After starting Joe Flacco the past two games and saying the veteran is their starter for the rest of the season, the Colts are going back to Anthony Richardson, naming him their starter for the rest of the season, per Colts’ head coach Shane Steichen. Richardson has struggled this season, completing only 44.4% of his attempts and throwing for four touchdowns compared to seven interceptions. That being said, Richardson is still averaging a solid 7.3 YPA and his presence shouldn’t result in a huge hit to Josh Downs’ fantasy value.
The wideout has cemented himself as Indianapolis’ main pass catcher this season and in the four games Downs has played with Richardson starting and completing the contest, Downs has seen a 25.2% target share, which is only a slight decrease from the 28.3% target share he has seen with Flacco as the starter. Fantasy-wise, Downs is averaging 13.5 FPTS per game with Richardson, compared to 15.4 with Flacco.
While Downs’ efficiency may suffer with Richardson at the helm, his upside remains elite. Downs has scored over 20 FPTS in two of his four full games with Richardson, and the quarterback’s aggressiveness to throw the ball deep gives Downs a huge ceiling on a weekly basis.
All in all, the news of Richardson starting again shouldn’t scare Downs’ owners and this may be a great time to peruse him on the trade market, as some fantasy players who currently have Downs may think his numbers are about to decrease.
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