Who Should I Start? Trevor Lawrence or Josh Downs

Tuesday, October 28, 3:54 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence only led the team to one touchdown in their 35-7 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams in London in Week 7, but he also threw for a season-high 296 yards on 23-for-48 passing with one touchdown. The Jags were on bye last week, but now head into a favorable Week 9 matchup on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday. The 26-year-old former first overall pick probably won't see as much volume this weekend as he did against the Rams in a positive game script, but he deserves streaming consideration at the QB position in fantasy against a Raiders defense that has been a top-15 matchup for opposing signal-callers this year. Lawrence's overall numbers don't jump off the page so far in his fifth NFL season, but his arrow could be pointing up in the second half of the season if he begins to start targeting rookie receiver Travis Hunter more often.

Thursday, October 30, 1:23 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (hip) appears to be returning to practice on Thursday after he did not practice on Wednesday due to a hip injury. Downs missed the Week 7 game due to a concussion but returned in Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans, playing 64% of the offensive snaps while catching all three of his targets for 39 yards and a touchdown, his second in as many games. The 24-year-old is now dealing with a hip injury as the team prepares to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9, but his return to practice on Thursday means he's trending in the right direction. Downs has been the team's WR2 in healthy in a much-improved offense led by MVP candidate Daniel Jones in 2025. If Downs gets cleared to play in Pittsburgh this Sunday, he'll certainly have WR3 upside against a Steelers secondary that has not performed up to expectations this year.