Josh Downs' Injury Bumps Fantasy Football Stock for 2 Colts Wide Receivers, Including a Fantasy Veteran

Josh Downs recently picked up a calf injury that has kept the Indianpolis Colts wide receiver out of practice the last couple of days

Downs describes the injury as, “very minor,” but the calf injury could have a Fantasy impact for Downs and other Colts pass catchers

Josh Downs’ Injury Fantasy Impact

It is still unclear whether Downs (WR 44, 100 ADP) will miss regular season time as it is still in the early stages of the calf injury.

Whether Downs misses game time or not, his Fantasy stock takes a bit of a tumble thanks to the calf injury and the moves the Colts have made since then.

Downs was acting as the defacto WR 1 for the Colts throughout much of training camp as Alec Pierce (WR 36, 82 ADP) spent time on the PUP list.

In his time throughout training camp as WR 1, Downs caught Fantasy managers’ attention as the former third-round pick routinely made highlight plays in practice.

Josh Downs stops on a dime pic.twitter.com/74EVhKsiVP
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 21, 2026

The hype around Downs having a breakout Fantasy season quickly turned down as the wide receiver is slated to miss an undisclosed amount of time from the pesky calf injury.

Who Steps Up While Downs is Out?

As Downs sat on the sideline during today’s practice, Pierce returned to practice for the first time during this training camp as he was reactivated from the PUP list.

#Colts WR Alec Pierce, asked if he’ll be ready for Week 1 and how he mentally navigated his months-long rehab:

“Week 1 is the goal. Mentally, it is tough. You just gotta find ways to stay in it. … It’s good to be around the guys. They keep your spirits up.” pic.twitter.com/XDkxTaKyBC
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) August 27, 2026

Heading into training camp, Pierce figured to be the WR 1, while Downs was slotted to be WR 2.

Throughout training camp, neither were on the field at the same time, so Fantasy managers never got to see how the Colts staff managed Pierce and Downs at the same time.

Pierce, who signed a $116 million extension this offseason, figures to see an increase in targets if Downs misses time during the regular season.

The biggest benefactor of the Downs’ injury news, is the newest member of the Colts, Keenan Allen (WR 86, 248 ADP).

Allen has been a reliable Fantasy option during his career and could step up as WR 2 during Downs’ absence.

The addition of Allen wasn’t too big of a factor for Downs as the 2023 third-round pick turned heads throughout training camp.

Downs’ injury gives Allen the opportunity to impress coaches and make a case for WR 2 while Downs is out.

While Downs is a fan of Allen, the addition of the six-time Pro Bowler only murkies Downs’ Fantasy perspective this season.

Downs said recently he’s not worried about how targets are divided among the multitude of Colts pass catchers as it’s the coaches job to manage that, but Fantasy managers should have some concern when analyzing Downs’ targets.

Josh Downs, asked if he’s “curious” about how his target share will pan out after the #Colts added another high-volume WR in Keenan Allen, in addition to WR Alec Pierce and TE Tyler Warren:

“Nah, coach gon’ handle it how he wants to handle it. So, that’s his responsibility.” pic.twitter.com/Y5TzXD4n2M
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) August 26, 2026

Downs' injury in the lead up to week 1 could open up the doors for Pierce and Allen to be the leaders in targets making the Colts wide receivers.

As quickly Fantasy managers began to watch Downs as a potential Fantasy breakout candidate, his calf injury mixed with Pierce returning and Allen getting signed, brought Downs back to earth and makes him a boom-or-bust prospect heading into the season.

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