Who Should I Start? Josh Downs or Rashee Rice

Monday, August 25, 8:13 PM

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen expects wide receiver Josh Downs (hamstring) to be back on the practice field next week before the Week 1 regular-season opener against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Sept. 7. Downs suffered a hamstring injury on Aug. 14 and has been held out of practice since, but it sounds like he's improving and should be ready for the start of the regular season in early September. The 24-year-old former third-rounder in 2023 out of North Carolina took a step forward in his second year in Indy in 2024 with 72 catches for 803 yards and five touchdowns on 107 targets over 14 games (eight starts). Downs has a limited fantasy ceiling because of his mediocre athleticism, but Daniel Jones winning the starting QB job was good for his value as a WR4/flex flier later in fantasy drafts. He'll be in starting three-wide sets with Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce.

Wednesday, August 27, 12:19 PM

Updating a previous report, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is accepting and will serve a six-game suspension to start the 2025 regular season, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The league and the NFL Players Association are working to finalize the settlement, which will end the limbo surrounding Rice's off-the-field issues. He will be eligible to return for a Week 7 divisional clash against the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 19. This is obviously a big hit to the 25-year-old's fantasy value this year, but managers already knew a four- to six-game suspension was coming, and Rice sitting out games to begin the year is actually better than him missing key games down the stretch into the fantasy playoffs. Despite the suspension, Rice is worth stashing in all fantasy formats, and he could even come at a nice discount. Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown will see more targets in the first six weeks.