general
Are the Colts really going to start the season with this group of receivers?
The Colts have a new number one receiver in Alec Pierce, but the rest of the receiver group leaves much to be desired
Josh Downs
WR · IND · 24 yrs · exp 3 · North Carolina
Status
- Game status
- Active
Keep Trade Cut (SF TEP)
From latest snapshot · trend vs ~7d prior when data allows.
Value
3,568
Rank
#115
Pos rank
#38
7d trend
-2.4% (7d vs prior)
Value history (90d)
One snapshot point per calendar day (shown in your timezone).
Latest: Jul 24, 2026 · 3,568
News
Stories linked to this player — newest first.
general
2026 Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Preview: All eyes on Daniel Jones
This time last year, we were debating Anthony Richardson vs. Daniel Jones . Now we’re debating whether or not Jones is worth $50 million per year. Coming off a breakout season, Jones would be a safe bet to stay hot in 2026, but a torn Achilles muddies the waters for his second season in Indianapolis . 2026 Rotoworld Fantasy Football Team Previews Hub Get ready for 2026 fantasy football drafts with in-depth previews for all 32 teams throughout the summer. Rotoworld Staff , Points per game: 27.4 (8th) Total yards per game: 345.9 (9th) Plays per game: 59.9 (19th) Dropbacks per game: 37.9 (19th) Dropback EPA per play: 0.1 (11th) Designed rush attempts per game: 25.4 (20th) Rush EPA per play: 0.05 (1st) Shane Steichen and the Colts entered the 2025 season at a crossroads. The team desperately wanted Richardson to be a thing, but Jones had different plans. He decisively won that camp battle and never looked back. Jones was putting up career efficiency numbers midway through the season and Steichen looked like a lock to make the playoffs for the first time in three seasons as the Colts’ boss. The Colts were at 8-0, but even before Jones suffered his season-ending Achilles injury, cracks in the facade were beginning to form. His efficiency dropped in his final five games and the Colts lost four of those contests. Things got so bad after Jones went down that Phillip Rivers was drawn out of retirement for “one last job” that went as well as it does in the movies. The late-season collapse left Steichen out of the playoffs for the third time in three tries. The Colts bet the house on this iteration of the roster when they brought back Jones and Alec Pierce on pricey deals. It’s now or never for Steichen and his staff. QB: Daniel Jones, Riley Leonard , Anthony Richardson WR: Alec Pierce, Ashton Dulin WR: Josh Downs , Anthony Gould WR: Nick Westbrook-Ikhine , Deion Burks TE: Tyler Warren , Mo Alie-Cox We’ll get to Jones’ midseason slump in a minute, but viewing his Colts debut as a whole, he was wildly impressive. Jones ranked top-10 in both EPA per play and completion percent over expected. Pro Football Focus charted him with top-10 rates of both accurate and accurate plus throws. Add in five rushing touchdowns and Jones was on pace to finish as the QB8 by points per game before exiting Week 14 early. This, however, isn’t the complete story. Jones turned the ball over a staggering five times in Week 9 versus the Steelers . He stemmed the bleeding on bad plays over the next few weeks but still struggled in most efficiency metrics. Four of his five worst games by EPA per play came from Week 9 to Week 14. Jones went from averaging .344 EPA per play over his first eight games to -.03 over his final five. The big shift was his inability to handle pressure. Jones threw six touchdowns and had a 9.8 percent pressure-to-sack rate in his early-season split. Those numbers dropped to one score and a 22 percent P2S when defenses got to him from Week 9 onward. Jones has never been particularly good under pressure, so maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that his numbers came crashing back to earth. Even if that aspect of his game is here to stay, it’s also hard to deny how efficient he was to start the season. All signs point to Jones being ready for Week 1, and fantasy managers are only being asked to pay a QB25 pricetag to find out who the real Daniel Jones is. As long as Jones retains his deep ball, Alec Pierce will be happy. The veteran wideout posted a breakout season in 2025 with 1,007 yards on a paltry 47 grabs. He scored seven times and led the league in yards per reception for the second season in a row. Despite the career year, Pierce’s role as a modest-volume deep threat didn’t change. He simply hit more home runs than the previous season. It was the first 1,000-yard season for a player with an aDOT over 20 since the turn of the century. There have only been five 20+ aDOT seasons accompanied by even 700 yards over that timeframe. Naturall [... truncated ...]
general
2026 NFL WR dynamic duo rankings: Cowboys' Cee Dee Lamb-George Pickens tandem among elite
While the run game has seen a resurgence in both volume and efficiency in recent seasons, the NFL remains, at its heart, a passing league in the modern era. Because it is a passing league, the value of both quarterbacks and pass catchers keeps increasing. We've seen it in recent years, with an explosion in wide receiver salaries, with superstars topping $40 million in average annual value. A superstar wideout can tilt the field in the offense's favor through both his production and the attention he draws, and that has never been more valuable. But what's more valuable than one star wideout? Well, two star wideouts, obviously. With that in mind, we here at CBS Sports decided to take a look at the top wide receiver duos in the NFL. There are plenty of dual-star duos, as well as some buoyed by one mega-star who teams with another quality player to form an elite pairing. Right now, we think there is a clear-cut top two, another tier of three and then another tier of three after that. That gives us a clear-cut top eight, with the rest of the league filling in behind. In the space below, we're going to rank those top eight duos. But before we do, we also wanted to include some honorable mentions. Honorable(-ish) Mentions: Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall ( 49ers ), Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III ( Bears ), DJ Moore and Khalil Shakir ( Bills ), Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin ( Buccaneers ), Alec Pierce and Josh Downs ( Colts ), DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon ( Eagles ), Brian Thomas Jr . and Jakobi Meyers ( Jaguars ), Christian Watson and Jayden Reed ( Packers ), Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson ( Saints ), DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. ( Steelers ) This Seahawks pairing would be higher on the list if we had confidence in which of Shaheed or Cooper Kupp would actually be the No. 2 wide receiver, and that they would be able to consolidate that role while the other would slide further into the background. As it stands, it's more of a target vacuum in JSN, with a couple of guys competing for second-string targets among a host of tight ends and running backs. JSN is coming off one of the better receiver seasons in recent memory, though, so he alone is enough to power the Seahawks into the top 10 of these rankings. And I could easily see them ranking much higher next year, if Shaheed consolidates the role behind him. We've got another new duo on tap here, with both players new to New England this offseason. AJB is one of the small handful of best receivers in football when he is right, but he's also coming off a relatively down season (he averaged his fewest yards per game since 2021) and turned 29 years old June 30, so we don't know if he'll be able to be at his best. Doubs, meanwhile, has always been a bit of a better player than his numbers suggest, because he's always been in such a crowded receiver room. These two guys should give Drake Maye a duo that can really win in the intermediate areas of the field, and Brown, if he rebounds, can win both short and long and create a ton of yardage after the catch. This is yet another new duo, but it could be very exciting. Waddle remains a big-play threat both on deep passes and in terms of creating yardage with the ball in his hands due to his speed. Sutton works best as an isolated X receiver on the outside. The duo gives Bo Nix a pair of wideouts who challenge defenses in markedly different ways, but who can work a lot of the same areas of the field nonetheless. Sean Payton and Davis Webb should have a lot of fun scheming them into position to succeed. Jefferson is coming off what qualifies as a down season for him, with "only" 84 catches for 1,048 yards and two scores. Addison missed time again and caught 42 passes for 610 yards and three touchdowns. They were both hamstrung by the quarterback play of J.J. McCarthy , Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer , though, and we know they have considerably more upside than what they showed last season. Jefferson remains one of the small handful of [... truncated ...]
