Josh Downs or Devaughn Vele: who should I start in Week 3?

What the sportsbooks price

The player markets price Josh Downs at 11.4 PPR points a game, built from 4 markets across 15 books. That is the 80th highest figure of the 186 players the books price.

The player markets price Devaughn Vele at 10.9 PPR points a game, built from 4 markets across 16 books. That is the 86th highest figure of the 186 players the books price.

Where the draft room stands

Drafters have formed no consensus on Josh Downs: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 62nd overall on the rest of his evidence.

In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 126.

Drafters have formed no consensus on Devaughn Vele: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 67th overall on the rest of his evidence.

This season through Week 2

Through Week 2, Josh Downs has been on the field for 86 percent of IND snaps, drawn 22 percent of the targets and had 11 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 6 of the offence's 13 third down targets, had 0 of its 6 chances inside the five and seen 2 of its 6 two minute targets.

His 13 targets have averaged 8.4 air yards.

In Week 1 against BAL he caught 2 of 4 targets for 37 yards and did not score.

In Week 2 against KC he caught 7 of 9 targets for 72 yards and did not score.

Through Week 2, Devaughn Vele has been on the field for 93 percent of NO snaps, drawn 19 percent of the targets and had 10 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 4 of the offence's 19 third down targets, had 1 of its 3 chances inside the five and seen 5 of its 18 two minute targets.

His 16 targets have averaged 8.3 air yards.

In Week 1 against DET he caught 7 of 9 targets for 69 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 2 against BAL he caught 5 of 7 targets for 64 yards and did not score.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Josh Downs played 16 games and scored 136.4 PPR points, 8.5 a game, finishing WR44.

He caught 58 of 88 targets for 566 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 14 red zone targets.

That came to 5.5 targets a game, a 66 percent catch rate and 9.8 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 58 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 Devaughn Vele played 13 games and scored 66.3 PPR points, 5.1 a game, finishing WR95.

He caught 25 of 39 targets for 293 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 4 red zone targets.

That came to 3.0 targets a game, a 64 percent catch rate and 11.7 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 51 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Josh Downs was available for 3 games more.

Head to head

In 2025 Josh Downs scored 8.5 PPR points a game and Devaughn Vele 5.1, 3.4 a game between them.

Josh Downs finished WR44 that year and Devaughn Vele WR95.

Josh Downs had 49 more targets than Devaughn Vele, 88 to 39.

Josh Downs had 273 more receiving yards than Devaughn Vele, 566 to 293.

This season Devaughn Vele holds the bigger snap share, 93 percent against 86 percent.

This season Josh Downs holds the bigger target share, 22 percent against 19 percent.

Byes and availability

Josh Downs is off in Week 13 and Devaughn Vele in Week 8, so either can cover the other's bye.

What would change the answer

0.4 points a game is the entire case. The books restate it every week, and a line that moves moves the order with it.

The draft market is the half that is missing: when the consensus sample holds these two again it can order them differently from the price, and this page will follow the sample rather than the books when it does.