Welcome to Week 4 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:
- Chargers Passing Game
- Browns Passing Game
- For Real or Fool's Gold, WR Edition
- Hot Running Back Starts
Let's roll...
Matt Waldman: The Chargers' passing game has been on fire in September. Keenan Allen is the fantasy WR5, Quentin Johnston is WR8, but Ladd McConkey is WR43. It's not how most of the football world saw it, although Jeff Bell has been forewarning people all summer about Johnston's potential emergence in his coverage of Footballguys Training Camp Reports.
What changes about the production of this receiver trio, if anything, as the season unfolds? What do you advise about each receiver?
Jeff Bell: This start is not shocking, given how training camp progressed. Every day, a different receiver stepped up and stole the spotlight.
Everyone remembers the KeAndre Lambert-Smith drumbeat. But without fail, McConkey would come back to show them who the true WR1 was. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper did a great job detailing this.
McConkey missed a portion of the preseason due to injury, and he was on the injury report with a biceps issue heading into Week 3. The analysis that expected him to dominate targets and flirt with 1,500 yards was clearly incorrect, but for the handwringing about his start, he’s on pace for 85 receptions and 918 yards.
In reality, the receiver group will all likely normalize into back-end WR2 territory. Allen’s touchdowns are likely to regress, and Johnston’s value will back off a bit while McConkey picks up with some spike games.
I advise buying all three. Justin Herbet’s play, the passing volume of the offense, and the lack of a role for tight ends and receivers in the passing game give all three a great chance to be viable fantasy options.
Mike Kashuba: Jeff's right, trying to pick the correct receiver out of camp seemed like playing wack-a-mole. There wasn't the same drumbeat for Quentin Johnston as there was for Ladd McConkey and Keandre Lambert-Smith, but there were still positive reports. He's the locked-in WR2 for the team, and should stay in lineups as long as the Chargers are letting Herbert sling it.
Ladd McConkey is still separating at will against defenders, and should move back to the wide receiver one for the team. Allen will still have WR2 three appeal, but this hot start likely isn't sustainable between the touchdowns and his elder statesman status.
I recommend picking up Allen and Johnston as they're still available on far too many waivers, and start McConkey unless this cold streak extends through Week 7.