Cam Ward, Jayden Higgins, Pat Bryant - Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Draft Busts

May 23, 2025

Dave's fantasy football rookie draft avoids for 2025. His overvalued dynasty NFL rookies. Why will Cam Ward, Jayden Higgins, and Pat Bryant bust in dynasty?

Dynasty fantasy football managers are smack in the middle of rookie draft season. This is the most critical stage of the dynasty offseason. Managers in rebuild mode who’ve been furiously stockpiling picks can finally put pen to paper and build a team filled with all their favorite prospects. Contenders who came up short are looking to find the right players to put their team over the top.

While that all sounds great, gamers need to identify potential busts in their rookie drafts as well. Having a ton of rookie picks won’t do you any good if you’re picking all the wrong players. Just like the NFL Draft, selecting a bust in your rookie draft can set your team back several years. Today, we will examine several rookies whom dynasty fantasy football managers should avoid this year.

Make sure you’re following RotoBaller on X and check out RotoBaller.com for all your fantasy football needs. Here are three bust candidates to avoid in your 2025 dynasty fantasy football rookie draft.

Cam Ward - QB, Tennessee Titans

Ward was selected first overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2025 NFL Draft.

THE NO. 1 PICK FROM THE U 🙌

CAM WARD IS THE TOP PICK IN THE 2025 NFL DRAFT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/e2QED2AEXi

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) April 25, 2025

As the first overall pick, expectations will be high for Ward, and fans are hopeful he can help turn around a Titans franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2021.

WHAT A THROW FROM CAM WARD FOR THE TD 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/eJ8SGvPzIr

— ESPN (@espn) December 28, 2024

While that is the ideal scenario, things may not necessarily work out that way. One major problem for Ward is his ability to perform when pressured. It’s not out of the norm for quarterbacks to struggle when pressured. However, Ward’s issues are particularly noteworthy and concerning.

Ward finished 59th in PFF’s passing grade when under pressure. He finished behind Jalen Milroe, Tyler Shough, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Jaxson Dart in this metric. Additionally, Ward had a higher turnover-worthy throw rate under pressure than all of the above quarterbacks as well.

Too often, Ward relies on scrambling when he is pressured and resorts to a backyard football style of play. This is not a sustainable formula for success in the NFL. Defensive coordinators will quickly pick up on this flaw in Ward’s game and will expose it early and often.

We also have to consider that Ward may not offer much upside as a rusher. While Ward does have an eight rushing touchdown season on the books as a junior at Washington State, he never ran for more than 250 yards in any collegiate season. His career high of 204 rushing yards came during his senior season at Miami last year.

This is not the ideal profile for an elite fantasy football quarterback. It means Ward will need to morph into a Joe Burrow-type of player to hold significant fantasy value. That might be possible given that Ward’s head coach in Tennessee, Brian Callahan, was Burrow’s offensive coordinator during his early days in Cincinnati.

While Callahan was present during Burrow’s ascent, it’s unclear how involved he was with Burrow's development. The jury’s still out on whether Callahan is a good enough offensive mind to help a young quarterback. Based on the offensive approach/system we saw last year (Will Levis nightmares aside), it’s debatable if that’s the case.

If you’re in a Superflex league and desperately need a quarterback, it’s understandable if you were to select Ward early in your draft. However, there are a few red flags in his profile.

Ward is not a recommended pick in single-quarterback rookie drafts. In Superflex rookie drafts, gamers are better off trading back in Round 1 to target other positions and then gambling on other quarterbacks (cough cough Jalen Milroe) later in the rookie draft. They carry the same risk as Ward but at a significantly cheaper price.

Jayden Higgins - WR, Houston Texans

Higgins enjoyed a fine senior season at Iowa State last year. He posted an 87-1,183-9 stat line and was selected 34th overall by the Houston Texans in the 2025 NFL Draft.

JAYDEN HIGGINS FOR THE CYCLONES! 🌪 🚨 TOUCHDOWN! @JaydenHiggins3 x @CycloneFB pic.twitter.com/LJ7OrCqjug

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 9, 2023

As a result of getting early Day 2 draft capital, many dynasty gamers have been very enthusiastic to draft Higgins. It’s understandable, as he had some highlight-reel plays and posted some nice advanced metrics. Per PFF, Higgins had a strong 2.62 yards per route run (YPRR) in 2024. This mark ranked 28th among 237 collegiate receivers with 50+ routes run. Being tied to C.J. Stroud for the immediate future is also good for Higgins' outlook.

However, things became a bit murky when the Texans selected Higgins' college teammate, Jaylin Noel, in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Iowa State reunion: #Texans selected Jaylin Noel in Round 3 after taking WR Jayden Higgins in Round 2. pic.twitter.com/yboXpwbcG6

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 26, 2025

Noel is one of the more underrated players in this draft and was a very good route runner/separator in college. That is bad news for Higgins because these are areas where his game needs refinement. Higgins struggled to separate against man and press coverage during his collegiate career.

This is problematic because, usually, players who struggle to consistently separate in college face those same challenges in the NFL. Logically, it makes sense. If you’re unable to gain separation in college, then you’re probably not going to fare well going against better athletes in the NFL. Unfortunately, Higgins will probably fall into this category.

We have seen several bigger-bodied receivers get pushed up rookie draft boards over the last few years. Treylon Burks, Quentin Johnston, and Keon Coleman are the best examples. Each of these players was touted as having major upside for fantasy football, but the reality is that none of them showed they could consistently separate at the collegiate level. So far in each of their careers, none have proved they can consistently get open in the NFL.

Higgins feels like the 2025 incarnation of this archetype and is potentially a major landmine in rookie drafts. There are things he does well, but lining up as an X or flanker would not be the best use of his skills. A move inside as a big slot would potentially benefit his career. However, given the presence of Noel and Christian Kirk, it doesn't seem like that is Houston's plan for Higgins.

If you want a piece of the Houston offense, the better play is to pass on Higgins and target Noel later in your draft. He’s the better player/route runner and could have an immediate role in Houston’s offense if the cards break his way.

Pat Bryant - WR, Denver Broncos

Bryant was not seen as a top wide receiver prospect entering the 2025 NFL Draft. That didn’t stop Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos, as the team selected Bryant in the third round of the NFL Draft.

WR Pat Bryant reacting to being selected by the #Broncos in the 3rd round of the 2025 NFL Draftpic.twitter.com/2giPLb8QEM

— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) April 26, 2025

The former Fighting Illini does not profile as a strong separator. At 6’2” and 201 lbs, he does bring good size to the position, but that’s about it. Bryant projects as more of a role player than a team’s starting wide receiver. Despite the draft capital invested in him, this is his most likely outcome.

Bryant has gained steam as a popular sleeper pick. This is because he unexpectedly received Day 2 draft capital and because Payton compared him to Michael Thomas in a recent interview. It’s understandable why this would get some people excited, but Bryant doesn’t profile as this type of difference-maker.

We should give some consideration to Bryant’s draft capital and Payton's comments after we saw the team reach for quarterback Bo Nix last year and seemingly hit a home run. However, this doesn’t guarantee Bryant will emerge as a fantasy star.

Admittedly, Bryant is a low-risk investment. He’s been consistently taken in the Round 3/Round 4 range of Superflex rookie drafts. However, there are better running backs (Tahj Brooks and Brashard Smith, to name a few) who are worth picking over Bryant, as well as other receivers (Tory Horton) to consider.

Pass on Bryant in your rookie draft, and let someone else think they’re getting a steal. He was never an elite producer in college, and there are better flyers available late in drafts.

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