Who Should I Start? Marquise Brown or Josh Downs

Friday, December 12, 2:27 PM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown (personal) will not play in Sunday's divisional matchup with the Chargers. Brown did not participate in Wednesday's practice, logged a limited participation on Thursday, and was not spotted during Friday's media access portion. He has now been ruled out for non-injury personal reasons. Since a Week 1 surprise outing that saw him targeted 14 times with Rashee Rice suspended and Xavier Worthy injured early, Brown has been largely irrelevant in most fantasy formats. Since Rice's return from suspension in Week 7, Brown has topped 40 receiving yards only once, while averaging 1.7 receptions per game. An unrestricted free agent after this season, he still holds some dynasty value, but he no longer needs to be rostered for redraft playoffs.

Wednesday, December 10, 12:17 AM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs hasn't been a big fantasy factor this season, recording 44 receptions for 393 yards and three touchdowns on 65 targets. After a promising sophomore campaign last year, Downs hasn't been emphasized with three other talented pass-catchers in the Colts' offense, plus a lean towards the run with a superstar back Jonathan Taylor. With quarterback Daniel Jones (Achilles) out for the season and 44-year-old Philip Rivers expected to be the team's starter moving forward, it's possible that Downs' opportunities will increase with Rivers primarily operating in the short area of the field. The 24-year-old's fantasy upside is still capped while being limited to routes in three-wide receiver sets. Downs still profiles as a deep-league flex option for a tough Week 15 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, but his floor is probably lower now with Jones done for the year.