Should I start Josh Downs or Michael Pittman Jr. in Week 10?
Updated Nov 10, 11:21 AM ET. Week 11 answers post Tuesday.
Start Josh Downs: 80 percent of the snaps and 18 percent of the targets over their last 3 games, against Michael Pittman Jr.'s 78 percent of the snaps and 11 percent of the targets. No market projection is posted on either of them this week, so this is a usage call, and a lower confidence one than a call made on a projection. What follows is what each of them has done.
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Neither man carries a season projection right now, so this is their usage this season and their last full season's numbers, side by side.
WR51 · IND · bye 13
2026 vs anytime td line 1-8
- Market-based projection
- 10.7 pts a game Wk 9 price
- Overall rank
- 126
WR52 · PIT · bye 9
2025 vs rec yds line 5-12
- Overall rank
- 127
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The gap
- Board size307 draftable players
Draft data is not current for these two, so the figures that depend on it are left out. The call above comes from each player's usage.
Where the draft room stands
Live drafts hold no current pick on Josh Downs, and the board ranks him 126th overall on the rest of his evidence.
Live drafts hold no current pick on Michael Pittman Jr., and the board ranks him 127th overall on the rest of his evidence.
The market-based projections
The market-based projection for Josh Downs is 1.7 PPR points a game off 1 market across 1 market source. That is 30 percent of what a wide receiver's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.
The market has Michael Pittman Jr. at 1.7 PPR points a game off 1 market across 2 market sources. That is 30 percent of what a wide receiver's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.
Josh Downs's projection is not complete, so the two figures are not set against each other here.
This season so far
Through Week 9, Josh Downs has been on the field for 81 percent of IND snaps, drawn 20 percent of the targets and had 10 percent of the red zone chances.
He has taken 18 of the offence's 73 third down targets, had 0 of its 22 chances inside the five and seen 6 of its 44 two minute targets.
His 57 targets have averaged 9.6 air yards.
In Week 7 against MIN he caught 2 of 4 targets for 18 yards and did not score.
In Week 8 against JAX he caught 4 of 5 targets for 23 yards and scored 1 touchdown.
In Week 9 against DAL he caught 3 of 6 targets for 24 yards and did not score.
Through Week 4, Michael Pittman Jr. has been on the field for 78 percent of PIT snaps, drawn 11 percent of the targets and had 0 percent of the red zone chances.
He has taken 3 of the offence's 24 third down targets, had 0 of its 1 chance inside the five and seen 1 of its 15 two minute targets.
His 12 targets have averaged 9.4 air yards.
In Week 1 against ATL he caught 3 of 3 targets for 58 yards and did not score.
In Week 3 against CIN he caught 2 of 5 targets for 16 yards and did not score.
In Week 4 against CLE he caught 2 of 4 targets for 15 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 Michael Pittman Jr. played 17 games and scored 202.4 PPR points, 11.9 a game, finishing WR18.
He caught 80 of 111 targets for 784 yards and 7 touchdowns, with 12 red zone targets.
That came to 6-7 targets a game, a 72 percent catch rate and 9.8 yards a catch.
He was on the field for 85 percent of the snaps in the games he played.
Michael Pittman Jr. was available for 1 game more.
Head to head
In 2025 Michael Pittman Jr. scored 11.9 PPR points a game and Josh Downs 8.5, 3.4 a game between them.
Josh Downs finished WR44 that year and Michael Pittman Jr. WR18.
Michael Pittman Jr. had 23 more targets than Josh Downs, 111 to 88.
Michael Pittman Jr. had 218 more receiving yards than Josh Downs, 784 to 566.
This season Josh Downs holds the bigger snap share, 81 percent against 78 percent.
This season Josh Downs holds the bigger target share, 20 percent against 11 percent.
Byes and availability
Josh Downs is off in Week 13 and Michael Pittman Jr. in Week 9, so either can cover the other's bye.
Michael Pittman Jr. is listed as ir on the injury report.
Both players in full
Week 10 on the board
- Is Josh Downs playing Week 10?
- Is Michael Pittman Jr. playing Week 10?
- Colts depth chart
- Steelers depth chart
- Week 10 WR rankings
- Week 10 fantasy rankings
- Week 10 start or sit
- Week 10 waiver wire
- Week 10 trade value chart
- Trade deadline buy low, sell high
- Fantasy football rankings
- Start 'em sit 'em Week 10
- Waiver wire pickups
- Fantasy sleepers
- Rest of season rankings
- Week 10 kicker rankings
- Week 10 defense rankings
