Who Should I Start? Zay Flowers or Josh Downs


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
13.8 2.8 0.0 4.7 68.1 0.3

Zay Flowers News

Zay Flowers Returns to Team Drills on Thursday

Thursday, August 13, 8:33 AM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (quadriceps) returned to team drills at training camp practice on Thursday, according to Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Banner. The Ravens held Flowers out of team drills earlier this week due to a minor left-quad contusion, but he's back in team drills now. Even though he appears to be back to full health, the Ravens are expected to hold their top wideout out of the preseason opener this Saturday against the Philadelphia Eagles. The 25-year-old former 22nd overall pick from Boston College had a career-high 1,211 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 17 starts in 2025 for his second straight 1,000-yard campaign in his third year in the NFL. Flowers is without question Baltimore's WR1, and he could have an even higher target share in new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle's scheme in 2026. Especially in PPR leagues, Flowers has a high fantasy floor as a low-end WR1/high-end WR2 target in upcoming drafts.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
10.3 0.5 0.0 4.3 44.6 0.2

Josh Downs News

Josh Downs Should be Fine

Sunday, August 16, 9:55 AM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (back) briefly left training camp practice on Saturday after taking a hard fall on a leaping catch, but he later returned and should be fine, according to Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan. The Colts rested their starters in Thursday's preseason opener against the New England Patriots, including Downs, and it remains to be seen if he'll suit up for the second preseason contest on Saturday, Aug. 22, against the Atlanta Falcons. The 25-year-old has been standing out this summer as one of quarterback Daniel Jones' primary targets in the passing game with Alec Pierce still recovering from offseason ankle surgery and with Michael Pittman Jr. now in Pittsburgh. The former third-rounder in 2023 from North Carolina took a step back in 2025 with a 58-566-4 line in 16 games after going for a career-high 803 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 14 games in 2024. Even if Pierce is healthy this year, Downs has an excellent opportunity to increase his target share, making him an interesting WR3/flex target in fantasy football drafts.


Zay Flowers vs. Josh Downs

Still trying to decide between Flowers and Downs? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Zay Flowers is projected to score 13.8 points this week while Josh Downs is projected to score 10.3 points.