Josh Downs Fantasy Stats

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs will be a bigger part of his team's passing offense in Week 3 against the Houston Texans. Colts starting WR Alec Pierce (heel) was placed on injured reserve after aggravating a heel injury in Week 2. With Indy's most productive receiver from last season sidelined, Downs will be tasked with absorbing some of his teammate's vacated targets. Downs has been one of the most efficient receivers in football when on the field. His upside has been limited by a lack of usage in the pass game, playing mainly in the slot, and not seeing much downfield work. Pierce's absence necessitates that some of those things change. The Texans have one of the NFL's better defenses, but they allowed higher-than-average slot WR production in 2025 as a result. Downs and tight end Tyler Warren are the only healthy pass-catchers on the Colts that have shown reasonable upside this season. Expect Downs to eclipse 10 targets this game, and start him as a WR3/flex with upside in fantasy football leagues.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs finally got going in Week 2, catching seven of nine targets for 72 yards in the overtime loss to Kansas City. He had only two catches for 37 yards in the opener, so the jump in involvement was hard to miss. Alec Pierce left Sunday's game in the first quarter after aggravating his surgically repaired heel and is now slated to go on injured reserve. That should leave more work for Downs, even after Indianapolis signed Darius Slayton this week. Keenan Allen and Tyler Warren are still going to command targets, so this is not suddenly a one-man passing game. Downs does have a clearer path than he did a week ago, though. He led the Colts in targets, catches, and receiving yards against the Chiefs and now has nine receptions for 109 yards through two games. RotoBaller has him at WR26 for Week 3 against Houston. With Pierce set to miss time, Downs has a chance to turn one busy night into a much steadier role.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs was targeted nine times in his team's Week 2 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He converted those looks into seven catches for 72 yards. It was a refreshing game for him after he only saw four passes go his way in Week 1. He's the primary slot receiver for this team, but doesn't see the field much on 2WR sets, meaning his upside is heavily capped. However, he's likely set to have a bigger role in the near future, as Colts starting WR Alec Pierce (heel) re-injured the heel he struggled with in the offseason. Pierce was likely rushed back into action too soon, meaning Indianapolis could choose to be more cautious with him moving forward. A big role in 2WR sets isn't likely for Downs, though, because he's a diminutive receiver that struggles to block much bigger players on run plays. His ceiling case is more likely as long as Pierce is out, and he could see a high target rate. Downs moves into WR3/flex territory as long as Pierce remains unable to play, and should be rostered in all fantasy leagues. A Week 3 matchup with the Houston Texans might seem tough on paper, but they've struggled the past two weeks. Downs is in good shape to have another nice game.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs didn't do much in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens, catching just two of his four targets for 37 receiving yards and finishing with only 5.7 PPR fantasy points. It's not all doom and gloom, though. The Ravens totally dominated the Colts defense on the ground, and dominated time of possession. Additionally, Colts quarterback Daniel Jones tore his Achilles tendon late last offseason, and he's still working his way back to full health. Downs is typically a very efficient receiver on a yards per route basis, though he mostly plays in the slot, meaning he's off the field for 2WR sets while WRs Alec Pierce (heel) and Keenan Allen stay on the field, since they're better blockers. Downs is the third option in this passing offense, after Pierce and tight end Tyler Warren. He can be started in deep PPR leagues for his upside, though he may need some time to get going this season on a struggling offense. He's still a very good short-to-intermediate route runner with excellent change-of-direction ability.

