Kembali
With how the Indianapolis Colts' 2026 season has gone, they seem to have transitioned to a full-on fire sale of their roster. On Tuesday, Oct. 27, they dealt G Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks and DE DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers.
Another Colts player who has a real chance to be on the move as well is WR Josh Downs. According to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, teams that are in need of a WR have been calling the Colts about Downs ' availability. With that, here are four teams that make sense as suitors for Downs, and a breakdown of what his fantasy football value would look like on their team.
It would not be surprising if the Pittsburgh Steelers were in the market for WR depth. Both Steelers WRs Roman Wilson and Michael Pittman Jr. are on the injured reserve. And with Aaron Rodgers as their QB, they are clearly looking to compete right now.
If Downs were to get traded to Pittsburgh, as the Steelers roster currently is with Wilson and Pittman Jr. out, he would likely play the role of WR3. His fantasy value would take a slight hit from where it currently stands with the Colts, and rookie WR Germie Bernard’s value would also take a fairly significant hit. Downs is a good short-yardage WR, which is an area that Bernard has consistently made an impact for the Steelers in their last three games.
After trading away their WR2, Marvin Harrison Jr., the Arizona Cardinals are in need of a WR. In the absence of Harrison Jr., no WR has really stepped up and put forth notable production to firmly grab that WR2 spot, so Downs, if he were traded to Arizona, could take on that WR2 role right away.
Downs' fantasy value would go up from where it currently is in Indianapolis. The Cardinals this season have been an extremely pass-heavy offense. They are averaging the most pass attempts per game in the NFL, 40.4.
The 49ers make a ton of sense as a potential team that Down could get traded to. They are definite Super Bowl contenders, and one of the main positions where they have had major injury problems this season is at WR.
Both 49ers WRs Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel did not play in Week 7 due to injuries. They are also without WR Ricky Pearsall, who had season-ending surgery on his right knee. They did just get WR Christian Kirk back from the IR, but with the inconsistencies in health they have had at WR, San Francisco needs to add depth.
Downs' fantasy value would decrease if Evans and Samuel were available; with them out, it would rise, and he would be a must-start. The 49ers are currently averaging the 10th-most passing yards per game in the NFL, 244.0.
With WR1 on the Washington Commanders, Terry McLaurin out for the season, they are in need of a WR2, as their depth behind WR Stefon Diggs is well below average when compared to other NFL teams' WR2s and below. This is another situation where Downs, if traded, would become the team’s immediate designated WR2.
Downs' fantasy value with Washington would stay around the same as it has been with the Colts. Washington's passing game statistical output is similar to Indianapolis. The Commanders are averaging 33.7 passing attempts per game; the Colts are averaging 34.3. Washington is averaging 200.0 passing yards per game; Indianapolis is averaging 180.4.