general
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell ranks Colts ‘playmaking core’ slightly better than league average
According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, the Indianapolis Colts’ playmaking core; specifically, their top running back, wide receiver, and tight end collectively rank as slightly above league average–coming in at #14 overall : 14. Indianapolis Colts 2025 rank: 16 | 2024 rank: 22 Even after trading Michael Pittman Jr., the Colts sport above-average or better contributors at all three spots we’re considering here. Their playmakers all looked much better in 2025 with better quarterback play, but none made a bigger leap than Alec Pierce , who finally saw steady deep-ball opportunities throughout the season. Pierce averaged 2.2 yards per route run during his breakout campaign, which was good for 14th in the league among wideouts. I still think there’s some potential for Pierce to take another step forward in 2026, while Josh Downs should see more market share after the Pittman trade. He has been efficient out of the slot. There are stars away from wide receiver too. Jonathan Taylor was an Offensive Player of the Year contender for most of the season before fading down the stretch, generating big plays as both a rusher and receiver by shrugging off and running past tackle attempts. And Tyler Warren was a Swiss Army knife for coach Shane Steichen as a rookie, lining up at just about every conceivable spot on the field and creating havoc for opposing linebackers and defensive coordinators. He was on pace to top 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie before the offense broke down after Daniel Jones got hurt. I’m a little concerned that Pierce is more of a really high-end WR2 than a legitimate WR1 in a very good offense, but if the Colts’ wide receivers can hold up their end of the bargain, Taylor and Warren are top-five at their respective spots. Even though star workhorse Jonathan Taylor faded a bit down the 2025 season’s stretch, after initially being a bona fide NFL MVP candidate earlier in the year, he remains a Top 5 running back in the sport overall. Namely, his diminished production later in the season coincided with starting quarterback Daniel Jones’s fractured fibula, and ultimately, with the latter’s season-ending Achilles injury–which derailed the Colts season entirely. Still, Taylor rushed for 1,585 rushing yards and a league-leading 18 rushing touchdowns on his 323 carries–en route to Pro Bowl honors for a consecutive season. Meanwhile, entering a contract year, the 26-year-old Alec Pierce had a breakout season in Indianapolis, cementing himself as one of the league’s elite deep threats and his newfound role as the Colts lead wideout. The Colts rewarded him with what was a historic contract extension earlier this offseason, and the hope is that he’ll only continue to grow and blossom into a more well-rounded wide receiver regarding his overall route-running and receiving skill-set. With Pittman Jr. out of the picture following a trade to Pittsburgh , like Tyler Warren below here, Pierce appears poised for a larger receiving role headed into the 2025 campaign. The hope is that he can continue to be legit #1 wideout, and who knows, maybe even crack the backend of the Top 10 wideouts currently in the NFL league-wide. Lastly, Tyler Warren, the Colts first round pick from 2025, had a very impressive rookie debut, even earning Pro Bowl honors. Specifically, Warren caught 76 receptions for 817 total receiving yards and 4 rushing touchdowns last year, while adding 1 rushing touchdown on the ground. Like Taylor, his play dipped a bit in Jones’s late season absence, but he’s expected to see an even larger role with Pittman Jr.’s departure, as previously denoted. While he’s still young at 24-years-old, Warren could crack into the back half of the Top 5 tight ends in the NFL
QB · IND
WR · IND
general
Reviewing the Chris Ballard era: The 2023 draft class
With the 2017 through 2022 classes already reviewed, the next stop in the Chris Ballard draft review series is 2023. This one is difficult to evaluate because it is still fairly recent, but enough time has passed to start making some firm judgments. Unfortunately for the Colts, most of those judgments are not flattering. This class is defined by Anthony Richardson, and when the fourth overall pick fails to become the franchise quarterback, the entire draft takes a major hit. The Colts also missed badly on Julius Brents , another premium pick in the top 50. That is a brutal start to any class. Josh Downs and Jaylon Jones keep this from becoming a complete disaster. Downs has become a tremendous slot receiver and one of the best picks of the Ballard era relative to where he was taken. Jones has given the Colts strong seventh-round return as a depth corner and spot starter. Adebawore has also developed into a useful rotational piece. But when the first two picks are misses, especially at quarterback and cornerback, there is only so much the rest of the class can do to save the grade. Richardson is the most complicated pick to grade, but the final answer is