Who Should I Start? Josh Downs or Jayden Reed

Tuesday, December 16, 12:43 PM

In 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers' first NFL game in five years with the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday's 18-16 loss to the hosting Seattle Seahawks, wide receiver Josh Downs caught his lone touchdown pass. Downs played a season-high 72% of the offensive snaps in Week 15 in Rivers' first game replacing Daniel Jones, who is out for the year with a torn Achilles. The 24-year-old wideout was tied for second on the team with five targets, catching three of them for only 13 yards and his fourth touchdown of the year. All in all, it wasn't anything special for fantasy football production, but it was notable that Downs tied Michael Pittman Jr. in targets, with Alec Pierce seeing just one look from Rivers. With Rivers shotputting balls to his receivers, Downs could become a more attractive short-area target over Pierce to close out the season, making him worth a look off the waiver wire as WR depth. Downs is rostered in 43% of Yahoo leagues.

Thursday, December 18, 4:49 PM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (personal matter - not injury related) put in a full practice on Friday and is good to go for the Packers' Week 16 matchup against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Reed has seen his production climb over the last two weeks he's been active, and in Week 15 against the Denver Broncos, Reed led the team in targets (six), with five receptions for 55 yards. With Christian Watson (chest) questionable after two limited practice sessions, both Reed and Romeo Doubs could slide up in the pecking order for quarterback Jordan Love. Reed has been targeted once on every five routes (21% targets per route run) in Weeks 14 and 15, and should see quite a bit of attention from Love in a game the Packers sorely need. Slot in Reed as a high-end flex for fantasy purposes in Week 16 against the Bears.