5 Fantasy Football Veterans to Avoid in Drafts: Overvalued Bust Candidates (2025)

June 7, 2025

Frank Ammirante's veterans to avoid for 2025 fantasy football leagues. His fantasy draft avoids and busts, including Terry McLaurin, Cooper Kupp, and more.

It's a slow news time of the NFL offseason, making it an ideal time to prep for 2025 fantasy football drafts. We'll dive into fantasy football average draft position (ADP) to find which veterans you must avoid for 2025 redraft leagues. These are players who could provide you with a low upside at their current price.

In this article, we'll dive into Underdog ADP as of May 30th, since this is one of the most active platforms where hundreds of drafts are happening every minute. The criteria for veterans will be any player aged 27 years or older.

With that in mind, let's find out why I view Terry McLaurin, DK Metcalf, Deebo Samuel Sr., Cooper Kupp, and Jonnu Smith as my five veterans to avoid in 2025 fantasy football.

Terry McLaurin - WR, Washington Commanders

Underdog ADP: 28.2 (WR15)

Jayden Daniels to Terry McLaurin never gets old 🤩

(🎥:@Commanders) pic.twitter.com/z8z0yvsbC0

— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) May 15, 2025

McLaurin turned in a career year in 2025, finally reaping the rewards of elite quarterback play from Jayden Daniels after years of dealing with underwhelming signal-callers. But if you dive deeper into his season, you realize that touchdowns mostly drove it. Just look at McLaurin's production:

• 2019: 65.5 YDS/G, 7 TD
• 2020: 74.5 YDS/G, 4 TD
• 2021: 61.9 YDS/G, 5 TD
• 2022: 70.1 YDS/G, 5 TD
• 2023: 58.9 YDS/G, 4 TD
• 2024: 64.5 YDS/G, 13 TD

Spot the outlier -- McLaurin almost doubled his previous career-high in touchdowns, which allowed him to finish as WR15 in half-PPR PPG.

But even with that finish, why should he be once again going as WR15? That's essentially being drafted at his ceiling.

Add in the fact that the Commanders added Samuel to take away some targets, and you can see why McLaurin is a bit overpriced here. That's not to say he can't be a productive player, but there's not much room for profit at current cost.

DK Metcalf - WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Underdog ADP: 49.1 (WR28)

The Steelers have had conversations with multiple teams about adding another offensive playmaker to pair with DK Metcalf, per @Schultz_Report pic.twitter.com/2Xi74RsgJl

— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) May 29, 2025

Metcalf was traded to the Steelers this offseason. The Steelers then traded George Pickens, which opened up a potentially massive target share for Metcalf. But recent rumors suggest that Pittsburgh wants to add another wideout. Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper are still available in free agency, while the team showed interest in Brandon Aiyuk in the trade market last year. We also just saw them trade for Jonnu Smith.

So there's your first risk with Metcalf; he is in a run-heavy offense with an unclear quarterback situation, which could add another viable target. While Aaron Rodgers is slated to be the Steelers' quarterback, do you really want to invest in a vanilla offense with Arthur Smith as play-caller?

It's also worth noting that despite his elite athleticism and measurables, Metcalf hasn't performed like the alpha we thought he'd be. Just take a look at his fantasy PPG over the years:

• 2024: 10.5 (WR33)
• 2023: 12.0 (WR20)
• 2022: 10.7 (WR27)
• 2021: 12.2 (WR21)
• 2020: 14.4 (WR8)
• 2019: 9.9 (WR42)

It's unlikely that Metcalf can get back to WR8 production in this run-heavy offense that tends to spread the wealth in Smith's scheme. This makes him more of a floor pick, even at WR28 cost.

Deebo Samuel - WR, Washington Commanders

Underdog ADP: 68.0 (WR38)

Deebo Samuel Sr. is looking leaner after the #Commanders' specially devised conditioning program this offseason.

⬇️⬇️⬇️

MORE: https://t.co/xLiYE9uR6y pic.twitter.com/u2UrRYNqpI

— Riggo's Rag (@RiggosRag) May 30, 2025

As a Commanders fan, I can tell you that I was pleased when the team acquired Samuel. This is a player with the yard-after-catch ability that could thrive with manufactured touches with a dynamic dual-threat quarterback like Daniels.

But even with reports that Deebo is in great shape after participating in a specialized conditioning program from the Commanders, I don't see the appeal in fantasy.

This is a wideout entering his age-29 season, coming off a WR50 year in fantasy PPG. It's not like he was in a bad situation last year, as he was in an offense with Kyle Shanahan calling plays.

You must also consider the injury risk, as Deebo has missed at least two games in three consecutive seasons.

While Deebo could provide minor profit at WR38 cost, I'd rather swing for the fences at that ADP, targeting wideouts like Emeka Egbuka instead. Getting a player like Deebo at WR38 who finishes at WR29 isn't going to move the needle for you anyway.

The risk is that Deebo misses time or continues to show signs of decline. He could even perform well in real life, but not get enough targets to make a meaningful difference in fantasy.

Cooper Kupp - WR, Seattle Seahawks

Underdog ADP: 87.5 (WR48)

Cooper Kupp with the Seahawks reminds me of Andre Johnson with the Colts.

Johnson was coming off a season where he put up 936 yards, but he was only one year removed from 1407.

The Colts signed the 34-year-old to a 3 year, $21M deal.

Johnson lasted one season: 503 yards pic.twitter.com/sJ6GqcT7nM

— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) March 15, 2025

Cooper Kupp is going from an offense with Sean McVay as play-caller to a team that looks like they're transitioning to a more run-heavy unit with Klint Kubiak calling plays.

The Seahawks used their first-rounder on a guard and moved on from Metcalf, so they're pretty much telegraphing their intentions to move towards a smash-heavy offense.

On top of that, Kupp has dealt with injuries throughout his career, missing at least five games in three consecutive seasons.

Not to mention that the former Ram struggled down the stretch last season, putting up fewer than 3o yards in four of his last five games.

While the WR48 price bakes in more of these concerns better than it does for another declining veteran like Deebo (who goes 19 picks earlier), it's still tough for me to get there with Kupp, considering you can take home run swings on rookies like Luther Burden at this cost instead.

Steer clear of this declining veteran and look for some more upside.

Jonnu Smith - TE, Miami Dolphins

Underdog ADP: 97.5 (TE6)

Update - The Dolphins have traded Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a result, he will likely share opportunities with Pat Freiermuth, which makes him an even greater risk at his current ADP.

The Dolphins have had trade discussions with the Steelers about TE Jonnu Smith, per @AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/YBrD1GY6B9

— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) May 29, 2025

Smith is coming off a career year with the Dolphins, where he caught 88 of 111 targets for 884 yards and eight touchdowns. The former Titan was able to finish as TE6 thanks to this production.

But there are a couple of risks here, aside from the fact that Smith is essentially a one-year wonder.

For one, Smith put up unsustainable production in a broken Dolphins offense where Tua Tagovailoa was constantly throwing checkdowns to his tight end (along with running back De'Von Achane).

If the Dolphins figure it out on offense, expect targets to once again be funneled through Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Then you have to consider that Smith's name has popped up in trade rumors recently, with a reunion with Smith in Pittsburgh as an option. If that happened, Smith would have to share playing time with Pat Freiermuth, which sounds like a nightmare for fantasy.

When you look at ADP, you see that Mark Andrews is available nearly 10 picks later. Why not target the player with more of a track record, one who plays in a vastly superior offense? Smith feels completely overpriced, and it's entirely based on last year's unsustainable production. In my mind, Smith is one of the easiest fades in drafts this year.

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