Josh Downs vs Malik Nabers: The Full Breakdown
Josh Downs and Malik Nabers are both viable fantasy wide receivers heading into 2026, but their 2025 production tells two different stories. Josh Downs averaged 6.7 PPG across 16 games with the Indianapolis Colts, while Malik Nabers posted 12.0 PPG in 4 appearances for the New York Giants.
A 5.3-PPG gap gives Malik Nabers the edge on paper, but paper does not account for Thursday night matchups, weather games, or a star defender returning from injury. The real question is not who was better in 2025, but who is the better start this specific week.
Target volume is the story here. Josh Downs saw 88 targets in 2025, while Malik Nabers drew 35. That workload gap usually translates into a higher weekly floor for Josh Downs, even in weeks where Malik Nabers posts the bigger ceiling game. Consistency-minded managers lean toward target share; boom-bust managers chase the upside.
Josh Downs has his bye in Week 14, and Malik Nabers rests in Week 8. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at wide receiver for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
