Josh Downs Fantasy Football Outlook (2026)

By Derek Brown (FantasyPros), Tue, Aug 18th 2026, 10:46pm EDT

Josh Downs dealt with a hamstring issue to open last season, which could be a reason why he didn't eclipse a 60% snap share until Week 4. Downs' playing time was a rollercoaster the rest of the season as his snap rate dipped below 60% in five other weeks in the remainder of the season. Originally, Downs was expected to step into an elevated role in 2026 and play more on the perimeter after seeing only 65 routes as a boundary receiver last year (per Fantasy Points Data). With the signing of Keenan Allen, Downs could be on the outside with Allen until Alec Pierce is fully healthy, but once all three are in the lineup, I expect Allen and Downs to rotate slot and perimeter usage. There's also a scenario where Allen falls into the Michael Pittman Jr. role from 2025 in this offense and Downs goes back to a slot-only role. The addition of Allen just widened Downs' range of outcomes for 2026. The splits in the slot versus outside aren't in Downs' favor. Last year, overall, he was 19th in separation score and 55th in route win rate, but when you look at him as a perimeter receiver, he drops to 52nd in separation and 84th in route win rate. On a per-route basis, among 109 qualifying receivers, he was 29th in target per route run rate, 66th in yards per route run, and 26th in first downs per route run. Downs is downgraded with the signing of Allen to a late-round flier or matchup-dependent PPR flex play.