: Against the Rams on Thursday night, Sam Darnold started hot and then struggled – 67.5% of his fantasy points as a passer were scored on Minnesota’s first two drives.
Betting: Since 2020, 74.4% of Vikings games played after Halloween have gone over the total (29-10-1, league average: 48.4%).
Betting: The Vikings are 1-5-1 ATS in their past seven games played on extended rest.