The Indianapolis Colts will face the Miami Dolphins in Week 7. 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 7?
Josh Downs is battling the same toe issue that kept him out of last week’s early practices. He didn’t participate in Wednesday’s session. Heading into Week 6, Downs went DNP-DNP-FP, then suited up after being listed as questionable.
Downs is already ahead of that track this week after being listed as limited on Thursday. He didn’t aggravate the injury on Sunday, so the Colts were likely managing their slot receiver’s reps. Downs practiced again on Friday; he’s officially questionable but should be expected to play against the Dolphins.
The second-year WR missed the first two games of this season with a high-ankle sprain. Since returning, Downs has been a top-20 fantasy WR in three straight games while catching passes from Joe Flacco. However, he might not have the same opportunities with the erratic Anthony Richardson returning in Week 7.
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 7?
Downs and — keep reading, Michael Pittman Jr. — have been thriving under Joe Flacco, making the decision under center one that impacts their Week 7 ranking by 20+ slots.
Last week, after Richardson was a late scratch, Downs saw a pair of targets on Indianapolis’ first drive, one that was capped with a 22-yard touchdown catch, vaulting him to his third straight top-20 performance (30 targets across those games).
I’m currently banking on Richardson returning this week — that is fueling my dropping of Downs outside of my top 35. Only twice this season has a receiver reached 12 PPR points against the Dolphins, and neither time was that player in the slot for even 22% of his routes.
With Flacco starting, we’d be talking about a 10-ish point rise in my ranks, putting Downs on the Flex radar, while confirmation with Richardson would back him outside of my top 40.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 7 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Josh Downs’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 7
Downs is projected to score 11.2 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 4.8 receptions for 47 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Josh Downs’ Week 7 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.Â
Conference Championship WR PPR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at PHI)
3) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
4) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at KC)
5) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Hollywood Brown | KC (vs. BUF)
7) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. BUF)
8) Keon Coleman | BUF (at KC)
9) Dyami Brown | WAS (at PHI)
10) Mack Hollins | BUF (at KC)
11) Amari Cooper | BUF (at KC)
12) Curtis Samuel | BUF (at KC)
13) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at PHI)
14) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. BUF)
15) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. WAS)
16) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at PHI)
17) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at PHI)
18) Justin Watson | KC (vs. BUF)
19) Johnny Wilson | PHI (vs. WAS)
20) Parris Campbell | PHI (vs. WAS)
21) Nikko Remigio | KC (vs. BUF)
22) Ainias Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
