Who Should I Start? Mike Evans or Josh Downs

Wednesday, October 22, 7:47 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially placed veteran wide receiver Mike Evans (collarbone) on Injured Reserve on Wednesday after he broke his clavicle in Monday night's loss to the Detroit Lions, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com. Evans will be forced to miss at least four games while on IR, but his absence is expected to be much longer than that. However, he reportedly suffered a clean break of his collarbone and could return to the team in under eight weeks if his rehab goes well. Head coach Todd Bowles said it would be "touch and go" as to whether Evans will be able to get back on the field before the end of the regular season. Fantasy managers can go ahead and drop the future Hall of Famer in redraft leagues. It's a tough blow for Evans, who had just returned from a three-game absence due to a hamstring strain. He will finish shy of 1,000 receiving yards in 2025 for the first time in his 12 NFL seasons.

Saturday, November 15, 12:41 AM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs saw a massive reduction in snaps and targets during his last game against the Atlanta Falcons. In Berlin, Downs played a mere 43 percent of the Colts' offensive snaps, converting two targets into one catch for three yards. The 24-year-old impressed as the WR35 in PPR leagues last season, but he has taken a step backward this year. He ranks outside the top 40 receivers and can no longer be trusted on a week-to-week basis. One reason for Downs' struggles is the increased competition around him. Indy is leaning on the run more than usual given Jonathan Taylor's success, and they've also gotten exceptional contributions from Tyler Warren, Michael Pittman Jr., and Alec Pierce. This has left Downs as somewhat of the odd man out. We do expect him to command more than two targets per game going forward, but he's not startable for the time being. Managers should leave Downs on the bench when the Colts return from their bye in Week 12.