5 Fantasy Football Wide Receivers To Avoid in 2025

Dave Ventresca's fantasy football wide receivers to avoid in 2025 drafts. His overvalued WRs to fade for fantasy football, including Courtland Sutton, Jameson Williams, and more.

The 2025 NFL Draft is officially in the books. That means the fantasy football season will be here before we know it. Time to start planning for your draft. Fantasy gamers often spend so much time focusing on which players they should draft that they sometimes overlook the players they shouldn’t. It’s a simple but often overlooked concept that goes a long way toward sustained success in your league. 

Players disappoint every year. Whether it’s due to poor circumstances, injury, subpar play, or just plain bad luck, there are always players who underperform. Sadly, busts are part of fantasy football. However, you must recognize the signs of a potential bust so you can avoid stepping on a landmine similar to Steve Coogan in “Tropic Thunder.” 

Make sure you're following RotoBaller on X and check out RotoBaller.com for all your fantasy football needs. Here are five wide receivers fantasy gamers should avoid in 2025 fantasy football drafts.

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Cooper Kupp - Seattle Seahawks

Kupp is coming off another disappointing season in 2024. He tied a career-low by averaging just 10.6 yards per reception last year and had his lowest receiving yards per game since his rookie year in 2017. Injuries might be taking their toll, and he hasn’t resembled the same player we saw win the triple crown back in 2021.

The Seahawks don’t seem to agree and were comfortable giving Kupp a three-year, $45 million contract this offseason. It was a head-scratching move considering the downward trajectory of Kupp’s career the last few years. It’s now unclear how Kupp will fit schematically playing alongside a player like Jaxon Smith-Njigba. There are also major issues to consider with Kupp’s new signal-caller, Sam Darnold, and this could prove troublesome for Kupp.

Overall, there are just too many factors working against Kupp to expect a return to form. This situation is undoubtedly a downgrade compared to what he had playing in Sean McVay’s offense. Let someone else play hero in your draft and pass on Kupp for other options.

Deebo Samuel Sr. - Washington Commanders

2024 was not Samuel’s best season. The six-year veteran butted heads with teammates throughout the year and was forced to overcome a midseason bout of pneumonia. He only caught 51 passes for 670 yards and averaged the fewest receiving yards per game of his entire career.

This was the turning point for Deebo Samuel this year. His approach with the media was different after this, especially coming off his not enough touches tweet.

Fans booed him after this drop and I’m sure he heard it loud and clear. pic.twitter.com/ME3Va6Ov3X

— Matt Lively (@mattblively) February 9, 2025

Apparently, there was more going on behind the scenes in 2024. Samuel requested that the team trade him this offseason, and San Francisco would eventually trade him to the Washington Commanders.

49ers trading WR Deebo Samuel to the Commanders for a 5th-round pick. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/V5hiStDf66

— NFL (@NFL) March 1, 2025

It remains to be seen if Washington knows how to deploy Samuel properly. He has played such a unique role in the 49ers offense throughout his career. Samuel is not a typical receiver for the fact that he’s not a great route runner or separator. So, this could make it difficult for him to find success if he’s not deployed in the same role that Kyle Shanahan created for him in San Francisco.

Samuel struggled down the stretch last year, and the 49ers were willing to let him leave. They only received a fifth-round pick in return and took on $31 million in dead cap money by moving him. All of this sure looks like a major red flag. Avoid Samuel in your draft.

Jaylen Waddle - Miami Dolphins

2024 was not kind to the former 2021 first-round pick. He was (once again) in and out of the lineup while battling numerous injuries throughout the year. Waddle only posted a 58-744-2 line on 83 targets over 15 games. He failed to crack 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career and only finished the season as the PPR WR46.

Injuries aside, part of Waddle's problem last year was that starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missed time during the season after suffering another concussion. Miami's signal-caller continues to have issues staying on the field, and it has proved problematic for all of the Miami skill players. This could be a problem once again for the Dolphins in 2025.

