Who Should I Start? Michael Penix Jr. or Josh Downs

Tuesday, October 14, 11:59 AM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. completed 20 of 32 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's 24-14 win over the Bills, adding two rushes for six yards. The former first-round draft pick has looked more confident in his last two contests (69 percent completion rate, 3:1 TD:INT) after posting duds in Weeks 2 and 3 (54 percent completion rate, 0:2 TD:INT). Still, even though he's recorded one rushing score this season, the 25-year-old has gained just 37 yards on the ground through five games in 2025, so he does not have that weekly floor built into his fantasy value that so many other QBs have these days, currently ranking as the No. 27 QB in fantasy. The University of Washington product will face a 49ers defense in Week 7 that is middle of the pack in terms of allowing fantasy production to opposing QBs, but proactive managers interested in a streaming option might look ahead to the following week, where he'll face a soft Miami defense that has been generous in the passing game, giving up the third-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

Thursday, October 16, 1:42 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (concussion) is missing a second straight practice this week on Thursday due to a concussion he suffered in the Week 6 win over the Arizona Cardinals, according to James Boyd of The Athletic. In addition to Downs, fellow receiver Ashton Dulin (chest) is missing a second straight practice, which means that Indy's WR corps could be thin this weekend on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers. If both Downs and Dulin are not cleared by Sunday, Adonai Mitchell, who was a healthy scratch last Sunday, will probably be active again. Alec Pierce would also be elevated to the No. 2 role behind Michael Pittman Jr. Downs and Dulin have one more day to return to practice, but right now, it's not looking good for their Week 7 statuses. Pierce would be in play as a WR4/flex option in starting fantasy lineups if Downs is inactive.