Week 1 of the NFL regular season is here, which means football fans and fantasy managers are paying extra close attention to various injuries around the league. What’s the latest on Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs?
The Latest on Josh Downs’ Health
Downs went down after taking a friendly-fire hit from a Colts defensive teammate in early August. High-ankle sprains generally have a 4-6 week timeline, so Downs is very much questionable for Indy’s Week 1 game against the Houston Texans.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen has said that while he hopes Downs will be ready for the start of the season, he’s not putting a timetable on Downs’ return. On Monday, Steichen said that Downs is “progressing well,” but offered no further update.
On Thursday morning, Downs provided a new update to reporters, telling them that he ran routes at Wednesday’s practice.
Downs however, once again sat out of Thursday’s practice. Despite him not practicing all week, Downs has said he isn’t ruling himself out yet for Sunday, and that he is “real close” to returning.
Josh Downs’ Fantasy Outlook
Downs’ rookie production of 68 receptions for 771 yards and two scores on 98 targets was good enough to finish as the WR43 in full-PPR formats in 2024. The beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to how you view last season from the North Carolina product.
If you are a Downs truther, you’ll quickly point out the vast majority of his rookie stat line came with backup quarterback Gardner Minshew under center after Anthony Richardson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans.
The optimism doesn’t stop there, though. Downs also had his best game of the season against one of the league’s stingiest defenses — the Cleveland Browns — with five receptions for 125 yards and a score in Week 7 with Minshew throwing him passes.
MORE: PFN’s Consensus 2024 Fantasy Football Rankings
Yet, the Downs haters will be quick to point out his modest production during Richardson’s brief time as a starter, his lackluster production over the final nine games of the year (failing to top 10 fantasy points in full-PPR formats), and the arrival of another talented rookie receiver this upcoming season (Adonai Mitchell), all of which cast some doubt to his fantasy outlook in 2024.
Let’s be real here for a second. Downs’ only real competition for targets last year was Michael Pittman Jr., who finished with 54 more targets and 41 more receptions than Downs in 2023. One could argue players like Alec Pierce, Kylen Granson, and Will Mallory forced Downs into a bigger role than expected last year.
The real problems here are the talented rookie from Texas (Mitchell) and Richardson’s unknown passing production and tendencies. Mitchell has the physical profile (6’2”, 205 pounds), explosive athleticism (4.34 speed), and route-running abilities to create a 1A/1B situation with Pittman in this passing attack. Mitchell also has the vertical speed to consistently create chunk plays on the second and third levels of the defense, which isn’t where Downs thrived last year.
Can Downs be an effective RAC and chain-moving threat out of the slot? Yes, absolutely. I just don’t know if he is going to see enough volume this upcoming season to be much more than a deeper Flex option in full-PPR formats in 2024.