Despite having one of the worst offensive lines in the league last year (and despite left tackle Terron Armstead retiring this offseason), Miami only used one of its eight draft picks on an offensive lineman in the 2025 NFL Draft. Neglecting the offensive line with an injury-prone quarterback seems like a poor strategy on Miami's part. Considering confirmed bust Zach Wilson is Miami's QB2, Waddle could struggle again if Tagovailoa is injured again.

Even more troubling for Waddle was that his role in the Dolphins offense changed dramatically. Miami placed more of an emphasis on shorter passes and utilized a tight end more than we had previously seen under Mike McDaniel. As a result, Waddle's usage took a major hit. Let's compare some of Waddle's advanced data from the last two seasons, courtesy of Fantasy Points Data Suite:

2024

19 percent targets per route run (TPRR)

1.74 yards per route run (YPRR)

15.4 percent target share (TGT %)

23.9 percent air yardage share (AY Share)

2023

30 percent TPRR

2.93 YPRR

22 percent TGT %

29.7 percent AY Share

Waddle's metrics took a significant step back across the board last year. Typically, we want to see players score higher in the above metrics, as it means they have an increased likelihood of fantasy football success. The fact that Waddle regressed is concerning. Have injuries begun to take their toll on the former first-round pick, or was this just a blip on the radar?

All of this could just be a down year for Waddle, but it's also concerning that Miami does not seem to be moving in the right direction. It has had a questionable offseason, and one of its biggest stars (Tyreek Hill) seems to be unhappy with the team.

It feels like things could implode if Miami starts losing games. Tagovailoa is also at risk of missing a chunk of the season if he suffers one bad hit. Throw in Waddle's declining role, declining metrics, and injury concerns, and it becomes clear why gamers should stay away.

Jameson Williams - Detroit Lions

Williams enjoyed a breakout season in 2024 and posted career highs across the board. He finished the season with a 58-1,001-7 line on 91 targets and finished the season as the PPR WR19.

JAMESON WILLIAMS 70-YARD TOUCHDOWN.

📺: #SEAvsDET on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/yZneLwLl9v

— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2024

It was great to see Williams overcome his issues and finally live up to his status as a former first-round pick. However, while he was a huge value in fantasy football drafts last year, Williams' price in early 2025 drafts is a bit expensive.

Williams finished as a top-24 receiver seven times last year, but also finished outside the top 40 five times. His current NFFC draft price of 61st overall feels steep for a player who carries as much weekly downside as he does weekly upside.

Williams does have week-winning potential, but he is still a boom-bust option and faces stiff target competition from Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, and Jahmyr Gibbs. We also have to consider that there is a new play-caller in Detroit for the first time in years.

John Morton takes over as Detroit's new offensive coordinator following Ben Johnson's departure to the Chicago Bears. Williams will still be involved in Detroit's offense, but his role could change with a new play-caller. For all the good things Williams did in 2024, he was only targeted 91 times and was extremely efficient, as he averaged over 17 yards per reception. Any role change could negatively impact his fantasy value.

While there is undoubtedly upside in drafting Williams, he is overvalued at his current price. Pass at this cost and target other receiving options later in your draft.

Courtland Sutton - Denver Broncos

Sutton proved to be a massive value in drafts for fantasy gamers in 2024. He posted an 81-1,081-8 line on 135 targets and finished as the PPR WR15.

Courtland Sutton's concentration on this touchdown is ridiculouspic.twitter.com/WRY6XKcpL5

— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) October 13, 2024

The seven-year veteran now faces increased target competition in the form of newly signed tight end Evan Engram. Head coach Sean Payton has previously mentioned he wants to incorporate Marvin Mims Jr. into the offense further this year.

Denver also added rookie running back RJ Harvey in the NFL Draft. Payton had spoken at length this offseason about upgrading the running back room. Given his history of utilizing running backs as receivers, it’s highly likely the incoming rookie will receive plenty of targets.

There seems to be a lot working against Sutton repeating last year's WR15 finish. Historically speaking, it’s generally been a good idea to fade 29-year-old receivers coming off career years. Gamers would be wise to follow that advice, as Sutton is likely to take a step back in 2025.

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