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John dives into the biggest fantasy football busts of all time. Which players are in the top 10 biggest busts of all time for fantasy football?
Fantasy football managers have the fear of picking busts fresh in their minds every season because every year, players who are thought to be headed for productive seasons, whether due to injury, not reaching overly high expectations, or other reasons, bust hard.
Those who drafted San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey are well aware of this reality. He played in just four contests last season, failed to score more than 20 PPR points in any games, and got reinjured, ending his 2024 campaign prematurely. He provided very little value to fantasy football managers.
This article will absolutely not feature any recency bias because I can argue that the two players from 2024 who are on it had such ridiculously high expectations, even in this era where fantasy managers are more knowledgeable than ever, and still faceplanted. Let's dive in!
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10. LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills, 2018
McCoy, the Philadelphia Eagles' all-time leading rusher, entered his fourth year with the Bills in 2018 with high expectations. He had finished as the RB4 in 2016 and the RB7 in 2017, and he was entering his age-30 season, so it seemed that he had some value left.
That wasn't the case. He played in 14 games, yet mustered just 514 yards on 161 carries, averaging under 3.2 yards per rush, scored just three rushing touchdowns, and caught 34 passes for 238 yards, failing to log a single receiving touchdown.
Saquon had a special season setting a new Eagles single season rushing record but let’s not forget whose numbers he topped which was LeSean McCoy (@CutonDime25) in 2013.
Shady ran for 1,607 yards which broke a 34 year old Eagles record held by Wilbert Montgomery and McCoy also… pic.twitter.com/9JsbXv6mSL
— Fly Eagles Fly Bets (@Fly_EaglesBets) March 9, 2025
It was a shocking result for anyone who had watched McCoy play for the Eagles, and though he wasn't quite his old self with the Bills, it was reasonable to think he still had some gas in the tank. Instead, he never came close to finishing as a top-10 back again and was out of the league entirely after just two more unproductive seasons.
9. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins, 2024
He was widely regarded as being on the short list of best wide receivers in the NFL after his monster 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Miami Dolphins and was picked universally in the first round of fantasy drafts. His first game went very well, and many fantasy managers were probably happy with his production, especially after seeing his 80-yard touchdown reception. He scored 26 PPR fantasy points in Week 1.
TYREEK HILL TAKES IT 80 YARDS ‼️
THAT’S 15 FANTASY POINTS! WE MISSED THIS SO MUCH! pic.twitter.com/13TQSYnhTW
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) September 8, 2024
Then things all came crashing down. Miami's starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, suffered a severe concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills. Hill's totals in PPR were 6.6, 7.0, 8.2, 12.9, and 2.3 fantasy points in the next five games, including Week 2, as Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve and missed all those weeks.
Tagovailoa's return was heralded as team-saving for Hill managers, but much to their shock, Hill would go on to log just two more games with 20 or more PPR fantasy points, including duds of 11.7, 9.8, 5.6, and 4.0 scoring totals. Hill never looked like his old self, often failing to create the wild separation due to his elite explosiveness that he had in previous seasons.
TYREEK HILL 78 YARD TOUCHDOWN
ABSOLUTE CHEAT CODE
pic.twitter.com/Bnss1SfaRi— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) December 3, 2023
The Hill we were accustomed to seeing from previous years simply wasn't there. And while he did have a few good games, he's a massive bust considering how high expectations were for him after his 119-catch, 1,799-yard, 13-touchdown season in 2023.
8. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers, 2024
This past season's other huge bust, McCaffrey, finished as the dominant RB1 in fantasy football in 2023, and expectations for him to have another massive season were widespread. He clearly showed he was elite, both in real football and as a fantasy asset, when he totaled over 391 PPR fantasy points just a season prior.
🚨BREAKING:#49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey has Achilles tendinitis in BOTH OF HIS LEGS, NBC reports.
😳😳😳
It is called bilateral Achilles tendonitis… and obviously, the team was not willing to tell anyone….
