With 2021 fantasy football drafts approaching, here are some 2021 fantasy football WR busts and overvalued players to avoid. We’re focusing on 2021 fantasy wide receiver busts typically selected in the top 100 0r so picks.
2021 fantasy football average draft position comes from Underdog Fantasy’s half-point PPR consensus ADP.
2021 Fantasy WR Busts: Overvalued WRs To Avoid In Football Drafts
Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals (46.1 ADP, WR20)
This placing is nothing against Chase’s talent. He is spectacular and was absolutely deserving of his top-5 NFL Draft status.
However, the optics on Cincinnati’s offense are misaligned with reality. First and foremost, their QB Joe Burrow is coming off of a knee injury in which he tore multiple ligaments and was set with an initial timeline that bled into the 2021 season.
Despite a healthy recovery that has him on-pace to play Week 1, there have to be questions around how effective he will be. The Bengals failed to address their offensive line and while Burrow is mobile, it has to be presumed that he is less so post-injury.
Also, will the Bengals even throw as much as they did in 2020? If so, sure, every Bengals WR is viable in fantasy but there should be doubts that this is a 650+ pass attempt offense, especially with Joe Mixon back in the fold.
If you want to buy a Bengals WR, aim lower than Chase and maybe even Tee Higgins. Tyler Boyd is simply the most reliable target and will provide the easy out for Burrow on the field when he is not capable of making those downfield throws to the perimeter WRs.
It’s much safer to choose these season-long 2021 fantasy football busts for one week at a time in great matchups. So start them in NFL DFS with Monkey Knife Fight! MKF offers new players a 100% Bonus Deposit of up to $100 and a FREE $5 game when you sign up. at Monkey Knife Fight to claim this offer and play user-friendly daily fantasy sports.
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers (61.6 ADP, WR27)
Brandon Aiyuk was fantastic in 2020, no doubt about it. He produced at a high level despite being a rookie with first-round draft capital that many (including myself) looked over. 96 targets, 60 receptions, 825 total yards, and 7 total TDs in 12 games is nothing to scoff at.
However, the target competition — or lack thereof — in San Francisco is hard to ignore. Sophomore WR Deebo Samuel played seven games, and in one of those, he played one snap. Superstar TE George Kittle broke his leg midseason and somehow returned to play two games at the end, but he only wound up playing 8 games.
The biggest indictment for Aiyuk is that 56.3% of his targets came in games when both Deebo and Kittle were out. (Shoutout to RotoWire’s Mario Puig for this pull.)
When competing for targets with the likes of Kendrick Bourne, junky Jordan Reed, and running backs, it’s a lot easier to establish yourself as the main guy. Aiyuk will not have it so easy in 2021, and while his late-WR2 draft price is not unfair, it is still too high when you can select the likes of Kenny Golladay, D.J. Chark, and JuJu Smith-Schuster instead.
Will Fuller, Miami Dolphins (82.5 ADP, WR38)
Well, he finally stayed healthy in 2020! It only took PED usage, but hey, at least the only reason he missed time was due to a suspension. Progress?!
I kid. The concept of Will Fuller is great. He has been extremely productive in the games he has played at full strength since his rookie year. This is not a knock on the guy as much as it is his history of missing time due to soft tissue injuries along with a new location in Miami.
No longer is one of the league’s best QBs, Deshaun Watson, throwing to him. He’s relegated to Tua Tagovailoa. While Tagovailoa has the pedigree and should be much better than 2020’s disastrous showing, “how much better?" is a fair question to ask. Also, it is not like Fuller gets to play WR1 like last year either with Jaylen Waddle added in the first-round and DeVante Parker still hanging around.
Not to mention he is playing on grass at Hard Rock Stadium in an outdoor setting rather than indoor turf like Houston’s NRG Stadium. Also, his new locale is also home to the Miami Hurricanes, who will be occasionally be playing their games the day prior with no time to fix the field. Fuller will be handed a more dangerous homefield that could potentially cause more cracks in his already damaged chain.
For more 2021 fantasy football draft tips, listen to our Take The Points podcast with Marcus Mosher and Adam Kramer:
