7 Potential Fantasy Football Busts You Should Try To Avoid
Fantasy Football Busts 2022
It's drafting season in fantasy football. There are many picks to make. This fills many with fears that they will select the wrong player or that the player they take will bust. Busts in fantasy football are players that fail to meet their average draft position or ADP at the end of the season. Say that a player is selected 14th overall out of all the wide receivers taken. That player finishes the season as the 26th highest scoring wide receiver. That player would be a bust. If you avoided that player in the draft then you got lucky. Or you read an article like this one that tells you the players to watch for when comes draft time. This isn't to say these players are awful. They just are not likely to meet their ADP compared to other players you could take after them. All scoring referenced is PPR and all ADP data comes straight from the best ADP and fantasy football projections out there, Fantasy Data. Be sure to subscribe so you can take full advantage of all the fun tools we have to offer to help you win another championship this fantasy football season.
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Mac Jones, Quarterback, New England Patriots
This is not an indictment of Mac Jones' ability as a quarterback. I personally believe in the talent and think that he will grow into a great NFL player. It's more the fact the Patriots aren't hiding their beliefs in being a dominant rushing team. The Patriots have Damien Harris, and Rhamondre Stevenson, and drafted Pierre Strong to go with their multitude of other running backs. Combine that with Josh McDaniels leaving New England as their offensive coordinator and the lack of impact talent at wide receiver and you'll see the picture. No one thinks that the Patriots have a beefed-up wide receiver with Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, rookie deep threat Tyquan Thornton, and Nelson Agholor. Mac does have Hunter Henry to throw to and Jonnu Smith since he counts. I just am not sure Mac Jones will get many touchdown opportunities or passing in general. That vibes with Data's projections for him to finish as the QB23 on the season. We foresee him having 25 touchdowns with 3,892 yards. His limited rushing ability drives him further down the projections list. He won't be diving for touchdowns with all those running backs. Yet, he's being drafted as the QB21 on the season. If, and it's a big IF, he hits those projections, he's maybe a top-24 quarterback. That just is far too risky when you have guys like Trevor Lawrence and Ryan Tannehill below him who have much higher rushing ability.
Antonio Gibson, Running Back, Washington Commanders
There seems to be nothing but bad news lately for Antonio Gibson and the many that believe in his talent, myself included. Not only did the Commanders re-sign JD McKissic, but they drafted Brian Robinson too. That's a messy backfield to sort out. Lately, Gibson struggled in the first preseason game by fumbling his second touch. This immediately sent him to the bench while Brob came in. Now, it's been reported that Washington and coach Ron Rivera want Gibson to be not only more consistent but less indecisive. Oftentimes for running backs, if they start to change directions too much, it's easier for the ball to come out. The ones that take one step and then blast off have a much stronger grip on the ball. Gibby had a fine season last year, rushing for over 1,000 yards and nearly reaching 300 receiving yards. He just didn't get many touchdowns with only 7 combined ones. With this increased uncertainty and the larger committee running back room, Gibson's price is just too much for what you will get. He's being taken as the RB21 and at pick 42. That's so expensive. There's no guarantee he reaches FantasyData's projections of 895 yards, 5 combined touchdowns, and only 32 receptions. I'll be honest, I doubt he reaches those markers if the Commanders let Wentz run/throw like he likes to. There are many other running backs I'd prefer at later ADPs like Travis Etienne, AJ Dillon, or Tony Pollard to name a few. Be careful as Gibson could very easily bust this year.
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Jake Oliver
Jake is a native Phoenician and die hard fan of all the Arizona sports teams as well as the NFL and MLB. He is a Christian and a college student pursuing a dual degree in Sports Management and Sports Journalism. He is currently writing for DynastyNerds as well as a site expert at Fansided. He is obsessive about sports and stats. Jake's other hobbies include music, movies/TV, traveling and studying history. He is an avid Star Wars, Marvel, and DC fan (nerd). He wants you to know that the Jedi were the reason the Republic fell and that Dynasty>redraft. You can follow him on twitter @Darthdbacks or Discord @DarthDbacks. He is Open to doing any AMA's or podcast guest spots.