RADIO
The 18th and final Sunday of the 2023 NFL season has come and gone. Hopefully, you woke up on Monday morning feeling very good about how your matchup went. However, this week's slate of games was certainly stress-inducing for many fantasy football managers.
Part of that stress was caused by a group of players who drastically underachieved in Week 18. These players simply did not meet fantasy expectations, and it cost their managers in a big way.
Let's take a look at the biggest busts from Week 18, as well as whether or not we can still have some trust in these players moving forward. All point totals are based on the PPR scoring system. Players who missed part of the game due to injury are exempt from being featured.
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Fantasy Football Quarterback Busts
Justin Fields, 8.62 FPTS
Fields, who was arguably still fighting for his job on Sunday, had a tough outing against Green Bay. He completed just 11 passes for 148 yards through the air, all while adding 27 rushing yards and five sacks. It was a frustrating result from the mobile quarterback after he exceeded 25 fantasy points in each of his last two games.
Baker Mayfield, 6.18 FPTS
Mayfield had his worst game of the season, throwing for just 137 yards while taking three sacks. It was a frustrating result for fantasy managers, but on a positive note, he delivered zero turnovers and led Tampa Bay to an NFC South title.
Fantasy Football Running Back Busts
Khalil Herbert, 6.1 FPTS
Herbert rushed for 236 yards and two touchdowns over his last two games, but his production came to a halt in Week 18 as he amassed just 2.33 YPC and a pair of receptions. Chicago's offense faltered and their lead back suffered as a result.
Jaylen Warren, 8.0 FPTS
Warren's eight points can't be considered an all-out bust, but he certainly underwhelmed relative to other running backs. The 25-year-old registered five catches, but hurt his production with just 33 rushing yards and one lost fumble.
Kenneth Walker, 9.1 FPTS
Another player who can only loosely be considered a "bust" is Walker. The 23-year-old rushed 17 times for 78 yards while failing to find the end zone or carve out a key passing game role.
Jahmyr Gibbs, 9.0 FPTS
We round out the list with one more semi-bust. Gibbs delivered zero receiving yards for the second consecutive week, adding just 30 yards on the ground. He salvaged his fantasy performance with a touchdown.
Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Busts
George Pickens, 0.3 FPTS
Just when it seemed like we could finally trust Pickens in our lineups and prop bets, he delivered a dud outing. The 22-year-old delivered just three yards (all on the ground), giving him his first game without a reception since Week 8 of his rookie season last year.
Michael Pittman Jr., 7.4 FPTS
Pittman caught five passes for 44 yards while losing a fumble. He wraps up the best season of his career with 114 catches and 1,196 receiving yards.
Mike Evans, 5.2 FPTS
Every once in a while, we get a classic Evans dud game. That happened in Week 18 as he commanded eight targets, but finished with just three catches for 22 yards. Nevertheless, he eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for the 10th consecutive season and can be a low-end WR1 in fantasy football next year.
Ja'Marr Chase, 5.9 FPTS
The Bengals dropped 31 points, but most of their production came on the ground. Chase had his quietest fantasy game of the season, catching just four passes for 19 yards. He'll bounce back as a WR1 next fantasy season, especially with Joe Burrow back under center.
DK Metcalf, 2.0 FPTS
Metcalf was targeted six times on Sunday, but caught just one pass for 10 yards. He'll rank as a WR2 in fantasy football next season and could have additional upside if the Seahawks make a quarterback upgrade.
Adam Thielen, 3.2 FPTS
Thielen's frustrating second half of the season came to an end on Sunday as he caught just two passes for 12 yards. He finishes the campaign with a solid stat line featuring 103 catches, 1,014 yards, and four touchdowns. It was his first 1,000-yard season since 2018 with Minnesota.
Demario Douglas, 3.3 FPTS
The snow and wind hurt the Patriots offense on Sunday. Douglas suffered as a result, catching just two passes for 13 yards. Those two receptions represented his lowest mark since Week 5.
Fantasy Football Tight End Busts
Dallas Goedert, 1.4 FPTS
Almost nothing went right for the Eagles, who suffered from A.J. Brown (knee), DeVonta Smith (ankle), Jalen Hurts (finger), and D'Andre Swift (illness) missing part or all of Sunday's game. Goedert stayed healthy, but didn't fare very well, catching just one pass for four yards. He'll look to bounce back in the playoffs as the Eagles travel to Tampa Bay.
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