Isaiah Likely or Josh Downs: who should I start in Week 6?

The market-based projections

Isaiah Likely's market-based projection is 12.7 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 13 market sources. That is the 53rd highest figure of the 146 players with a market-based projection.

Josh Downs's market-based projection is 10.6 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 10 market sources. That is the 65th highest figure of the 146 players with a market-based projection.

Where the draft room stands

Drafters have formed no consensus on Isaiah Likely: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 45th overall on the rest of his evidence.

Drafters have formed no consensus on Josh Downs: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 46th overall on the rest of his evidence.

This season through Week 5

Through Week 5, Isaiah Likely has been on the field for 70 percent of NYG snaps, drawn 29 percent of the targets and had 21 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 14 of the offence's 49 third down targets, had 2 of its 8 chances inside the five and seen 6 of its 24 two minute targets.

His 48 targets have averaged 7.3 air yards.

In Week 3 against TEN he caught 2 of 5 targets for 13 yards and did not score.

In Week 4 against ARI he caught 7 of 12 targets for 66 yards and did not score.

In Week 5 against WAS he caught 11 of 13 targets for 94 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.

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.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Isaiah Likely played 14 games and scored 61.7 PPR points, 4.4 a game, finishing TE45.

He caught 27 of 36 targets for 307 yards and 1 touchdown, with 6 red zone targets.

That came to 2.6 targets a game, a 75 percent catch rate and 11.4 yards a catch.

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

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.

Josh Downs was available for 2 games more.

Side by side

In 2025 Josh Downs scored 8.5 PPR points a game and Isaiah Likely 4.4, 4.1 a game between them.

Isaiah Likely finished TE45 and Josh Downs WR44, which are two different ladders.

Isaiah Likely is a tight end and Josh Downs a wide receiver, so the question is which slot you fill first rather than which of them is better.

Byes and availability

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

What would change the answer

2.1 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 the consensus sample holds these two again it can order them differently from the projection, and this page will follow the sample rather than the market-based projection when it does.