Who Should I Start? Chris Godwin or Josh Downs

Tuesday, September 30, 12:57 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin wasn't exactly eased back into the offense in his season debut in the Week 4 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, as he was targeted a team-high-tying 10 times. Godwin came down with only three catches for 26 yards, but it was a good sign to see him play 81% of the offensive snaps in his first game since dislocating his ankle in Week 7 of last year. It helped that top wideout Mike Evans (hamstring) was inactive in this game, but the main takeaway is that Godwin is a full-go moving forward and should have WR2 upside for a Week 5 tilt against the hosting Seattle Seahawks this Sunday. Evans is expected to miss multiple games, so Godwin should be heavily targeted once again as he gets his legs under him in a pass-happy offense.

Wednesday, October 1, 9:52 AM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs is being used "all over the field," according to the offensive coordinator for the Colts, Jim Bob Cooter. Downs has been able to "line up on the outside as well as the slot," showcasing his versatility on the field and being an option for quarterback Daniel Jones in the passing game. So far through the four weeks of the season, Downs has yet to have a breakout game, topping 50 receiving yards only once, and has yet to find the endzone. However, hearing Cooter speak about Downs, the Colts may be looking to get Downs more involved in the passing game down the stretch. With bye weeks coming up and injuries being inevitable, Downs could be a nice bench stash for the time being in deeper leagues, especially if he continues to lineup all over the field and we see his targets increase per game. However, at this time, we have not seen it happen on the field, so until then, Downs should remain out of starting lineups in most standard formats. The Colts play the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6, so look for Downs to be more involved than he has been against a poor Raiders defense that has allowed the third-most points to the wide receiver position.