Josh Downs
WR
Indianapolis Colts
This is how WRs have played against the Browns in the 2026 season.
WR2 = the second-highest-scoring WR against Browns in each game, not a fixed depth-chart spot.
| Wk | Team | Player | Tgt | Rec | ReYd | ReTD | FPts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  JAX | Jakobi Meyers | 2 | 2 | 40 | 1 | 12.2 |
| 2 |  TB | Chris Godwin Jr. | 3 | 3 | 46 | 0 | 8.8 |
| 3 |  CAR | John Metchie III | 5 | 2 | 19 | 1 | 9.9 |
| 4 |  PIT | Roman Wilson | 6 | 3 | 74 | 1 | 16.4 |
| 5 |  NYJ | Tim Patrick | 3 | 2 | 26 | 0 | 4.6 |
| 6 |  BAL | Ja'Kobi Lane | 5 | 4 | 40 | 0 | 8.0 |
| 7 |  TEN | Elic Ayomanor | 7 | 3 | 44 | 0 | 7.4 |
| 8 | PIT | Brandon Johnson | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1.9 |
| Average | 4.0 | 2.5 | 37.3 | 0.4 | 8.7 | ||
| Median | 4.0 | 2.5 | 40.0 | 0.0 | 8.4 | ||
| High | 7 | 4 | 74 | 1 | 16.4 | ||
| Low | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1.9 | ||
Averages are raw, outliers are never removed.
How Josh Downs should do vs the BrownsSeason log, the group you pick, and a projection
Season so far, compared with what the group you pick below has done against the Browns, 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 Browns 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.
Browns 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 Browns 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.
| Wk | Opp | Tgt | Rec | ReYd | ReTD | FPts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BAL | 4 | 2 | 37 | 0 | 5.7 |
| 2 | KC | 9 | 7 | 72 | 0 | 14.2 |
| 3 | HOU | 11 | 5 | 77 | 0 | 12.7 |
| 4 | WAS | 4 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 4.6 |
| 5 | PIT | 6 | 3 | 47 | 0 | 7.7 |
| 6 | TEN | 8 | 4 | 40 | 0 | 8.7 |
| 7 | MIN | 4 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 3.8 |
| 8 | JAX | 5 | 4 | 23 | 1 | 12.3 |
| Downs avg | 6.4 | 3.8 | 41.3 | 0.1 | 8.7 | |
| Browns WR2 avg | 4.0 | 2.5 | 37.3 | 0.4 | 8.7 | |
| Difference | -2.4 | -1.3 | -4.0 | +0.3 | -0.1 | |
| Projected as WR2 | 6.3 | 3.7 | 40.9 | 0.1 | 8.5 | |
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 DownsGood confidence · 8.5 proj pts1/10 start
- Josh Downs averages 8.7 PPR points over 8 games (recent-weighted 8.6) and has played as the team's WR2.
- The Browns have allowed 8.7 points to WR2s over 8 games (-1% vs league). The model applies 73% of that gap because the sample is small, giving a -1% adjustment.
- Last season's average (8.7) is blended in at 20% weight because this season's sample is small.
- Projection: 8.5 points.
- For reference, a typical weekly starter-level WR scores about 12.2 and a top-tier one about 20.9.
- 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 Browns
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 Browns.
I predict about 8.5 points for Josh Downs if playing as a WR2. Josh Downs has averaged 8.7 over 8 games, and the Browns have given up 8.7 to WR2s (-1% vs the league average of 8.8).
How this projection is built
1. The player. Josh Downs scored: Wk 1 5.7, Wk 2 14.2, Wk 3 12.7, Wk 4 4.6, Wk 5 7.7, Wk 6 8.7, Wk 7 3.8, Wk 8 12.3. Average 8.7; weighted toward recent games it is 8.6.
2. The defense. Over 8 games, the Browns allowed 8.7 points to their opponent's WR2. The league average for that slot is 8.8, so that is -1%.
3. Trusting small samples less. With 8 defensive games, only 73% of the gap is applied, capped at +/-30%. That gives a -1% adjustment (x0.99).
4. Result. 8.6 x 0.99 = 8.5. 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.
Why this percentage?
The projection (8.5) 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 4.0 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 9.
With only 8 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
- WR2s have averaged 2.5 receptions, 37.3 receiving yards and 0.4 receiving TDs against the Browns across 8 games.
- The Browns allow 8.7 PPR points to WR2s, -1% versus the league average of 8.8 (ranked 17 of 32, where 1 is most generous). That is a near-average matchup.
- Outlier: Week 4, Roman Wilson (16.4 pts, 74 yds) sits far above the other games and pulls the averages up. Average with it vs without it: pts 8.7 vs 7.5; yds 37.3 vs 32.0. The table above keeps the raw averages.
- Outlier: Week 8, Brandon Johnson (1.9 pts) sits far below the other games and drags the averages down. Average with it vs without it: pts 8.7 vs 9.6. The table above keeps the raw averages.
- 2 of 8 games reached 10+ PPR points. Scores range from 1.9 to 16.4 (median 8.4).
- WR2s scored a touchdown in 3 of 8 games (38%).
Insights are generated by rules from the table above and recalculate every week.