NOT GOOD, no matter how the team tries to spin this. pic.twitter.com/q0GuU4k8Iv
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 30, 2024
Much like with the No. 1 bust on this list, fantasy managers didn't know what they were getting themselves into. At the time of most drafts, they believed the lies that they were told by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan -- that McCaffrey had a calf strain that wasn't serious and that he'd be ready for Week 1.
Instead, they were dragged along through an awful saga, continually teased that he'd be returning soon, then watched as his condition magically worsened (yes, I didn't buy it, either), and he was placed on injured reserve. He didn't play his first down until Week 10.
Many fantasy managers simply held the bag, and he scored 16.7 and 14.6 PPR fantasy points in his first two games. Then he mustered just 7.8 a week later, and the week after that, he went down with a knee injury that ended his season.
Looks like Christian mccaffrey reinjured his Achilles in the snow.
Hope he's ok 🙏 pic.twitter.com/jBGCAthE7P
— primalkey (@primalkey) December 2, 2024
It's hard to blame him for his troubles, but he was far from a league winner in 2024, which is what he was drafted to be.
7. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals, 2012
Fitzgerald racked up 153 catches for 1,411 yards and eight touchdowns in 2011, his eighth season in the league. It was the fifth straight year that he gained over 1,000 receiving yards and scored six or more touchdowns, and he was in the midst of a core stretch that would contribute to his eventual spot in the NFL Hall of Fame.
So, he was seen as an elite pick in fantasy football drafts and taken off the board very early in most leagues. But despite playing in 16 games and matching his 153 targets from the year prior, his 71 catches in 2012 amounted to just 798 yards and four touchdowns of production.
Going down memory lane watching old #AZCardinals games
This game between the Cards-Rams in 2012 pissed me off. Larry Fitzgerald was consistently wide open. Ryan Lindley kept throwing ducks. He was never known for his speed but Fitzgerald was fast for a WR his size pic.twitter.com/9YTyrLidfT
— Andy Kwong 🏈 (@akwong31) April 8, 2024
The quarterback situation was just about the complete opposite of the WR situation, though. While Fitzgerald did what he always did, get open, the quarterbacks struggled to hit him with any consistency, and a massive load of production was left out on the field. It was part of a long three seasons where Fitz failed to reach 1,000 yards receiving, until he did so again in 2015.
6. Zac Stacy, St. Louis Rams, 2014
After a solid rookie season in which Stacy rushed for 973 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 26 passes for 141 yards and a score, most fantasy managers viewed him as the clear RB1 moving forward and a safe pick relatively early in fantasy football drafts. Stacy rewarded them by being a massive bust in 2014.
Good morning to everyone except 2014 Zac Stacy 😡🤬😡🤬😡🤬😡 #IYKYK #FantasyFootball pic.twitter.com/aTpuz9aw9p
— Grand Central Fantasy (@GrandCentralFan) July 27, 2023
Instead, Stacy was outproduced handily by rookie RB Tre Mason, was let go before the following season, and washed out of the league after just one more year with the New York Jets.
5. Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns, 2011
Hillis had a legendary breakout season in 2010. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, he quickly became the face of the Browns franchise by running for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns and catching 61 passes for 477 yards and two scores, finishing as one of the best RBs in fantasy football that season. His 194 yards from scrimmage and three-touchdown game against the Carolina Panthers was truly special.
Who remembers the Peyton Hillis game? 😭pic.twitter.com/UgDk87yWMv
— Boston Cream 🍩 (@itsbostoncream) October 25, 2023
The Madden curse, a series of injuries, and a poor roster around him did him in for the 2011 season, though. In 10 games played, he rushed for only 587 yards and three touchdowns and caught just 22 passes for 130 yards. Hillis' career took a nosedive after that, and in his last three seasons combined, he failed to match his numbers from the 2010 season alone.
4. Braylon Edwards, Cleveland Browns, 2008
Edwards put together a monster breakout campaign in 2007. After a solid 2006 season in which he caught 61 of 125 targets for 884 yards and six scores, he smashed those numbers with 80 receptions for 1,289 yards and 16 receiving touchdowns the subsequent year. He was a dominant WR1, and many believed he would remain so for many years to come.
