Josh Downs Exits Practice Early With Hamstring Injury

What They're Saying

Boyd: “Colts WR Josh Downs is walking off the field. He came off during one of the team periods complaining about pain in his hamstring. Been checked out by a trainer and his day appears to be over.”

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

Not great.

We’ll see what the severity is but anytime a WR suffers a hamstring injury, especially in the middle of August, some concern is warranted. 

Downs is coming off a solid 2024 campaign, hauling in 72 passes for 803 yards and 5 TDs. He emerged as the go-to guy in the Indianapolis passing attack. According to NFL Pro, Downs was targeted on a whopping 39% of his routes against press coverage, the highest rate among qualified WRs. He’s a really good player, making a potential absence a real blow to the Colts’ passing attack. 

If Downs is forced to miss any time, WR Adonai Mitchell, who has impressed in training camp, could see a larger role. But given where each pass-catcher operates on the field, the player who would benefit the most would be rookie TE Tyler Warren. He was targeted on 30% of his routes during the Colts’ preseason opener and could become a key option in the short/intermediate areas of the field. 

Consider Downs day-to-day for now, but we’ll track his status heading into the weekend.