We’re approaching the 2025 season. Every year, a few players seize on the right opportunity and surprise fantasy players. The value comes from trying to predict who it will end up being this time of year and stashing them. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at some 2025 sleeper candidates at each key fantasy position: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. Hopefully, these are players you can acquire at a value that will propel you to fantasy glory.
Today, I turn my attention to the quarterback room for the Indianapolis Colts. I know what you’re thinking: Anthony Richardson could finally turn it around. Perhaps that’s true. But I’m going another way. The Colts were insistent on bringing in competition for the starting job this off-season. They settled on former Giant and Viking Daniel Jones. He now appears poised to take the lead in the competition heading into Training Camp.
But can we trust it? That’s the real question. We’ve been burned by Daniel Jones in the past, and I know it’s hard to believe in him. But the Colts have a lot of pieces in place, meaning whoever gets the job could have fantasy upside. So, why not Daniel Jones? Let’s weigh the evidence.
The Case for Daniel Jones
The case begins with those weapons. The Colts are loaded. They have Jonathan Taylor at running back, with Michael Pittman, Jr., Josh Downs, Adonai Mitchell, and Alec Pierce at receiver. If that wasn’t good enough, the team added Tyler Warren at tight end in the draft. Warren caught more than 100 passes in 2024 at Penn State. That gives them a tremendous group of weapons that just need the right quarterback to unlock them. We’ve seen Daniel Jones do more with less in the past.
In 2022, in his first year with Brian Daboll in New York, Jones found a way to thrive. Despite a dearth of weapons outside back Saquon Barkley, Jones threw for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. In fact, despite a couple of rough years to end his time in New York, Jones threw for a 64.1% completion percentage, 70 touchdowns, and just 47 interceptions. He’s also shown himself to be a decent rushing threat, adding 708 yards and seven touchdowns in that 2022 season, which saw the Giants land in the playoffs.
We’ve also seen Shane Steichen make the most of even average quarterback play. In 2023, Richardson was lost for the season in Week 5. That left journeyman Gardner Minshew as the starter from Week 6 on. The team finished 9-8, falling just short of the playoffs. Minshew finished as QB17 from Week 6 on, averaging more than 14 points per game. That made him a QB2 option, and arguably, Jones has more upside and a better supporting cast.
The Case Against Daniel Jones
But is Jones a lock? Hardly. We’ve seen him struggle. In 2023, the next year after being in the running for Comeback Player of the Year and leading the Giants to the playoffs, Jones flatlined. He threw for just 909 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions in six starts. He didn’t fare much better in 2024, leading the Giants to a woeful 2-8 record in 10 starts before being released. He finished the year as a backup for the Vikings, but it’s unclear what he gained by being on a team with Kevin O’Connell.
Still, he heads into Training Camp likely in the top position. Richardson struggled with accuracy and control in 2024, leading to him being benched. This summer, he also suffered a shoulder injury, forcing him to miss key camp reps. But he’s a former first-round pick for the Colts who will likely be given every chance to claim the top job. If Jones is merely average, that likely won’t be good enough against a healthy Richardson. The opportunity is right, but Jones hasn’t shown consistently he’s the right man for the job in the past.
The Bottom Line
I know it feels wrong to bet on Jones in 2025. It was a rocky six years with the Giants at best, but the tools are there. We’ve seen Jones pull it all together in the past. During that great 2022 season, Jones was QB9. And the Colts would have the best supporting cast he’s ever played with. Even if he only achieved QB2 value, that would still make him a starter. And at a current ADP of QB29, that would show a return on investment. Given the upside and the fact that Richardson hasn’t shown the ability to stay healthy for a season, he should be rostered everywhere. Jones is the kind of passer you can acquire cheaply as a third option in Superflex that could pay big dividends. That alone makes him an interesting prospect heading into 2025.
Matthew Fox is a die-hard NFL fan and Broncos’ homer. He’s a member of the FSWA. You can find more from him on Twitter @knighthawk7734 or as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast, a part of the Campus2Canton Network.
