Who Should I Start? Zay Flowers or Josh Downs

Wednesday, February 11, 6:27 AM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers arguably had the best season of his young career in 2025, recording 86 receptions for 1,211 yards and five touchdowns on 118 targets across 17 games. Flowers' production is made even more impressive by the fact that he played four games without star Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who missed time with both hamstring and back injuries. Flowers has been a highly consistent pass-catcher so far throughout his three NFL seasons, recording at least 108 targets and 74 catches in each year. His greatest flaws have been red-zone usage, as he's never had more than five touchdown grabs in a season, and target volume, as he's averaging 6.8 targets per contest for his career. However, the Ravens have made major coaching staff changes heading into 2026. Former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle will take over for former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, meaning Flowers will be working with a new play-caller for the first time in his NFL career. While there's no guarantee Doyle will drastically change Flowers' role in the offense, there's a chance his presence could help Flowers break through to a new level. Even if Flowers simply repeats his established standards of performance, he profiles as a high-end fantasy WR3 in dynasty formats going forward.

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.