Two weeks into the 2025 NFL season, things have gone exactly as expected—said no one ever.
The quarterback position has been blasted by injuries—including the top-five option in Joe Burrow of the Bengals, who is effectively done for the season. At running back, Javonte Williams of the Dallas Cowboys has more fantasy points than Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons. Carolina Panthers wide receiver Hunter "He's still playing?" Renfrow had more than twice as many PPR points in Week 2 as A.J. Brown of Philadelphia has for the season.
We won't even talk about the tight ends. It's just too painful.
It's enough to freak fantasy managers out just ever so slightly.
Yep. About like that.
But we have to remember that we're only two weeks into the season. Things can and will change. In many cases, order will be restored to the universe. Could there be some high-end fantasy options we face tough decisions on at some point? Yes. But we aren't there yet.
However, while fantasy managers are rolling out underperformers and praying that Jalen Hurts remembers Brown is on the team, there are other lineup decisions to be made farther down the line. Difficult decisions.
Close calls.
Every week here at Footballguys, Close Calls will make a case for a pair of closely-ranked fantasy options—and then make the call on which player will be more productive.
For the sake of this exercise, we'll only consider quarterbacks and tight ends outside the top 10, running backs outside the top 20, and wide receivers outside the top 30 in the Footballguys Weekly Rankings.
Week 3 Close Calls
Close Call: Tyrod Taylor, NY Jets (QB22) vs. Jake Browning, Cincinnati (QB23)
The Case for Taylor: Justin Fields is one of those walking wounded under center—he sustained a concussion last week against the Buffalo Bills and has already been ruled out for Week 3. That thrusts Taylor, who has played for 35 NFL teams over his 15-year career, into his 59th career start.
There's a reason why Taylor is backing up Fields—his skill-set is similar. It showed in mop-up duty last week against Buffalo—while Taylor had just 56 passing yards, he added 21 rushing yards in three attempts. That scrambling ability is a nice boost to Taylor's fantasy value in a matchup with Tampa Bay where the Jets will likely be playing from behind.
The Case for Browning: This isn't the first time Browning has been tasked with stepping in for Burrow—the 29-year-old won four of seven starts for the Bengals in 2023. Last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Browning tossed three picks—but he also threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns and scored the game-winner on the ground.
To be clear, Browning isn't Burrow—or anywhere close to it. But Browning knows Zac Taylor's offense, and he still has wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at his disposal. The Vikings can be had through the air, as well—last year, Minnesota was 28th in the league against the pass.
The Verdict: Browning. This is as much about opponent and passing game weapons as the quarterbacks themselves. On paper, the Vikings have a better pass defense this year, but they also haven't played anyone who can, you know, throw the ball. In a game with sneaky shootout potential, Look for Browning to throw for 250 and multiple scores.
Close Call: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington (RB30) vs. Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland (RB31)
The Case for Croskey-Merritt: The very fact that Croskey-Merritt exists is all the case he needs. Jacory Croskey-Merritt doesn't breathe. He holds air hostage. Jacory Croskey-Merritt can dribble a bowling ball. When Jacory Croskey-Merritt enters a room, he doesn't turn the lights on, he turns the dark off.
Joking aside, everyone's favorite late-round rookie in the backfield this year wasn't a fantasy factor last week, but with Austin Ekeler's season ended by a torn Achilles and Brian Robinson Jr. now backing up Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco, the Washington backfield belongs to "Bill" now.
The Case for Judkins: A second-round pick of the Browns in April's draft, Judkins was literally the last rookie in the Class of 2025 to sign a contract. But despite having no training camp or preseason, Judkins was tossed into the deep end last week against the Ravens, leading the team with 10 carries for 61 yards.
Judkins is a prototypical three-down running back. He's tough between the tackles. Ran a faster 40-yard dash at this year's combine than TreVeyon Henderson. And he can catch the rock out of the backfield. Dylan Sampson and/or Jerome Ford will factor in some, but make no mistake—this is Judkins' backfield moving forward.
The Verdict: Croskey-Merritt. This pendulum is going to swing Judkins' way soon enough—as his touches increase so will his fantasy value. But Judkins faces a Green Bay Packers defense this week that has looked absolutely ferocious this season, while Croskey-Merritt is a good bet for 15-plus carries against a Raiders defense that isn't as good as the early numbers suggest in 2025.
