Biggest Fantasy Football Busts Of The Week - Fantasy Outlooks For Najee Harris, Brian Robinson Jr., Cooper Kupp, Khalil Shakir, Trey McBride, more

Several NFL players underwhelmed in Week 16 of the 2024 fantasy football season. Andersen Pickard identifies busts at each position and if they'll bounce back.

The 16th Sunday of the 2024 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 16. These players simply did not meet fantasy expectations this week and it cost their managers in a big way.

Let's take a look at the biggest busts from Week 16, 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

Michael Penix Jr., 7.4 FPTS

Penix looked solid in his NFL debut, allowing just one turnover and leading the Falcons to a win. However, he failed to score a touchdown, which hurt his fantasy production. He should be viewed as a fringe top-24 fantasy quarterback in Week 17 against the Commanders.

Brutal red zone INT from Michael Penix. Just a classic rookie mistake of thinking Kyle Pitts could catch a football. He'll learn.pic.twitter.com/8zwhJRLB85

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) December 22, 2024

Matthew Stafford, 9.0 FPTS

Stafford had another tough showing on Sunday, racking up a season-low 110 passing yards. He also added one touchdown and one interception. The veteran signal-caller should be viewed as a low-end fantasy QB2 for Week 17 against Arizona.

Fantasy Football Running Back Busts

Zach Charbonnet, 3.3 FPTS

When NFL Network reported that Charbonnet would start in Week 16, managers figured that he would handle a significant workload out of the backfield. Instead, he registered just one carry and caught two passes, getting out-produced by both Kenneth Walker III and Kenny McIntosh. It was a stunning outcome for the 23-year-old, who can't be trusted in fantasy football next week.

Zach Charbonnet got an honorary “thank you for your service” captain title today. https://t.co/27h6n3qjBt

— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) December 22, 2024

Isiah Pacheco, 3.5 FPTS

Pacheco's grand return to the lineup still hasn't come. This week, he averaged fewer than three yards per carry, lost a yard through the air, and was out-produced by Kareem Hunt. He should be benched in most fantasy leagues going forward.

Travis Etienne Jr., 5.7 FPTS

Etienne turned in his worst fantasy performance since Week 10, amassing just 22 yards on the ground and 15 yards through the air. His fantasy upside is limited as he continues to split touches with Tank Bigsby.

Najee Harris, 4.2 FPTS

Harris rushed just nine times for 42 yards on Saturday, taking a backseat to Jaylen Warren. His snap reduction was not only unexpected but also indicative of how touches will be distributed going forward. Harris is nothing more than a low-end RB3/FLEX option for Week 17.

Brian Robinson Jr., 4.1 FPTS

Robinson had a tough game on Sunday. He lost two fumbles in the first half, leading to reduced opportunities out of the backfield. He finished with just 24 rushing yards and 17 receiving yards in the Commanders' comeback victory.

Brian Robinson Jr with his second fumble of the game.

Might have to sit him.

— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) December 22, 2024

Patrick Taylor Jr., 3.5 FPTS

Taylor took over as the 49ers' lead back this week, but he rushed just eight times for 24 yards and added a one-yard reception. Even if he draws the start again in Week 17, Taylor will be nothing more than a low-end RB3/FLEX option.

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Busts

Cooper Kupp, 5.4 FPTS

Kupp had another uncharacteristically quiet game, catching just three passes for 24 yards. He continues to be out-produced by Puka Nacua, which is a concerning sign for the veteran receiver's fantasy expectations moving forward. He ranks as a mid-to-low WR2 for Week 17.

Jerry Jeudy, 4.0 FPTS

Jeudy couldn't get on the same page with Dorian Thompson-Robinson, catching just two passes for 20 yards. His streak of double-digit fantasy points came to an end after seven games. Assuming Thompson-Robinson remains the starting quarterback in Week 17, Jeudy will rank outside the top 36 fantasy receivers.

