Should I start Josh Downs or DeVonta Smith in Week 6?

The market-based projections

Josh Downs's market-based projection is 12.2 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 14 market sources. That is the 61st highest figure of the 210 players with a market-based projection.

DeVonta Smith's market-based projection is 12.2 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 12 market sources. That is the 63rd highest figure of the 210 players with a market-based projection.

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on Josh Downs, and the board ranks him 54th overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on DeVonta Smith, and the board ranks him 56th overall on the rest of his evidence.

By format he goes standard: ADP 11; 2QB: ADP 28.

This season so far

Through Week 5, Josh Downs has been on the field for 80 percent of IND snaps, drawn 20 percent of the targets and had 9 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 12 of the offence's 41 third down targets, had 0 of its 16 chances inside the five and seen 2 of its 16 two minute targets.

His 34 targets have averaged 11.1 air yards.

In Week 3 against HOU he caught 5 of 11 targets for 77 yards and did not score.

In Week 4 against WAS he caught 3 of 4 targets for 16 yards and did not score.

In Week 5 against PIT he caught 3 of 6 targets for 47 yards and did not score.

Through Week 3, DeVonta Smith has been on the field for 93 percent of PHI snaps, drawn 33 percent of the targets and had 8 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 10 of the offence's 28 third down targets, had 0 of its 6 chances inside the five and seen 10 of its 18 two minute targets.

His 27 targets have averaged 12.0 air yards.

In Week 1 against WAS he caught 3 of 6 targets for 53 yards and did not score.

In Week 2 against TEN he caught 10 of 13 targets for 117 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 3 against CHI he caught 6 of 8 targets for 65 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 5-6 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 DeVonta Smith played 17 games and scored 201.8 PPR points, 11.9 a game, finishing WR20.

He caught 77 of 113 targets for 1008 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 10 red zone targets.

That came to 6.6 targets a game, a 68 percent catch rate and 13.1 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 89 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

DeVonta Smith was available for 1 game more.

Head to head

In 2025 DeVonta Smith scored 11.9 PPR points a game and Josh Downs 8.5, 3.3 a game between them.

Josh Downs finished WR44 that year and DeVonta Smith WR20.

DeVonta Smith had 25 more targets than Josh Downs, 113 to 88.

DeVonta Smith had 442 more receiving yards than Josh Downs, 1008 to 566.

This season DeVonta Smith holds the bigger snap share, 93 percent against 80 percent.

This season DeVonta Smith holds the bigger target share, 33 percent against 20 percent.

Byes and availability

Josh Downs is off in Week 13 and DeVonta Smith in Week 10, so either can cover the other's bye.

What would change the answer

0.0 points a game is the entire case. The market restates it every week, and a line that moves moves the order with it.

The draft market is the half that is missing: when live drafts hold these two again they can order them differently from the projection, and this page will follow the drafts rather than the market-based projection when they do.