Biggest Fantasy Football Busts of the Week - Fantasy Outlooks for Ja'Marr Chase, A.J. Brown, Nico Collins, Isiah Pacheco, Kenneth Walker, Tua Tagovailoa, more

September 8, 2025

Several NFL players underwhelmed in Week 1 of the 2025 fantasy football season. Andersen Pickard identifies busts at each position and if they'll bounce back.

The first Sunday of the 2025 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 1. 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 1, 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.

Fantasy Football Quarterback Busts

Cameron Ward, -2.5 FPTS

Tennessee's rookie had a really difficult time getting anything going against Denver. Despite losing by only one possession, Ward finished with an abysmal stat line. In total, he went 12-for-28 passing with 112 passing yards, zero touchdowns, one fumble lost, and six sacks. He's off the fantasy radar in redraft leagues heading into a tough matchup against the Rams.

Cam Ward's dad is stressed in the stands.

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/CwZYJHcO0B

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 7, 2025

Dak Prescott, 7.8 FPTS

Prescott played turnover-free football, but he didn't do much to go above and beyond. The veteran finished the season opener with just 21 completions, 188 passing yards, three rushing yards, and zero total touchdowns. Fortunately, he plays the Giants next week, giving him a perfect opportunity to bounce back as a low-end QB1 in fantasy football.

Joe Burrow, 7.8 FPTS

The Bengals won Sunday, but Burrow had a pretty quiet game, especially in the second half. He finished Week 1 with just 14 completions for 113 yards and one touchdown. He also took three sacks. We're used to Burrow starting the season slow, so he should have no trouble bouncing back soon. He's still a strong fantasy QB1 for Week 2 against the Jaguars.

Tua Tagovailoa, 7.3 FPTS

The Dolphins lost in ugly fashion Sunday, and their quarterback is the main reason why. Tagovailoa completed just 14 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. He also took three sacks, threw two interceptions, and lost a fumble. Historically, his home splits are much better than his away splits, but he's still tough to trust as a top-18 quarterback when Miami hosts New England next weekend.

Tua Tagovailoa has turned the ball over 12 times since the beginning of 2024 (12 games).

All 12 of them have come in 4 games (vs. Bills, Rams, Texans, and Colts).

Each game had 2 turnovers or more. They absolutely come in bunches https://t.co/OzPHLLaAWI

— Tyler DeSena (@desena_tyler) September 7, 2025

Sam Darnold, 5.4 FPTS

Darnold's debut with the Seahawks didn't go very well as he totaled 150 passing yards, zero touchdowns, one fumble lost, and one sack. His job will only get tougher in Week 2 as the Seahawks go on the road to face a Pittsburgh defense led by T.J. Watt and Jalen Ramsey. He can be benched in most fantasy leagues next week.

C.J. Stroud, 6.7 FPTS

Stroud struggled on the road, totaling 188 passing yards, 32 rushing yards, zero touchdowns, one interception, and three sacks. Through the first week of the season, Stroud looks closer to his Year 2 form than his Year 1 form. He's a high-end fantasy QB2 ahead of next week's home game versus the Buccaneers.

Fantasy Football Running Back Busts

Kenneth Walker III, 5.4 FPTS

Walker and Zach Charbonnet split the backfield work Sunday, but frankly, Charbonnet looked better. We could see Walker's role decline slightly, which would make him borderline unstartable in fantasy football. For now, we'll avoid overreacting and will rank him as a mid-range RB3/FLEX for Week 2 against Pittsburgh.

Isiah Pacheco, 4.8 FPTS

There was plenty of excitement for Pacheco to bounce back this season, but that optimism will have to be put on hold. The Chiefs' running back earned just five carries for 25 rushing yards while adding three targets in the passing game. He had as many rushing attempts as Kareem Hunt but was more productive.

Pacheco is nothing more than a desperation RB3/FLEX until he proves that he is capable of turning things around.

Nick Chubb, 6.0 FPTS

Chubb rushed 13 times for 60 yards, which isn't necessarily a bad line for someone who is filling in due to a teammate's injury. However, his final statistics sting in PPR leagues, as managers would have liked to see him perform a little better in terms of yardage, pass-catching, or finding the end zone. He's a mid-to-low RB3 for Week 2 against the Buccaneers, who held Bijan Robinson to just 24 rushing yards Sunday.

Tyrone Tracy Jr., 5.5 FPTS

We figured Tracy would take a step back amidst the presence of Cam Skattebo, but he still struggled even with the Arizona State product having minimal involvement. Tracy totaled just 35 scrimmage yards across 10 carries and two catches. He can be benched in most fantasy leagues ahead of Week 2 in Dallas.

Tank Bigsby, 1.2 FPTS

Bigsby rushed for just 12 yards on five carries as Etienne stole the show out of the backfield. The 23-year-old should be benched in all leagues and dropped in leagues with 10 or fewer teams.

More Running Back Busts:

• Jerome Ford, 1.5 FPTS

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Busts

Ja'Marr Chase, 4.6 FPTS

Chase caught just two passes for 26 yards and wasn't on the receiving end of Burrow's lone touchdown strike. This is merely a minor blip, and the consensus WR1 in fantasy drafts should have no trouble bouncing back next week against the Jaguars.

