Wide Receiver Busts: Deebo Samuel, Davante Adams, Stefon Diggs (Fantasy Football)

It’s never too early to start talking about fantasy football wide receiver busts. Finding out which players may heavily underperform expectations takes far more than just comparing their final ranking last year with their current ADP or consensus rank. That’s because injuries and changes to a player’s role or situation can have huge impacts on every player’s season-long output or final ranking. Injury-prone players or athletes who start the season hurt are always a massive risk, especially in the early rounds. Plus, changes like the loss of a reliable quarterback or the potential for a younger player to steal a veteran’s job are risks to account for when evaluating every skill player across the football landscape. Inconsistent, boom-or-bust athletes who produced the majority of their fantasy points in a few games are another trap that ensnares plenty of fantasy managers each year.

Our featured pundits know exactly what to look for when identifying potential busts. So, to help you begin your research, they’ve each listed a WR they think has the biggest odds of falling short of expectations. Read on below to see who you may want to think twice about selecting and why.

Looking for more fantasy football running back and wide receiver busts to avoid in your drafts? Check out the 18 Early Fantasy Football Busts to Avoid article, with all of the breakdowns from our featured experts!

Early Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Busts

What WR in our consensus top 24 should fantasy managers fear the most as a bust candidate?

Deebo Samuel (WR – SF)

“Deebo Samuel ranked as the WR12 overall despite playing 15 games in 2023. Notably, he scored the second-most total touchdowns (12) with his dual role as a rusher and receiver leading all wide receivers in total red-zone touches. However, his long injury history raises concerns due to his physical playing style. Additionally, there’s potential for TD regression given his performance exceeded expectations in the previous season, ranking as just the WR26 in expected points per game (10.9). Moreover, relying on rushing production can be unpredictable year-to-year, and the emergence of Brandon Aiyuk further complicates Samuel’s outlook as he enters a contract year. ”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)

Davante Adams (WR – LV )

“Davante Adams is going to be a risky proposition for this season. At 31 years old, he is now racing full speed ahead towards the age cliff, which will catch up with him any day now. As we all know, Father Time is undefeated. Add in the lack of a quarterback with any level of skill to throw him the ball and it is going to be a rough year in Vegas. Whether the starter is Aidan O’Connell or Gardner Minshew, this offense figures to lack any real touchdown upside. Add in a rapidly expanding tight end room that features two of the more talented youngsters in the league Michael Mayer and rookie Brock Bowers, and it’s clear this season is going to be a full youth movement for the Raiders. Adams’ best chance to salvage one last relevant season, is a trade to a contender, but even then, contenders will have far more weapons to eat into his piece of the pie.”
– Aaron St Denis (Fantasy Football Universe)

Stefon Diggs (WR – HOU )

“In the final eight weeks of the 2023 fantasy season, Stefon Diggs had just one game with over 7 half-PPR fantasy points. He now moves to a team with a worse quarterback (sorry, CJ Stroud, but you’re no Josh Allen just yet) and way more target competition in Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Dalton Schultz, Joe Mixon plus strong wide receiver and tight end depth. I don’t see a clear path to a top 24 finish for a player who looked close to washed at the end of last season. I’m steering well clear of Diggs at this price.”
– Ben Wasley (The Fantasy First Down)

“Fantasy players should avoid drafting Stefon Diggs at his current WR21 price in the rankings. The veteran wide receiver has had back-to-back years with late-season struggles. He was the WR47, averaging 7.5 half-point PPR fantasy points per game over the final nine weeks of the 2023 season. More importantly, Diggs is no longer the clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver on his team. Nico Collins and Tank Dell had impressive years last season. Fantasy players should draft Malik Nabers (WR26 in the rankings), Zay Flowers (WR27), George Pickens (WR29), and Christian Kirk (WR30) well before Diggs.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)

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Best Ball Draft Targets

Busts Fantasy Draft Advice NFL Brandon Aiyuk Davante Adams Aidan O’Connell Gardner Minshew Michael Mayer Brock Bowers Stefon Diggs CJ Stroud Josh Allen Nico Collins Tank Dell Dalton Schultz Joe Mixon Malik Nabers Zay Flowers George Pickens Christian Kirk