As he has done throughout his four-year career, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs worked primarily from the slot in a Week 1 loss to the Ravens, and although he led the team in pass-play snaps, he earned only three targets, finishing with two receptions for 37 yards. With fellow wideout Alec Pierce seemingly being eased back toward a full workload and running only 22 total routes after missing most of training camp while recovering from offseason ankle surgery, Downs had the opportunity to seize a more impactful role, but he was unable to capitalize. After missing practice on Thursday with a heel injury, Pierce returned to the field on Friday, and there is an expectation that his involvement will continue to ramp up, so Downs' usage will need to be monitored moving forward, but a similar role in the team's Week 2 matchup with the Chiefs could lead to him becoming an early-season drop candidate.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (calf) practiced in full all week and looks to put his minor training camp injury behind him as he goes into Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens. Admittedly, Downs is coming off a rough 2025 season, setting career lows in receiving yards (566), targets (88), and receptions (58). Even though Michael Pittman Jr. moved on during the offseason, Downs will still share targets with freshly acquired veteran Keenan Allen and Alec Pierce (heel), with the latter possibly being on a snap count in Week 1. Downs showed promise last year between Weeks 6 and 9 with quarterback Daniel Jones, finishing as a WR2 in each week except for Week 7 when he was ruled out due to a concussion. Looking to this Sunday, Downs has a decent matchup against the Ravens defense, which ranked in the bottom five against wide receivers last year. However, the Ravens defense got a massive overhaul in the offseason and will almost certainly show different schemes this year under new head coach Jesse Minter. This week, Downs is Rotoballer's WR33, placing him firmly in WR3/low-end flex territory, but with high upside.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs had a down year in 2025, setting career lows in targets (88), receptions (58), and receiving yards (566). The offseason has been a roller coaster ride for his fantasy value, as Downs' stock appeared to be trending up following the Colts' trade of veteran star wideout Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then, Indianapolis signed veteran slot receiver Keenan Allen, throwing Downs' role in the team's offense back into question. Downs has also battled back and calf injuries this summer, limiting his availability for stretches of training camp. However, Downs has returned to practice and looks like he will be ready to go for the start of the regular season. The Colts wide receiver room outside of Downs also has questions, as Allen was recently arrested and charged with DUI, and top wideout Alec Pierce (ankle) has missed most of the summer while he recovers from ankle surgery. All in all, Downs profiles as a sleeper target in fantasy drafts ahead of what could be a resurgent season.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (calf) did not participate in the team's final preseason game after missing a pair of training camp practices with a minor calf injury, but he was back on the field on Tuesday as the team begins preparations for a Week 1 contest with the Ravens. Downs suffered a minor back injury earlier in camp and saw his draft stock take a hit following the late free agent signing of veteran Keenan Allen. After playing primarily out of the slot through the first three years of his career, Downs found extensive work on the outside throughout the summer, but questions about his role and workload have re-emerged in recent weeks, and he is now RotoBaller's WR38 for 2026.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs entered this offseason as one of the biggest risers in football. The offense was trending up, Daniel Jones was returning from injury, and Downs took a step up the depth chart after Michael Pittman Jr. was traded to Pittsburgh. As a result, his ADP rose steadily throughout the summer, and he's now looking to replicate his five-touchdown performance as the overall WR35 in PPR 2024. The bad news is that the Colts extended Alec Pierce as their No. 1 receiver and recently signed Keenan Allen to be their projected No. 2 receiver, leaving Downs in a relatively unfavorable role. We also can't forget that the Colts have Tyler Warren to offer a major boost at the tight end position. While there's no denying that Downs is quite talented, he has been holding pretty steady at his ADP of 102.9, which ranks him as the overall WR41 in PPR leagues for this season.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (calf) downplayed the injury that has kept him out of practice the past two days. According to James Boyd, Downs called it "very minor" and said the team is simply being precautionary. He sat out Tuesday before the Colts identified the issue as a calf injury Wednesday. Downs also missed practice time earlier this month with a groin injury, so Indianapolis has already been careful with him during camp. The 25-year-old caught 58 passes on 88 targets for 566 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games last season after posting a career-high 803 yards in 2024. Michael Pittman Jr. is now in Pittsburgh, although the recent addition of Keenan Allen gives the Colts another proven option alongside Downs and Alec Pierce. For now, there isn't much reason to move Downs down fantasy boards based on his own description of the injury.