Who Should I Start? Michael Pittman Jr. or Zay Flowers

Tuesday, August 19, 3:06 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. (undisclosed) and Josh Downs (hamstring) are both out of training camp practice on Tuesday, according to James Boyd of The Athletic. Pittman appears to be dealing with a minor undisclosed ailment after making his preseason debut on Saturday against the Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile, Downs has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury in last Thursday's practice. Pittman should be good to go by the Week 1 regular-season opener, but Downs' timeline is a little more unclear. Indy's announcement on Tuesday that Daniel Jones will open the year as the starting QB is good news for all of the Colts' pass-catchers. Pittman had 808 receiving yards and only three touchdowns on 69 catches last year and will face more competition for targets from Downs, Adonai Mitchell and rookie tight end Tyler Warren.

Wednesday, July 30, 3:58 PM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (knee/leg) did not practice on Wednesday, but head coach John Harbaugh said the Pro Bowl wideout had "camp-like" stuff pop up and will get a day or a few days off. It sounds like Flowers is dealing with a minor ailment, so fantasy managers should not be concerned at this point. In his second NFL season last year, Flowers secured 74 of his 116 targets for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns. The former first-round pick out of Boston College has been excellent to start his NFL career, but high-end WR1 upside for fantasy football is likely out of reach thanks to the Ravens' dominance on the ground. Either way, he's a solid WR2/3 or flex option and has the big-play ability to produce spike weeks. His competition for targets in the wide receiver room remains weak entering 2025.