SportsProof
Josh Downs
PIT

WRs vs Pittsburgh Steelers

As of Week 5 · through 2 games · PPR

Josh Downs
Comparing
Josh Downs vs the Steelers
Projection 7.3 pts · 2 games played this season
Sit

Showing the three highest-scoring WRs from each game.

Pts / game allowed
14.1
to all WRs
Rank
32
of 32 (1 = most allowed)
vs League
-53%
lg avg 29.8
WkTeamPlayerSlotTgtRecReYdReTDFPts
1ATLATLDrake LondonWR1422905.5
Jahan DotsonWR2311902.9
Olamide ZaccheausWR311501.5
2NENERomeo DoubsWR14396012.6
Mack HollinsWR2221803.8
Kyle WilliamsWR3211002.0
Average2.71.729.50.04.7
Median2.51.518.50.03.3
High4396012.6
Low11501.5

Averages are raw, outliers are never removed.

How Josh Downs should do vs the SteelersSeason log, the group you pick, and a projection

Season so far, compared with what the group you pick below has done against the Steelers, plus a projection for this game.

What is this table?

Rows at the top are every game Josh Downs has played this season, using the same stat columns as the table above.

Compare against picks which group of Steelers opponents to line them up with: the best WR they faced in each game (1), the second best (2), the third best (3), or all of the top three. Nobody knows which slot Josh Downs will land in this week, so this is your call, not a guess.

Steelers avg is the average line of that group. Difference is that minus Josh Downs's own average: green means the defense gives that slot more than Josh Downs usually produces.

Projected is Josh Downs's recent-weighted average scaled by how generous the Steelers were to the slot you picked. Change the slot and the projected points change, because each slot has a different matchup adjustment. Picking Top 3 uses the usual-role projection.

Compare against
WkOppTgtRecReYdReTDFPts
1BAL423705.7
2KC9772014.2
Downs avg6.54.554.50.09.9
Steelers Top 3 avg2.71.729.50.04.7
Difference-3.8-2.8-25.0+0.0-5.2
Projected5.03.441.50.07.3

Difference is what the defense allows minus what Downs averages (green = defense gives up more). Projected stats scale the player's averages by the matchup adjustment, so they are a rough guide.

Start / Sit · Josh DownsMedium confidence · 7.3 proj ptsSit

Josh Downs usually plays as the team's WR2, so the verdict uses the WR2 numbers, not the slot selected above.

  • Josh Downs averages 9.9 PPR points over 2 games (recent-weighted 10.4) and has played as the team's WR2.
  • The Steelers have allowed 3.3 points to WR2s over 2 games (-60% vs league). The model applies 40% of that gap because the sample is small, giving a -24% adjustment.
  • Last season's average (8.7) is blended in at 50% weight because this season's sample is small.
  • Projection: 7.3 points.
  • For reference, a typical weekly starter-level WR scores about 11.8 and a top-tier one about 20.8.
  • A statistical model from box scores, Vegas lines, weather and injury tags. It cannot see role changes or in-game events.
Prediction & chance to scoreJosh Downs vs the Steelers

Prediction for Josh Downs

Nobody knows which slot Josh Downs will land in this week, so pick the one you expect. The projection changes because each slot faces a different average from the Steelers.

If Josh Downs plays as
7.3
projected PPR points

I predict about 7.3 points for Josh Downs if playing as a WR2. Josh Downs has averaged 9.9 over 2 games, and the Steelers have given up 3.3 to WR2s (-60% vs the league average of 8.3).

How this projection is built

1. The player. Josh Downs scored: Wk 1 5.7, Wk 2 14.2. Average 9.9; weighted toward recent games it is 9.5.

2. The defense. Over 2 games, the Steelers allowed 3.3 points to their opponent's WR2. The league average for that slot is 8.3, so that is -60%.

3. Trusting small samples less. With 2 defensive games, only 40% of the gap is applied, capped at +/-30%. That gives a -24% adjustment (x0.76).

4. Result. 9.5 x 0.76 = 7.3. Switching slots only changes step 2 and 3: the player's own numbers stay the same, but each slot faces a different defensive average.

It is a statistical model, not knowledge of injuries, game script or weather.

Chance to score

Type a point total to see how likely Josh Downs is to reach it as a WR2.

44%
chance of 7+ PPR points
Why this percentage?

The projection (7.3) is the middle of the range. Fantasy scores swing a lot from game to game, so the model spreads possible scores around it by about 4.4 points, leaning on Josh Downs's own game-to-game swings once there are several games (and on typical WR swings before that).

Scores are modelled as right-skewed, since a big game is possible but a very negative one is not. The percentage is the share of that spread at or above 7.

With only 2 games of history, treat this as a rough gauge. It gets sharper as the season goes on. It is never lower than 1% or higher than 99%.

InsightsPlain-English takeaways from the table
  • top-3 WRs have averaged 1.7 receptions, 29.5 receiving yards and 0.0 receiving TDs per player-game against the Steelers across 2 games.
  • The Steelers allow 14.1 PPR points to the position per game, -53% versus the league average of 29.8 (ranked 32 of 32, where 1 is most generous). That is a tough matchup.
  • Outlier: Week 2, Romeo Doubs (12.6 pts, 96 yds) sits far above the other games and pulls the averages up. Average with it vs without it: pts 4.7 vs 3.1; yds 29.5 vs 16.2. The table above keeps the raw averages.
  • 1 of 6 player-games reached 10+ PPR points. Scores range from 1.5 to 12.6 (median 3.3).
  • top-3 WRs scored a touchdown in 0 of 6 player-games (0%).
  • Small sample: only 2 games so far. Treat these numbers as directional, not settled.

Insights are generated by rules from the table above and recalculate every week.