Colts' Josh Downs: Held out of preseason opener
Downs and most other veteran starters didn't play in Thursday's 24-16 preseason loss at Baltimore.
Fellow wideouts Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce also were rested, leaving Adonai Mitchell, Ashton Dulin, Anthony Gould and rookie tight end Tyler Warren as the the top targets for QB Anthony Richardson, who left the game after a handful of snaps due to a finger dislocation on his throwing hand. Richardson should be fine by Week 1, but the QB situation remains a major concern for Downs' fantasy value after his 2024 production was heavily concentrated in the games Joe Flacco played. Daniel Jones, for all his flaws, is a better bet than Richardson to support fantasy-viable pass catchers -- and especially receivers that rely on short-area targets, like Downs and Pittman. The Colts may give their starters some run in the second or third preseason game, although it's unclear if Richardson or Jones will take the QB reps.
