Malik Nabers or Josh Downs: who should I start in Week 3?

What the sportsbooks price

The player markets price Malik Nabers at 12.0 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 15 books. That is the 75th highest figure of the 186 players the books 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.

Where the draft room stands

Drafters have formed no consensus on Malik Nabers: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 50th overall on the rest of his evidence.

By format he goes standard: ADP 12; 2QB: ADP 45.

Drafters have formed no consensus on Josh Downs: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 59th overall on the rest of his evidence.

In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 126.

This season through Week 2

Through Week 2, Malik Nabers has been on the field for 62 percent of NYG snaps, drawn 21 percent of the targets and had 13 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 3 of the offence's 17 third down targets, had 0 of its 4 chances inside the five and seen 2 of its 6 two minute targets.

His 13 targets have averaged 13.8 air yards.

In Week 1 against DAL he caught 6 of 9 targets for 69 yards and did not score.

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

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.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Malik Nabers played 4 games and scored 57.1 PPR points, 14.3 a game, finishing WR101.

He caught 18 of 35 targets for 271 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 3 red zone targets.

That came to 8.8 targets a game, a 51 percent catch rate and 15.1 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 78 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 5.5 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.

Josh Downs was available for 12 games more.

Head to head

In 2025 Malik Nabers scored 14.3 PPR points a game and Josh Downs 8.5, 5.8 a game between them.

Malik Nabers finished WR101 that year and Josh Downs WR44.

Josh Downs had 53 more targets than Malik Nabers, 88 to 35.

Josh Downs had 295 more receiving yards than Malik Nabers, 566 to 271.

This season Josh Downs holds the bigger snap share, 86 percent against 62 percent.

This season Josh Downs holds the bigger target share, 22 percent against 21 percent.

Byes and availability

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

What would change the answer

0.6 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.