Josh Downs Fantasy Outlook 2025: Where should you draft Colts WR returning from injury

Josh Downs is set to return to action after a hamstring injury. On Monday, head coach Shane Steichen announced that the third-year wide receiver, as well as safety Nick Cross, was recovering well and should be back by Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins.

He is expected to continue competing with incoming sophomore Adonai Mitchell for the starting slot receiver spot, but the on-field battle in not the only one he faces. In a constantly changing fantasy football landscape that is determined by recent performance, how does he fare?

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Josh Downs' 2025 fantasy outlook

NFL: JUL 23 Indianapolis Colts Training Camp - Source: Getty

Downs is projected to maintain his current production, according to FantasyPros. He is projected to have 69 receptions for 770 yards and four/five touchdowns - not much of a downgrade from his sophomore season that saw him set career-highs in every relevant category.

That gives him an average expert consensus ranking of WR47 on the same site, which is rather high for a slot receiver; and a projected ADP of WR50 and #113 overall when using STD/#122 when using PPR.

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Is Josh Downs a good fantasy football pick this year?

Chicago Bears v Indianapolis Colts - Source: Getty

Among WR3s and FLEXes, Downs should be a good fantasy football pick. As a matter of fact, he may be one of only a few Colts worth picking.

The team has one of the most woeful quarterback situations in the AFC at least, with incoming third-year project Anthony Richardson being demoted to the bench in favor of Daniel Jones, who has been largely terrible ever since he signed one of the worst contract extensions relative to general performance in recent NFL memory.

With 12 personnel formations becoming more commonplace in football, the slot receiver appears to be a dying breed, at least in starting lineups. However, the Colts will seem to defy that trend, given that only one of their tight ends is at worst a decent receiving threat - versatile rookie Tyler Warren.

This shows in his projected stats, which should result in a healthy haul of 103.7 points - which would constitute dominance if it happened in a single game.

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Should you draft Josh Downs in fantasy football this year, and where?

Indianapolis Colts v New York Jets - Source: Getty

If one is looking at a very dynamic offense featuring players who can do it all, the Josh Downs should theoretically be a safe bet. Last season, he exceeded game projections 50% of the time (seven out of 14 games played). And in the five times that he did, he scored double-digit points.

However, it is still up to the offensive line to provide the quarterbacks with ample opportunities to feed him. And given the losses of starters Will Fries and Ryan Kelly, it may prove harder than expected - and not just the coaches, but fantasy players with high projections for him.