Welcome to Week 9 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:
- Fantasy/True False
- WRs Reuniting With Familiar QBs
- Hot October Quarterbacks
- Hot October Wide Receivers
Let's roll...
Matt Waldman: Pick one and tell me if you believe the statement is -- or will be -- true or false.
- Christian Watson will have a fantasy impact now that he's back from injury.
- Rico Dowdle will finish as a top-12 fantasy RB
- Ladd McConkey will finish the year as a top-12 fantasy WR.
Let's see who you've got.
Gary Davenport: Had Justin Herbert not forgotten that McConkey was on the team for the first month of the season, this wouldn't even be a question. But someone reminded him, and late beats never.
Over the last month, McConkey has averaged over 10 targets a game, has 3 touchdown catches, and ranks fourth in PPR points among wide receivers. He may not stay in the top five the rest of the way, but he's already just a few spots outside the top 12. He'll crash the cool kids' party by the time Week 17 rolls around—with room to spare.
Jason Wood: Ladd McConkey will NOT finish the year as a top-12 fantasy WR. I'm a McConkey fan, and you can't argue with his recent strong run. It's misleading to talk about him as though he's a fantasy stud.
He currently ranks just WR26 on a per-game basis (PPR), which is a far cry from his WR15 ranking based on total fantasy points scored. Part of that run also occurred while Quentin Johnston was injured.
Further complicating matters is the emergence of Oronde Gadsden, who's seen 22 targets over the last three weeks. Some of my colleagues also neglected to mention that McConkey's 68 targets don't even lead his own team, as Keenan Allen holds that distinction.
Even in a pass-happy offense, expecting any of these players to finish as a true fantasy WR1 is unrealistic unless injury luck breaks your way. Allen, McConkey, Johnston, and Gadsden have all shown the ability to post league-winning weeks, but they'll also take turns ceding the floor to one another.