Who Should I Start? Mike Evans or Josh Downs

Thursday, October 16, 1:24 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that wide receiver Mike Evans (hamstring) returned to practice on Thursday, but he was limited after missing the last three games with a hamstring strain, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com. Still, it's great news for an extremely banged-up Bucs offense, as receivers Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (leg), and running back Bucky Irving (foot, shoulder) are all expected to be out in a Week 7 Monday night showdown against the Detroit Lions. Evans is making good progress from his hamstring strain, but the Bucs will continue to monitor him before determining whether he will return on Monday night. The 32-year-old future Hall of Famer could be limited from a snap-count perspective if he returns, though, so he's certainly still a dicey fantasy option in Week 7. Even if Evans returns, Sterling Shepard will be an attractive fantasy streamer in what should be a pass-heavy game script against a thinned-out Lions secondary.

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.