Josh Downs missed last week’s game with an undisclosed injury that kept him out of action against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Colts’ receiving corps took a hit during the loss, and fantasy football managers are anxiously awaiting word on his availability. Though he’s expected back on the field this week, the nature of the setback has raised quiet concerns behind the scenes. Could this be the moment his season hits a snag, or is a bounce-back just around the corner?
Josh Downs Injury Update
Downs could not clear concussion protocol in time for Week 7’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers. He is expected to return to practice this week and will hopefully have ample time to progress through concussion protocol.
— PFSN Fantasy Football Analyst Dan Fornek
Downs Fantasy Outlook
A concussion kept Downs out last week against the Chargers, and the hope is that the absence doesn’t extend beyond that.
The third-year receiver seemed to find a little bit of a groove before the DNP, catching 12 passes in two October games after hauling in 14 during all of September.
The issue I have with the Downs profile is that he needs volume in an offense that would be more than happy to put the ball in the belly of Taylor 30 times as a big favorite this week (he turned 17 carries into 102 yards during the Week 2 meeting).
We are now more than a month removed from Downs’ last 15-yard catch, and with eight scores on 239 career targets, we can’t exactly bank on a bailout play.
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I’m confident to project a handful of targets this week, assuming all recovery boxes are checked, and he’ll probably be efficient with them. I’m just not sure there’s a ceiling to chase. If you have built a strong team and need to lock in 8-10 PPR points, Downs is very much in the conversation.
If you’re an underdog and are thus willing to swallow some risk for potential reward, I’d look elsewhere.
— PFSN Fantasy Football Analyst Kyle Soppe