still pretty clear. For a fourth overall pick, he has been a bust. There is no other way about it. The occasional flashes keep him from being an F. There were moments where the athletic tools looked special, and you could see why the Colts took the swing. His size, arm strength and mobility created plays that very few quarterbacks can make. But those moments were not enough. His play on the field has mostly been poor. The accuracy has not been consistent. The processing and decision-making have not developed enough. He has struggled to make reads, struggled to stay healthy, and has not shown the maturity or command needed from a franchise quarterback. You can make excuses for the development plan, the injuries, the supporting cast, or the coaching. Some of those excuses may even be fair, but the bottom line is that Richardson has not become a quarterback the Colts can trust. When you take someone fourth overall, the expectation is franchise-altering impact. Richardson did not provide that or even come close to providing that. Grade: D Brents was another major miss. The Colts bet on size and athleticism, which has been a recurring theme with Ballard. Brents had the long frame and physical traits teams like in outside cornerbacks, but the pick never came close to working out. Injuries crushed his time in Indianapolis. He appeared in only 11 games, which is a terrible return for a top-50 pick. When he was on the field, the play was okay in flashes, but nowhere close to good enough to justify the draft slot. Availability is a big part of the evaluation. Brents simply was not available enough to help the team, and when he did play, the impact was limited. For a second-round pick, this was a clear failure. Grade: F Downs saves this draft from completely falling apart. He has become a tremendous slot receiver, and I think he can be more than just that. Downs runs routes at a high level, separates with quickness, works efficiently in and out of breaks, and has become a reliable third-down option. He gives the offense consistency, timing and trust. He is the type of player quarterbacks love because he gets open when the offense needs it most. The Colts found an excellent receiver in the third round, and that is one of the better picks from this entire stretch of Ballard drafts. Downs has already become a key offensive piece and still has room to grow. If Richardson and Brents had worked out, Downs would be viewed as the finishing touch to a strong class. Instead, he is the player keeping the class from being ugly. Grade: A- Freeland has been a backup swing tackle, but the results have not been very encouraging. He has not been asked to do a ton, which is probably for the best. When he has been on the field, the play has been poor. He does not consistently show th [... truncated ...]
analyst
Josh Downs Climbing Up the Dynasty Rankings with Bigger Role Ahead?
sleeper-rotoballerSource ↗
Josh Downs' dynasty stock is rising due to Michael Pittman Jr.'s departure. He is expected to see an increased role alongside Alec Pierce, potentially leading to his best fantasy season yet. His recent dip in production offers a discount for dynasty managers
general
Myles Murphy named among 10 contract-year players most likely to break out in 2026
The Cincinnati Bengals may have made a mistake when they decided not to exercise Myles Murphy’s fifth year option. The edge rusher out of Clemson was just named one of the 10 contract-year players most likely to break out in 2026 by Fox Sports’ Ben Arthur. Here is what the reporter wrote : Myles Murphy started to come on at the end of last season, recording three of his career-high 5.5 sacks in the final four weeks of the year. The additions of nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and edge rusher Boye Mafe should create favorable matchups for Murphy, a 2023 first-round pick, in 2026. There’s no doubt that Murphy will get a lot less attention from opposing offensive lines with all the talent in the middle of Cincinnati’s defensive line after an offseason revamp. But he still has a ways to go before he’s considered a top-tier starter in the NFL. Here are the ten contract-year players listed in the article in order of most likely to least likely to break out in 2026: Kyler Murray , QB, Minnesota Vikings Riq Woolen , CB, Philadelphia Eagles Christian Watson , WR, Green Bay Packers Josh Downs , WR, Indianapolis Colts Myles Murphy, DE, Cincinnati Bengals Brenton Strange , TE, Jacksonville Jaguars Aaron Brewer , C, Miami Dolphins Kayvon Thibodeaux , OLB, New York Giants Ji’Ayir Brown, S, San Francisco 49ers Matthew Bergeron , OL, Atlanta Falcons
general
The Colts need another Wide Receiver.. Here’s who could fit them
