Josh Downs

After signing a four-year, $114 million extension, Alec Pierce could theoretically return during training camp following surgery to address lingering ankle pain, but these kinds of injuries have a strange way of haunting wide receivers. Pierce’s bloated contracts suggests the team isn’t currently alarmed, though he is now under pressure for a quick recovery after the Colts traded Michael Pittman Jr. and officially moved Pierce into the WR1 role.

Expect a status update as camp approaches to see if the team’s high-priced playmaker will be ready for the season. This surprising news will further propel Josh Downs and Tyler Warren in best ball and dynasty as Pierce may miss training camp and a significant portion of preseason. Pierce is the quintessential sell-high player in fantasy football dynasty leagues.

Recovering from December surgery, Daniel Jones is already throwing and moving as he and the team target a Week 1 return. While his road to recovery is long, his current rehab progress has kept both parties optimistic about his availability for the season opener.

Avoiding the PUP list at the start of training camp will be the primary indicator that he is trending toward playing in the first game. Jones is currently one of the best values in superflex and 2 QB best ball and dynasty leagues.

Alec Pierce just secured the bag with a $116 million extension, signaling the Colts are all-in on his X-receiver transition and creating yet more dynasty heat. Meanwhile, Josh Downs is fighting to reclaim his relevance after a disappointing 2025 where he was out-targeted by a tight end, but the recent drumbeat of positive reports suggests a bounce-back as the primary short-area chain mover is imminent.

In dynasty formats, Pierce is now being valued as a high-ceiling alpha play, and this offseason is the time to sell. Downs, on the other hand, remains a savvy buy low PPR value whose current dynasty price tag ignores his path to becoming the team’s high-volume intermediate engine.

Colts GM Chris Ballard recently lauded Josh Downs as “freaking good,” anticipating that increased opportunities will allow the receiver to showcase “special stuff” in 2026. Following Michael Pittman’s departure, Downs enters the final year of his contract with the proven talent to be a significant fantasy factor.

While Downs’ production remains tied to Daniel Jones’ health for Week 1, Downs is positioned for a major workload with target hog Pittman now in Pittsburgh in what amounts to a career-defining season. Downs is a sneaky floor play in best ball and a value pick in dynasty at age 24.6.

The biggest story to track in Colts training camp is the quarterback battle between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones. While that plays out, the pecking order in the receiver room looms large. As a 2nd year wideout trying to make a leap up, Adonai Mitchell has been struggling with drops in practices. 

Ahead of Mitchell on the depth chart are Michael Pittman Jr and Josh Downs. Alec Pierce provides an excellent deep threat that ideally would be the spot where Mitchell takes over. The problem is that Mitchell hasn’t been able to gain enough momentum to even pass up Alec Pierce. Lauded for his separation skills, Mitchell’s best outlook appears to be in an offense where Daniel Jones is the starter.

While it looks like Jones is the leading candidate to be the Colts starting quarterback, Mitchell isn’t holding up his end of the bargain early in training camp. Mitchell is a dart throw in round 18 on Underdog and should be seen as a viable pick in best ball only for 2025.

Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (@coachretzlaff1)