5 Fantasy Football Busts At Wide Receiver In 2024
Some NFL wide receivers will be overvalued in 2024 based on their fantasy football average draft position. Others will gain targets and be more productive. And yes, there will be at least five fantasy football busts at wide receiver.
In fantasy football, a bust is a player who doesn’t live up to expectations. Sometimes this means ruining an owner’s season. But for this article, a bust will be a player that doesn’t fully live up to expectations. A bust doesn’t always ruin a season. An owner could draft a top-flight wide receiver who fails badly. And yet if all of the other picks perform above expectations and the team still wins the fantasy title, it’s a fun year.
Nobody wants to lead this parade, and nobody would expect this guy to be at the top because he is supposed to be the best player in the NFL: Tyreek Hill.
Could Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill disappoint?
Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
First, consider the context. If a player says he’s the best player in the game, he has to own it — including at the fantasy football level. Hill said he deserves the No. 1 spot on Up & Adams, proclaiming himself better than Patrick Mahomes.
“My argument is you gotta look at it like this, Pat is great,” Hill said. “He’s great obviously for his team, you feel me? They won two, back-to-back Super Bowls, they did their thing, right? You look at me, two back-to-back 1,700 (yards), Pro Bowl, All-Pro, this, that, consistency, all that man, you feel me?”
But when you lay claim to being the best player in the NFL, that should translate into a ton of fantasy football points, right? Don’t get this wrong. Hill will score fantasy points this year. If he stays healthy he will get his share, for sure.
However, if Hill is gonna claim the No. 1 spot overall, he must be the best fantasy wide receiver, right? You feel me? And that won’t happen in 2024. The No. 1 spot at the fantasy football wide receiver position will go to CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys will ride Lamb hard and long. He got 181 targets last year, 10 more than Hill. His yardage total missed that of Hill by only 50 and he had one fewer touchdown.
This year, if you have that No. 1 pick, it needs to be Lamb, not Hill. Now if Hill only drops to No. 2 at wide receiver, is he really a bust? Probably not, but the Dolphins admittedly forced him the ball last season. It’s unlikely they will be dumb enough to do that again. And if they spread it around more, it means less use, less yards, and less touchdowns for Hill.
How far could Hill fall at the wide fantasy football receiver position? Ja’Marr Chase, A.J. Brown, and Garrett Wilson could pass him. Justin Jefferson had a chance before the season-ending J.J. McCarthy injury.
If Hill falls to No. 5, he’s still a good receiver. But he’s a bust for fantasy, and self-proclamation, purposes.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson might slip
First, it won’t be his fault. Jefferson is extremely talented and still in the conversation as the league’s best wide receivers. But he has a Sam Darnold-sized mountain to overcome.
Let’s get statistically real here. Darnold has started 56 games in the NFL. That’s the equivalent of a little more than three full seasons. He touchdown pass total for his career is …. wait for it … 63. And he has 56 interceptions.
Therefore, Vikings fans can expect maybe 17-20 touchdown tosses if Darnold starts the whole season. And folks, all of those scoring passes aren’t going to a triple-teamed Jefferson. This season looks like it’s set up for fantasy football failure for Jefferson, and it won’t be his fault.
Poor Kevin O’Connell tried to put a spin on it, according to nbcsports.com.
“Our football team has been and will continue to be excited about Sam Darnold and what he’s been able to bring,” said the Vikings head coach. “Great two days of work for him this week before we continue on with our preparations for the opener. And I can’t wait to see Sam not only these next two days, but continue to stack some really, really good days and showing ultra comfort in our offense.
“I think he’s been able to — from an Xs and Os standpoint — lead, which we need our quarterback to do. But at the same time, I think it’s just his comfort in how we’ve built the atmosphere for all of our quarterbacks. I think it’s allowed those guys to have a lot of runway, a lot of ability to just match their work ethic and their daily grind that puts them on a platform that their teammates see it. And, ultimately, just going out there and doing their jobs.”
Ick. Do your job. Poor Justin Jefferson.
Falcons WR Drake London might not live up to billing
When a player doesn’t do anything spectacular, but suddenly finds expectations soaring, let the buyer beware. Such a fellow is London, who has six total touchdowns in two full NFL seasons. He hasn’t up a 1,000-yard season and has a knack for failing to shine — as in 13 total receptions over the last four games on 2023 after totaling 10 catches for 172 yards in Week 14.
Sure, a new sheriff is in town. But that dude is Kirk Cousins, who will try to prove he’s fully recovered from an Achilles injury. Cousins thrived on great fantasy football receivers like Justin Jefferson doing their thing. London isn’t Justin Jefferson.
The point is London isn’t one of the league’s best receivers until he proves he is. And having Cousins behind center doesn’t automatically lift him into the top 10.
London said new coach Raheem Morris has made a difference, according to The Morning Shift via audacy.com.
“It’s a big difference,” London said. “I think it’s a 180-degree flip you know, you have fun coming in the building, you have fun working, and you can just see it on all the guys’ faces when they come in here, even the coaches. We go in here, we work, we know what we’re in here for, and we have fun doing it, so that’s all that really matters.”
But London will have to compete for fantasy football points with tight end Kyle Pitts and running back Bijan Robinson. There’s no guarantee to stardom and that makes him a bust candidate.
Raiders WR Davante Adams may struggle with QB situation
This comes from the “there’s only so much a receiver can do” department. Adams will work with quarterbacks Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell. Neither of those dudes inspire confidence to get the ball to Adams.
Minshew started 13 games for the Colts last year and authored 15 touchdown passes. At best, Adams might get seven or eight of those if Minshew offers a similar total in 2024.
Also, Adams is 31 years old. Now that’s not “fall off the cliff” in terms of fantasy football production. But where it matters is poor quarterback play. A 27-year-old Adams might shine with Minshew. A 31-year-old Adams might trend toward the bust category.
At least Adams is happy with the new coach, according to Sports Illustrated.
“There’s a lot, but if I had to choose one, I love a coach that really knows how to coach each individual player,” Adams said. “Sometimes, coaching everybody the same is not what you should do. You got to coach them fairly, but you treat guys according to what they’ve earned and what they deserve. And also, what makes them best as a player.”
Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. may not have arrived yet
It appears Pittman turned the corner last year. He caught 109 passes for 1,152 yards and looked like an emerging star in his fourth season. However, he only had four touchdowns for the second straight season. He’s not a good red-zone threat. This is despite the fact he’s 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds.
Pittman now he faces the possibility of being paired with an inaccurate quarterback for an entire season. He racked up the catches on 156 targets, but the same number of targets might not produce the same yield with Anthony Richardson throwing screwballs into the dirt.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen said he expects consistency from Pittman, according to indystar.com.
“I’ll tell you what: He’s going to show up every Sunday,” Steichen said. “That’s what you’re getting. You’re getting consistency every Sunday. And he’s going to play hurt. That’s why I respect him.”
Now, Steichen’s assessment is accurate. But it still depends on Richardson’s ability as a passer as to whether Pittman’s numbers will rise or fall. Richardson’s rushing scores will do zero good for Pittman as a fantasy football receiver.
Pittman is modestly ranked at No. 22 in ADP. But there are guys beneath him who could easily exceed him. Included in that mix are Malik Nabers, George Pickens, and Terry McLaurin.
The post 5 Fantasy Football Busts At Wide Receiver In 2024 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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