Welcome to Week 3 of the 2025 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.
This week's roundtable features these four topics:
- The Bengals without Burrow
- Brian Thomas Jr.; Time to Panic?
- Backup QB Roulette
- Unsustainable Hot Starts
Let's roll...
Matt Waldman: Brian Thomas Jr. has had two games that aren't what fantasy GMs expected when they drafted him early. Is it time to panic?
Jason Wood: It's hard to confidently answer this question until we know more about the wrist injury. Before we heard about the injury, I would've said Thomas was a table-pounding buy.
He's been targeted 19 times in two games, good enough for a 26% target share. That's exactly the kind of usage we expected and is typical of a league-winning alpha receiver.
I wouldn't make any aggressive trade offers to acquire him until we have clarity about his wrist. Presuming that's not a significant concern, I've seen nothing through two weeks to make me change my preseason belief he'll be a Top 10 asset this year (and for many years into the future).
Meng Song: Is the wrist injury real, or was it a way for Liam Coen to gracefully cover for his No. 1 wide receiver after a rough loss filled with drops? It's hard to say, but I'd lean toward the former.
We saw Brian Thomas Jr. dominate toward the end of last season, and it's not like that skill just disappeared. And before you say it, Mac Jones had nothing to do with it. Yes, Jones targeted Thomas relentlessly, but it's not like Trevor Lawrence hasn't looked Thomas' way with 19 targets through two weeks.
If you drafted Thomas, the window to sell for even fifty cents on the dollar is closing rapidly. If you didn't draft Thomas, you could roll the dice on him if you're 2-0 and have a ton of depth, but I'd think long and hard before sending out any trade offers.
We saw Tyreek Hill finish as the WR31 in fantasy points per game last season, playing through a wrist injury, and there's a possibility that Thomas could have a similar nagging injury that allows him to suit up every week but not produce at the elite level we saw over the second half of last year.
If your team is 0-2, it may be time to take some risks, given the low odds of making the fantasy playoffs after such a start. I don't think it's crazy to try to move on from Thomas for other wide receivers who may help produce immediate wins in Weeks 3 and 4.
This includes early-round wide receivers who likewise underperformed in Week 2, like Drake London. I'd also consider selling Thomas for veterans who've produced but who fantasy managers may not fully trust yet, like Davante Adams.
And while it's unlikely fantasy managers would sell ascending young talents like Emeka Egbuka, Ricky Pearsall, or Rome Odunze for Thomas at this point, it's at least worth a shot to send the offers.
Jeff Haseley: There is a real concern with Thomas, because the opportunities have been there for him. Only five catches on 19 targets are worrisome -- a 26.3% reception percentage. The next lowest is 64.3% by Travis Hunter.
Literally, everyone else on the team is catching Trevor Lawrence's passes except Thomas. Why? Well, there's the phantom wrist injury. What is it? How bad is it? When will it be fully healed? All good questions.
If he can play through it and eventually overcome it, I'd say he is someone to target as a trade possibility if you have the depth to wait. Perhaps someone like Zay Flowers or Quentin Johnston could be enough to sway an 0-2 team that is worried about Thomas.