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: Here's a list of six players off to hot starts.
Which one of these players is off to an unsustainable start?
Andy Hicks: The easy option for an unsustainable start is Daniel Jones. He leads all quarterbacks with three rushing touchdowns. On only 13 carries. With only one passing touchdown in each of his first two games, it paints a better picture of his season-long projections.
Passing yardage is strong to date, but it will regress as the season wears on. He ranks second in that area after two games, but if he finishes in the top twelve, that will be considered a massive achievement. All regression from his current numbers. He should have put any question as to whether he should be starting for the Colts to bed, but we will see more traditional Daniel Jones-type games very soon.
Waldman: I agree with you, Andy. Brandon Angelo and I were having a conversation about Jones on our podcast last night. We noticed that a lot of Jones' work is coming off highly-schemed, first-read concepts. This isn't sustainable for an entire season.
Jones is playing well within the system, but the system is unlikely to be sustainable. Jones will have to prove that he can be better in the pocket when defenses take away his first read in this Colts' system.
Colton Dodgson: This one is tough because I think there's an element of sustainability with each of these starters. I wasn't a Javonte Williams believer coming into the season. I've come around. This is very clearly his backfield. The only question is whether or not he can handle the workload. If that concerns you, I think Williams should be your answer.
Jason Wood: I think most of these players are capable of handily exceeding preseason expectations, even if they fall back from their blistering early starts. Harold Fannin Jr. stands out as the least sustainable.
His snap count went down in Week Two, from 72% to 63%, and he's the clear No. 2 tight end on a bad offense. David Njoku played more than 80% of snaps each week and remains one of the team's most proven all-around playmakers.
I'm excited for Fannin's long-term future, especially if the Browns decide to move on from Njoku in 2026. However, this year, barring an injury, Fannin will be a boom-or-bust option, as almost no team in NFL history has consistently supported two fantasy tight ends.
Gary Davenport: Maybe it's the Browns fan in me, but Fannin is the most unsustainable of that group for this masochist. David Njoku isn't going away, but at some point, Joe Flacco will be.
Once Dillon Gabriel takes over under center at the Factory of Sadness, it's going to impact the offense. And while the tight end can be a young quarterback's best friend, we just don't know how Gabriel will distribute the ball until we see it.
Jeff Haseley: It appears that all of the players mentioned have earned a niche role on their respective teams.
Wan'Dale Robinson is getting targets thanks to a heavy volume of passing in the Giants' offense. He may be the biggest question mark, but it stems from whether or not the Giants can sustain their high-volume pass attack. If so, he will benefit. If not, he will have hills and valleys this year. I don't see the Giants sustaining two fantasy-starting wide receivers, which relegates Robinson to a flex option/bye week filler in my opinion.
Meng Song: Wan'Dale Robinson is off to an unsustainable start, as we've seen this movie before. In fact, we saw it just last season. Robinson has been kryptonite for Dallas, as he torched the Cowboys with 11 catches for 71 yards in Week 4 of last year in yet another one-score loss for the Giants. Plus, his monumental game this past Sunday was in part due to the absence of Cowboys slot corner Daron Bland, who was out with a foot injury.
Yes, Robinson will probably have a few more solid outings in fantasy this year, but they'll be hard to predict. The most likely scenario is that he'll remain a boom-or-bust WR4 each week and be a volatile fantasy asset. Plus, the passing offense is likely to suffer when Jaxson Dart inevitably takes over and works through rookie growing pains.
Josh Fahlsing: Wan'Dale Robinson is averaging almost 100 receiving yards per game after two weeks, so since I don't believe he'll end the season with that kind of average, I have to say he's probably the one off to the most unsustainable start. If he can stay healthy, I think running next to Malik Nabers, he can be a really nice fantasy piece. I just don't think there will be enough to go around after Nabers to get Robinson to that kind of per-game average.
Matt Montgomery: Wan'Dale Robinson is the player here who won't sustain this pace. Robinson doesn't have the body type to play the style of play he is currently. He is better suited for a role between the hashes with high-volume targets and catches.
He is getting elite receiver treatment, and while I like him as a player, I think we need to pump the brakes on him before we trick ourselves into believing he can sustain this role in an offense that also has Malik Nabers.
Waldman: Is there one from this list likely to shock us and maintain his altitude?