Jerry Jeudy today:

- 2 catches
- 20 yards
- 3 targets

I miss Jameis at QB.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 22, 2024

Michael Pittman Jr., 3.9 FPTS

Pittman hasn't been a top fantasy option this season, but we would have expected him to score more than 3.9 points in Week 16. This was his worst fantasy performance since Week 9. Fortunately, he gets a great opportunity to bounce back next week against the Giants' subpar defense.

Khalil Shakir, 4.2 FPTS

The Bills' passing attack was unimpressive on Sunday, and it left Shakir with just two catches for 22 yards. He should bounce back as a mid-to-low fantasy WR2 next week against the Jets.

Jakobi Meyers, 6.1 FPTS

Meyers had his worst fantasy outing of the season as he caught just two of five targets for 41 yards through the air. He has repeatedly demonstrated a solid rapport with Aidan O'Connell, so we expect Meyers to bounce back as a fringe top-24 fantasy receiver in Week 17 against New Orleans.

First time this season Jakobi Meyers only had 2 catches and it’s the day I put him on my parlay for 4 🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️

— Chiefen➰ (@__overqualified) December 23, 2024

Keon Coleman, 5.1 FPTS

Coleman's streak of double-digit fantasy points has ended at two games. He caught just one pass for 17 yards on Sunday but should bounce back as a low-end WR3/FLEX option in Week 17.

Amari Cooper, 2.0 FPTS

One week after failing to catch a pass, Cooper mustered just one reception on two targets this Sunday. He's a risky FLEX play for Week 17 against the Jets.

Fantasy Football Tight End Busts

Zach Ertz, 2.2 FPTS

The Commanders went pass-heavy on Sunday, but Jayden Daniels didn't give much love to his tight ends. Ertz caught just one pass for 12 yards, turning in his second-worst fantasy performance of the 2024 season. He's a fringe top-12 option among tight ends for fantasy football in Week 17.

T.J. Hockenson, 4.7 FPTS

Hockenson had a quieter showing on Sunday, catching just two of five targets for 27 yards. He'll rank outside the top 12 fantasy tight ends for Week 17 against Green Bay.

Really nice play by Riq Woolen and Julian Love to get the ball away from Hockenson on what looked initially like a third-down conversion. Seahawks D with a quick three-and-out.

— John Boyle (@johnpboyle) December 22, 2024

Brenton Strange, 3.2 FPTS

Strange caught just two passes for 22 yards on Sunday, and he also lost a fumble. Evan Engram's replacement should be viewed as a mid-range TE2 option for Week 17 against Tennessee.

Noah Gray, 2.0 FPTS

Gray came back down to earth in Week 16 as he caught just one pass for 10 yards. The backup to Travis Kelce, Gray should not be started in most fantasy leagues next week.

Pat Freiermuth, 4.6 FPTS

Even with George Pickens (hamstring) sidelined, Freiermuth wasn't able to carve out a significant role on Saturday. He caught just three passes and had a touchdown vultured by fellow tight end MyCole Pruitt. Freiermuth is a mid-range TE2 option for Week 17.

MyCole Pruitt when I’m relying on Pat Freiermuth in the fantasy playoff semifinals pic.twitter.com/zQIkXf0fkC

— Austin Thomas (@AustinThomasPxP) December 21, 2024

Kyle Pitts, 1.7 FPTS

Fantasy managers will argue that if Pitts gets featured here enough, he can't really be considered a "bust." That's fair, but we also had some rare optimism that Pitts might benefit from the Falcons' quarterback change. Instead, he caused an interception and caught just one pass for seven yards. He's off the fantasy radar in Week 17.

Trey McBride, 5.0 FPTS

McBride caught just three passes for 20 yards on Sunday, and he went a 15th game without finding the end zone. The 25-year-old can typically excel in fantasy football even when he doesn't score, so we expect him to bounce back as a high-end TE1 in Week 17.

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