The Colts built a high-powered offense last season by avoiding reliance on one player to carry the load. Instead, they leaned on a deep group of skill players that kept defenses guessing about where the ball was going on every play. As they got deeper into the season, they realized that Alec Pierce , Tyler Warren , and Jonathan Taylor were the true focal points of the offense. When there was a big play to be dialed up, the ball was normally going to go there way. While I’ve been critical of Michael Pittman Jr. over the years, his role in the offense is still important. He seldomly created big plays after the catch, he didn’t lift the coverage of a defense with speed, and he didn’t separate like some of the best in the league did. But what he did have was reliability. He could run rudimentary routes and you could trust that he would catch it. Over time, he became a lot tougher in the run game and could be relied on to execute difficult blocking assignments. If he was covered he could still make a play on the ball with his size. It was not worth the contract or a potential extension, but it did offer the Colts some much needed reliability as a Z WR. Now that spot becomes awfully bare heading into to OTA’s and training camp. The company line seems to be “We love Josh Downs and think he needs the ball more.” I don’t deny that the Colts love Josh Downs— and maybe with the resurgence of the tiny WR, they believe they can use him similar to how Klint Kubiak and the Seahawks have used Jaxon Smith Njigba . I have my doubts. But more on that later. THE SCHEMATIC ADVANTAGE OF HAVING A DEEP WR CORE If you don’t have one of the elite WR’s in the game on your roster, then you better have a LOT of good WRs. If you can keep defenses guessing on where the ball is going to go, it forces them to defend every blade of grass. As we saw earlier in the year, sometimes that can be just as effective as having the dominant player. This is a good example of when that does NOT happen. The Colts are running a Sail concept. A sail concept is a vertical stretch concept where you’re attempting to create a hi/lo on a defender. Daniel Jones is expecting that nickel defender to match Michael Pittman vertical and create space for Tyler Warren on the Sail route (modified corner route). I wont speculate here but Michael Pittman is either not running this route at full speed, or is not capable of running this route at a speed fast enough to apply pressure on that nickel defender. Either way, it is bad. What worries me about the Colts heading into next season is what happens when teams can do things like that. Ashton Dulin can play that specific role, but will teams really respect his ability to be a viable option in a progression? Do the Colts think he can do that after sitting on the bottom of the depth chart for numerous years now? Can Nick Westbrook-Ikhine be that guy? Can 7th round pick Deion Burks be that guy? What if there’s an injury at WR? The Colts need to improve the depth there but it’s not too late either. WHO MIGHT FIT THE COLTS There’s been a lot of Deebo Samuel smoke. I do not believe the Colts will look in that direction, personally. Deebo, at this stage in his career, is a gadget piece to an offense. You want to get the ball in his hands, but he’s not a guy who will fit this system in particular. Two names that are really interesting. First, Keenan Allen . Keenan has spent time with Shane Steichen in his past and put up a quiet 81 catch sub 800 yard season with the Chargers. Do I think he can replicate that in Indy? No. But could he be a piece that the Colts explore in training camp and see if he can add some depth to the room? Perhaps. The second is Noah Brown . He’s 30 years old but had some really underrated season with the Cowboys a couple years ago. He’s battled some injuries last year, so that’s a bit of an unknown, but he has some traits I think the Colts like. This is from 2022, but a sequence I could see Shane Steichen want [... truncated ...]
analyst
Josh Downs in Line for Expanded Role in Indianapolis
sleeper-rotoballerSource ↗
Josh Downs' target volume is expected to increase in 2026 following the offseason trade of Michael Pittman Jr., giving him buy-low appeal for dynasty managers despite a diminished role in 2025
general
Anthony Richardson reports to Colts offseason program
The Colts have been trying to trade 2023 No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson throughout the offseason
WR · IND
analyst
Josh Downs a Top Buy-Low Candidate Ahead of NFL Draft
sleeper-rotoballerSource ↗
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs had a bit of a down year in 2025, recording 58 receptions for 566 yards and four touchdowns on 88 targets across 16 games. The Colts' 2025 draft-day acquisition of tight end Tyler Warren and the emergence of wide receiver Alec Pierce (ankle) both limited Downs' role in his team's offense. After averaging 7.6 targets per game in 2024, Downs averaged just 5.5 targets per game in 2025. While Warren and Pierce both remain in Indianapolis, the Colts traded away veteran wideout Michael Pittman Jr., who earned 111 targets last season. In Pittman Jr.'s absence, Downs should be in a position to play a more prominent role in the Indianapolis passing game. If the Colts do not add another big-name pass-catcher in the upcoming NFL Draft, Downs' dynasty value will almost certainly be on the rise. As such, now could be the best time for dynasty managers to buy low on Downs ahead of a possible bounce-back season
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