Who Should I Start? Jonathan Taylor or Josh Downs

Monday, February 16, 12:59 PM

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor was off to a fantastic start to the 2025 season, but a midseason quarterback change weakened the offense and reduced his upside. The superstar running back was the overall RB1 in PPR leagues from Weeks 1 through 10, scoring an absurd 17 touchdowns during that span. He also had four three-touchdown games over a span of eight weeks. He was slightly less productive after the bye, and his productivity took another step backward when Daniel Jones (Achilles) tore his Achilles in Week 14. He still scored at least 12 points in four of his five games with Philip Rivers and Riley Leonard, but he was more of a low-end RB1 or high-end RB2 during that span. He can get back into the high-end RB1 tier with Jones healthy. In fact, he's an intriguing buy-low in dynasty leagues, and managers in redraft leagues should feel comfortable selecting him somewhere between picks 5-10 if Jones returns healthy for Week 1 of the 2026 season.

Thursday, January 29, 5:39 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs followed up a solid second season in the NFL with his worst yet in Year 3. Downs had career-lows in receptions (58), targets (88), and receiving yards (566) while scoring four touchdowns in 16 games played. The 24-year-old pass-catcher also had a career-low 9.8 yards per catch as he operated as the team's No. 3 receiver behind Alec Pierce and Michael Pittman Jr. Even with quarterback Daniel Jones having a career resurgence before his season-ending torn Achilles tendon in the second half, Downs was unable to take advantage. He never clicked with Jones in the passing attack, and it didn't help that rookie tight end Tyler Warren caught 76 passes for 817 yards. Unless Indy releases Pittman this offseason to give Downs a clearer path to consistent targets, he won't be much more than a late-round dart throw with limited upside in 2026 fantasy drafts.