Who Should I Start? Zach Ertz or Josh Downs

Wednesday, December 10, 9:49 AM

NFL Insider Ian Rapoport reported that tight end Zach Ertz (knee) has officially been placed on the Injured Reserve on Wednesday with a knee injury. Ertz will miss the remainder of the 2025 season after suffering an ACL tear during Washington's 31-0 loss to the Vikings in Week 14. The hit looked brutal, and emotions were high as the Commanders saw him get carted off the field. At 35 years old, we will see what the future holds for the 2018 Super Bowl Winner and three-time Pro Bowler, Ertz. On the season, he had 50 catches for 504 yards and four touchdowns (72 targets) across 13 regular-season appearances. Second-year player out of Kansas State, Ben Sinnott, is likely to step into a larger role with Ertz being done for the season, and should be on the fantasy radar in deeper formats.

Thursday, January 29, 5:39 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs followed up a solid second season in the NFL with his worst yet in Year 3. Downs had career-lows in receptions (58), targets (88), and receiving yards (566) while scoring four touchdowns in 16 games played. The 24-year-old pass-catcher also had a career-low 9.8 yards per catch as he operated as the team's No. 3 receiver behind Alec Pierce and Michael Pittman Jr. Even with quarterback Daniel Jones having a career resurgence before his season-ending torn Achilles tendon in the second half, Downs was unable to take advantage. He never clicked with Jones in the passing attack, and it didn't help that rookie tight end Tyler Warren caught 76 passes for 817 yards. Unless Indy releases Pittman this offseason to give Downs a clearer path to consistent targets, he won't be much more than a late-round dart throw with limited upside in 2026 fantasy drafts.