Each season, fantasy players do their best to find the right sleepers to win their leagues. However, it is equally important to avoid the busts—those who will underperform and won’t meet expectations.
Avoid these 5 Fantasy Football Busts in 2020
QB Philip Rivers, IND
One of the biggest mistakes that fantasy players make is not being able to separate real-life success from fantasy success. It doesn’t matter if my quarterback wins 13 games this season if he only throws for 3,000 yards. This is exactly what might happen this season with Philip Rivers on the Indianapolis Colts. Rivers is a veteran quarterback who should have some success in Frank Reich’s system. The problem is that the Colts are a run-first team, and Rivers has had practically no opportunity to work with his receivers after signing in free agency. At 38 years old, I also have some questions about Rivers’ arm strength.
I know he can make the short and intermediate passes, but can he find a streaking TY Hilton down the field? Philip Rivers has been one of the better fantasy quarterbacks over the last decade. That said, this might be the season to let someone else draft him and look for a younger quarterback on a team that plays in a pass-first offense.
RB Mark Ingram, BAL
Firstly, I want to thank Ingram for being a large part of many of my fantasy football championships last season. He was a beast, rushing for over 1000 yards and scoring 15 TDs. But the truth is that neither you nor I can live off last year’s statistics—we have to look forward to finding players who can help our teams win in 2020. Ingram will still have a major role in the Ravens’ offense. However, I wonder why the Ravens selected RB J.K Dobbins from Ohio State in the second round of this year’s draft if they were so happy with Ingram. Dobbins is a home run hitter-type runner who can score from anywhere on the field. The same cannot be said for Ingram.
Moreover, the Ravens already have Gus Edwards and Justice Hill on their roster who are talented runners who could easily start on many other teams in the league. It comes down to this: there are too many players (including Lamar Jackson) and only one football. Look for Ingram’s stats to decrease around 15-percent, which would make him way more of a bust than a buy.
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WR Anthony Miller, CHI
It pains me to put Anthony Miller’s name in a bust article. From the time he was drafted from Memphis, I have always thought that he had the skill set to become one of the better slot receivers in the NFL. In Weeks 13 and 15 last season, fantasy players saw how good Miller could be when he caught 18 passes for 258 yards and a TD. The problem is that the Bears offense is incredibly inconsistent (due to their poor quarterback and offensive line play). Will this year be much different? Potentially, if Head Coach Matt Nagy names Nick Foles as the team’s starter instead of Mitch Trubisky. But even if Foles is named the Week 1 starter, I still have my doubts about Miller. Slight of build, Miller has now had two shoulder surgeries on his left shoulder. I worry that if he takes another big hit, he might miss multiple weeks. Additionally, the Bears signed TE Jimmy Graham and WR Ted Ginn this off-season. These two veterans will demand targets and chip away at Miller’s production. Finally, the WR1 for the Bears is Allen Robinson. He is the team’s best offensive player, and for the Bears to have a chance at making the playoffs, they will need to make sure Robinson gets his 8-10 targets per week. So, where does this leave Miller? On someone else’s fantasy team and not mine.
WR Alshon Jeffery, PHI
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson might be saying the right things (see attached link) about Alshon Jeffery, but I can promise you that there is no way that I am drafting him. I fully expect Jeffery to start the season on the PUP and miss at least 2-4 games due to the Lisfranc surgery that he had in December. Assuming Jeffery does return, the Eagles have too many weapons that Jeffery is no longer a focal point. TE Zach Ertz is Wentz’s main target, and rookie WR Jalen Reagor and veteran WR DeSean Jackson will also see a large share of targets. Moreover, the Eagles have always been a team that likes to run the ball, and with Miles Sanders playing so well at the end of 2019, it only seems probable that he will get 20-24 touches per week. If you add all those touches and targets together, it leaves little room for Jeffery to find fantasy success in 2020.
TE Kyle Rudolph, MIN
One of the things I like most about fantasy football is that every team loves their squad right after the draft is over. My favorite guy at a draft is the one who raves about his team, especially when it’s filled with guys who were last good two years ago. And there is no doubt that this same guy will be drafting Kyle Rudolph as his starting tight end this season. I have not figured out why the Vikings did not trade Rudolph to the Patriots when they had the chance. Yes, Rudolph is still a good blocker and decent receiver, but the Vikings added Irv Smith Jr. to their team in last year’s draft, and it was evident that by season’s end, Smith had eclipsed Rudolph as the team’s go-to tight end. Rudolph had 39 catches to Smith’s 36 in 2019. In 2020 look for Rudolph to have about the same number of catches, while Smith takes a major leap forward (especially in the absence of Stefon Diggs) and grabs close to 60 passes.
