UPDATE: On Friday, Downs was officially ruled out. He was spotted doing some rehab work on the side. However, he has still not returned to practice with the team.
SEPTEMBER 4: The Colts are getting ready for their big Week 1 divisional matchup with the Texans, but it still looks like they may be without a key part of their offense.
On August 7, Downs suffered a high ankle sprain in practice and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the news with this tweet, which estimated his recovery time as about a month.
We’ve just about reached a month after the injury, but we still don’t have clarity on when exactly Downs will get back on the field. The team has not ruled him out yet for Week 1, but he hasn’t been able to practice in long enough that he may need some ramp-up time when cleared.
Last year, Downs had a strong rookie season with 68 catches on 98 targets as primarily a possession receiver. He finished with 771 yards and two touchdowns.
In Week 1, Downs’ Colts are +2.5 underdogs to the Texans, and the total is set at 48.5. In Week 1 DFS contests, like the $4M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st], Downs has a $4,800 salary.
The Colts would need someone else to emerge if Downs is out, and there could be great value from the rest of their receiver room. Impressive rookie Adonai Mitchell ($3,800) has shown a solid connection with QB Anthony Richardson ($6,300), including catching this touchdown against the Bengals:
Mitchell could definitely be worth a late-round flier in season-long contests or in the late rounds of Best Ball. He’s a long-shot at +7500 for Offensive Rookie of the Year and +3000 to lead all rookie WR in receiving yards.
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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