Josh Downs

Downs' second season got off to a rocky start with an ankle issue in training camp that forced him to miss the first two weeks of the season. The Colts were cautious with his return and their approach paid off. After a quiet Week 3, Downs caught at least six passes for 66 yards in three straight games. He also scored twice over that stretch. Downs topped 60 yards in seven of his first nine games. Injuries then started to take their toll on the young wideout. On top of the ankle issue, Downs appeared on the injury report with toe, groin, calf, ankle, and shoulder issues, the last of which caused him to miss a game. He went five straight games without more than three catches before the Week 18 grand finale. Downs finished the season with an 82/897/5 receiving line. Downs often looked like the team's No. 1 receiver and out-targeted Michae Pittman more often than not, but his propensity to play through injuries has done him no favors through two seasons. If he can stay healthy in 2025, a true breakout season is in order.

The second-round rookie entered the league with plenty of red flags both on and off the field. He started coming to life late in training camp and even played an elevated role in the first two games while Josh Downs nursed an injury. Despite running plenty of routes, Mitchell never made much of his opportunities early in the year or at any point. He topped 38 yards once and caught more than two passes twice. Mitchell struggled with drops en route to a dreadful 5.7 yards per target. He finished the year with 23 catches for 312 scoreless yards. With Alec Pierce breaking out as the team's primary deep threat, Mitchell may be stuck in a rotational role in his second season.

Pittman posted career numbers in 2023, largely spurred on by Gardner Minshew taking over for an injured Anthony Richardson at quarterback. Minshew peppered him with easy-button targets and the young wideout converted on them to the tune of 109 grabs for 1,152 yards. The breakout season earned Pittman a contract extension and gave fantasy managers hope that he could coexist with Richardson, who struggled to connect with Pittman on layup looks as a rookie. That fear instantly materialized in 2024 with three games under 40 receiving yards to start the season. Pittman finally broke out in Week 4 with 113 yards...in a game that saw Joe Flacco replace an injured Richardson. Pittman topped 63 yards three times over his final 12 games and only posted one additional 100-yard outing, also with Flacco under center. The Colts will presumably keep Flacco or replace him with a similar veteran addition, but Pittman's inability to get things going when the No. 4 overall pick on the field is more than a little concerning for his 2025 fantasy outlook. The continued breakout of Josh Downs could also move targets away from Pittman, making him a risky fantasy bet for early drafters.

Anthony Richardson ruled Out with back injury Colts ruled out QB Anthony Richardson for Sunday s regular-season finale vs. the Jaguars due to his back injury. One final start this season for Colts QB Joe Flacco. (Adam Schefter on X) FF Today's Take: Flacco will once again give some fantasy life to wide receivers Josh Downs and Michael Pittman Jr. Last week, Pittman finished with a 9-109-1 line on 10 targets against the Giants. The Jaguars have given up the 4th most fantasy points to QBs, and the 7th most fantasy points to wide receivers in half-PPR leagues.