Josh Downs vs Ricky Pearsall: Who Should You Start?
The gap between Josh Downs and Ricky Pearsall is smaller than most fantasy managers think. Separated by just 1.1 PPG in 2025, this is one of those wide receiver decisions that comes down to context, not name recognition. Josh Downs averaged 6.7 PPG with the Indianapolis Colts across 16 games, and Ricky Pearsall posted 7.8 with the San Francisco 49ers in 9.
When two wide receivers are separated by less than two points per game, the decision shifts to weekly context. Who has the softer defense? Who is trending up over the last month? Which team is projected for more total points? Those are the tiebreakers that actually matter.
Target volume is the story here. Josh Downs saw 88 targets in 2025, while Ricky Pearsall drew 53. That workload gap usually translates into a higher weekly floor for Josh Downs, even in weeks where Ricky Pearsall 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 Ricky Pearsall rests in Week 9. 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.