Pain Week+: 2008- #NYGiants started out 11-1 & dominated some very good teams. Their only loss was..checks notes..the Browns? Yep, on MNF, NYG played awful. Braylon Edwards had 154 yards receiving & this TD. Trying to come back, Eli threw a 94-yard pick 6 to Wright in 35-14 loss pic.twitter.com/F6j5Tas5y4
— BigBlueVCR (@BigBlueVCR) June 15, 2021
Edwards started 2008 very slowly, gaining just 95 receiving yards and one touchdown. But against the New York Giants in Week 5, he caught five passes for 154 yards and a score. This would have been the perfect time for fantasy managers to trade him away, but in a tale as old as the game itself, many saw it as his "get right game" of the season.
He would go on to average just 56.7 receiving yards and score a single more touchdown over his final 11 games, and his career mostly fizzled from there, interrupted by just one solid season for the New York Jets.
3. Rudi Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals, 2007
Johnson was a monster in fantasy football for three straight seasons with the Bengals. His rushing totals for 2004, 2005, and 2006 are as follows: 1,454 rush yards and 12 touchdowns, 1,458 rushing yards and 12 TDs, and 1,309 rush yards and 12 rush scores, respectively.
So, naturally, he was seen as an elite, safe pick in fantasy drafts, with his workhorse usage and production leading to great games.
Burudi Ali Johnson AKA Rudi Johnson was a menace for the Bengals. 49 TDs as a Bengal. Here is his longest, a 49-yard TD vs the 49ers December 14, 2003:
49 is the lucky number of the day I guess.
Hope he gets into the Ring of Honor some dey. pic.twitter.com/qic3Gw9q0s
— obscure bengals (@obscure_bengals) February 11, 2025
In 2007, though, his massive usage caught up to him. The season prior, he had averaged just 3.8 yards per carry, a drop-off of 0.5 YPC from the season before that, which is always a big red flag you should pay attention to when evaluating running backs.
Johnson played just 11 games in 2007, failed to reach even 500 rushing yards, scored just three times on the ground, and averaged an abysmal 2.9 yards per carry. He was a bona fide league loser and washed out of the NFL just one year after that.
2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots, 2008
Brady's 2007 MVP season still stands as one of the best in the history of the NFL for a quarterback. He broke the NFL record for passing touchdowns with 50, eclipsed 4,800 passing yards in just 16 games, tossed only eight interceptions, and led his team to a 16-0 record, the first and only undefeated regular season in history after the league switched to a 16-game schedule.
October 18, 2009: The Patriots destroy the Titans 59-0 in the snow in Foxborough. Tom Brady throws 6 TDs, including a record-setting 5 in the 2nd quarter. pic.twitter.com/3478clJT6I
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) October 18, 2023
Brady's demolition of the Tennessee Titans, in which he threw five touchdowns in the second quarter, is perhaps his most memorable regular-season game to date. So, at a time when quarterbacks were often selected in the first round, Brady was seen as on the cusp of having another historic season.
The problem was not that he disappointed, but that he blew out his ACL in Week 1. Can't do much to fix that.
1. Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2018
The biggest bust of all time has to be Bell. After a huge season in which he rushed for 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns and caught 85 passes for 655 yards and two touchdowns, Bell was the No. 1 overall pick in many fantasy football drafts. He was an all-purpose weapon for the Steelers, and his volume and production were that of a league winner the year prior.
Le'Veon Bell will not be with Steelers as they head to Cleveland, will also miss out on $853,000 earnings, per @AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/Bz3SqzP8dj
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) September 8, 2018
The saga that unfolded sank many fantasy teams' hopes. Bell ended up holding out for the entire season, not playing a single down and not scoring a single fantasy point. Those who drafted him were left high and dry, and it's often extremely difficult to win leagues if your first-round pick produces absolutely nothing.
Aside from immediately trading him to another manager who thought he would end his holdout, there were no options for his fantasy managers to extract value from his presence on their rosters. Instead, they were left with a roster clogger. A No. 1 overall pick that misses games due to injury or produces as a top-20 player at their position rather than a top-5 player can at least be useful.
But Bell presented the worst possible case -- nothing.
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