Terry McLaurin, 4.7 FPTS

McLaurin was held without a reception for most of the first half, and things didn't get much better once he did secure his first catch. He finished the season opener with two receptions for 27 yards, which was a full 50 yards less than teammate Deebo Samuel Sr. However, the recently paid McLaurin should be able to bounce back in a much more competitive environment against the Packers next week.

Terry McLaurin was guarded by Paulson Adebo for all of his 4 targets, per PFF

McLaurin’s final stat line
• 2 receptions / 4 targets
• 27 yards

• 33 routes run (28 out wide)
• 18.5 yards aDOT

— Doug Analytics (@Doug_Analytics) September 7, 2025

Tee Higgins, 6.3 FPTS

Chase wasn't the only Bengals wide receiver who underperformed Sunday. Higgins caught just three passes for 33 yards as Burrow completed just five passes to his wide receiver room. The 26-year-old should get back to the low-end WR2 range next week against Jacksonville.

Nico Collins, 5.5 FPTS

Collins seemed due for a big game, especially with Christian Kirk (hamstring) and Joe Mixon (ankle) sidelined. However, he struggled to the tune of three catches and 25 yards. This is likely a product of the Texans' offense struggling as a whole, rather than a Collins-specific skill issue. Regardless of the reason, it irked fantasy managers.

The 26-year-old drops to the mid-range WR2 tier for Week 2 against the Buccaneers.

Cooper Kupp, 3.5 FPTS

We knew Kupp would take a backseat to Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Seattle, but we would have expected him to catch more than two passes. For now, we can chalk this up to a Seahawks passing attack that looked outmatched, rather than anything against Kupp in particular. He'll remain in the WR3/FLEX tier for Week 2 against the Steelers, whose secondary just struggled against Justin Fields and the Jets.

DeVonta Smith, 4.6 FPTS

Smith caught just three passes for 16 yards on Thursday night, which actually exceeded teammate A.J. Brown's production. Nevertheless, Smith's fantasy managers left Week 1 disappointed after Jahan Dotson led the Eagles in receiving yards and Hurts threw to his wide receivers just seven times. He's a mid-range WR3/FLEX for Week 2 against the Chiefs.

Josh Downs, 3.2 FPTS

Downs was one of the few Colts who did not outperform their projections in Week 1. The 24-year-old caught just two passes for 12 yards, ranking fifth among six Colts wide receivers in terms of yardage. He can be benched in leagues with 12 teams or fewer ahead of next week's game against a strong Broncos defense.

A.J. Brown, 1.8 FPTS

Brown wasn't targeted until the final offensive drive of the game, during which he finally managed to catch one pass for eight yards. It's not uncommon to see Brown turn in a dud game here or there, but it was still concerning to see it happen in Week 1. He'll drop to the WR2 tier for next week's clash with the Chiefs.

A.J. Brown on if he was surprised his first target came so late in the game:

“That’s something I can’t control, but I can control my effort and the ball will come my way.” #Eagles pic.twitter.com/6s1FVlrhpv

— Cory Nidoh (@Cory_Nidoh) September 5, 2025

Matthew Golden, 3.6 FPTS

Golden was relatively quiet in his NFL debut, catching just two passes for 16 yards. In a passing attack with plenty of mid-tier wide receivers, it's going to take more than that for Golden to cement himself as one of Jordan Love's top targets. He should be left on your bench heading into Week 2 against the Commanders.

Rashod Bateman, 3.0 FPTS

Bateman was expected to operate as the No. 2 option behind Zay Flowers, but he caught just two passes for 10 yards and was out-produced by DeAndre Hopkins (35 yards, one touchdown). We know Bateman is an inconsistent player, but his lack of production in a 41-40 shootout is alarming. He should be benched in fantasy football ahead of Week 2 against the Browns.

More Wide Receiver Busts:

• Calvin Ridley, 6.7 FPTS
• George Pickens, 6.0 FPTS
• Jameson Williams, 6.6 FPTS
• Xavier Worthy, 0.0 FPTS (injury)
• Jauan Jennings, 3.6 FPTS (injury)

Fantasy Football Tight End Busts

Mark Andrews, 1.5 FPTS

Andrews came around and was able to produce some of the better tight end metrics during the second half of last season, which is why it's so surprising to see him post a dud in Week 1, especially with Isaiah Likely (foot) sidelined. If Andrews only gets one target in a 41-40 shootout, it's hard to put much trust in him weekly. He's a fringe top-12 fantasy tight end for Week 2 against Cleveland.

Cade Otton, 0.0 FPTS

Otton was not expected to be very productive this season, but it seemed like he should be able to catch at least a pass or two every game. Instead, he was held without a catch on three targets in the Buccaneers' season opener. He can be left on waivers in most redraft leagues.

Tyler Higbee, 0.0 FPTS

Higbee didn't command a single target on Sunday. Even when Puka Nacua and Colby Parkinson missed parts of the game due to injury, the veteran tight end remained uninvolved. He was out-produced by both Parkinson, who caught two passes, and Davis Allen, who scored a touchdown.

More Tight End Busts:

• David Njoku, 6.7 FPTS

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