Welcome to Week 11 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:
- WR Rebound Candidates
- Can These WRs Keep It Going?
- Reserves with League-Altering Upside
- Controversial Stances
Let's roll...
Matt Waldman: I shared a controversial view this week on social media. I believe Colston Loveland is TE1 of the 2025 NFL Draft class, much to the amazement of Colts' fans who tout Tyler Warren's production.
I like Warren and value him as a starter. It's not Warren's fault that he has generated a lot of production that's been favorably schemed for him in ways that most tight ends don't see as often.
There have been games where the majority of Warren's production has come from plays schemed to get him open in wide-open space. J.J. Watt even asked Warren what it felt like to catch so many passes when no defender was within 10-15 yards of him.
This is no slight to Warren; it's a compliment to the Colts' scheme. Still, it factors into comparing players' skills on the field beyond the statistical results. It raises questions about whether other top prospects from this rich TE class could have earned similar production in the Colts offense, as it is designed.
I believe Loveland, Mason Taylor, Harold Fannin Jr., and Elijah Arroyo could slide in and do similar work as receivers and blockers. Of course, you can imagine the commentary on social media from Colts fans and Penn State faithful.
This is part of the job every year. I think about reactions from fans and media toward who I thought Clyde Edwards-Helaire was a limited player relative to the early buzz, and the production against a bad Texans defense didn't change my mind, or that Lamar Jackson was not only a legitimate NFL quarterback, but also one of the best pocket passers of his class.
Most fans wouldn't recognize that about Jackson for years until Peyton Manning said it on Monday Night Football.
So I want to know a stance you have that you believe will be controversial to the fantasy community, but you believe will play out long-term.
Corey Spala: I have controversial stances surrounding game theory.
Waldman: Love it.
Spala: I believe there are established fallacies within decision-making when it comes to the age cliff (all positions) and the "too many mouths to feed" sentiments. Long-term, the advantages of these fallacies are an edge to exploit. For instance, Derrick Henry (31) is a running back playing beyond the perceived age cliff.
If you avoided Henry over the last few seasons because of his age, then you missed out on the RB8 (2023) and RB4 (2024). Henry is currently RB17 on the year in his 31-year-old season. I conducted a study on the decline of running backs and found the age at which we should be concerned, which aligns with Henry's current age more closely than the commonly perceived notion.
Here are the studies I conducted on wide receivers and tight ends, if you're interested. I am not here to tell people what they are doing wrong. I am here to offer alternative options for consideration.
As far as the "too many mouths to feed," this is a blanket statement attributed to an offense, typically when three or four options are fantasy-relevant. The statement is essentially a fallacy.
The question being, how do we know who will be consistent and who will be variable? Low-passing-volume offenses cast a shadow of concern for receiving options, while high-volume offenses bring the light.
Talent matters, and a low-volume passing offense will find the talent. For example, Jalen Hurts is 24th in total attempts this year. DeVonta Smith (14.6), A.J. Brown (11.1), and Dallas Goedert (13.7) still average respectable points per game. This does not account for Saquon Barkley (15.7); certainly as a rusher, but also his role in the pass game.