Nicholas Frieburger | Staff Writer
For people across the world, fantasy football is more than just an online phenomenon, it’s a lifestyle. Countless hours of researching rankings, changing your line ups, and scavenging the waiver wire for a new key addition. We’ve all been there waking up early Tuesday at four AM just to try and pick up who ESPN’s Matthew Berry says is the next “stud”. But maybe the thing every fantasy team least looks forward to, their worst nightmare: the dreaded bust. Believe me, every team has a bust. I’ve looked at just who has been the biggest fantasy busts across the league this year and ranked them.
10.) Alex Collins Running Back Baltimore Ravens
Alex Collins came into this year with big expectations, he was supposed to be the number one running back for this Baltimore Ravens team who desperately needed production from the second year running back out of Arkansas. So far this season he’s only averaging 3.7 yards a carry, which isn’t quite what the Ravens need, or more importantly, his fantasy owners. Other than his two-touchdown performance against Tennesse in week 6 where he also rushed for 54 yards on 19 carries, he hasn’t lived up to the RB2 hype he received before the season.
9.) Doug Baldwin Wide Receiver Seattle Seahawks
After missing the first three weeks due to a knee injury, Baldwin returned in week four, and it’s fair to say he’s been almost a non-factor so far this season. He has yet to score a touchdown this season and has seemed to have lost his title as Seahawks best receiver to young speedster Tyler Lockett. Though this season for Baldwin has been a struggle thus far, he’s hoping to get his game on track in the second half of the season as the Seahawks look to make a playoff push.
8.) Tom Brady Quarterback New England Patriots
This season has been anything but smooth sailing so far for Tom Brady and the Patriots, but what else is new. With losses to teams like Jacksonville, Detroit, and Tennessee, the Patriots have shown to be wildly inconsistent this season. In the last three weeks, Tom Brady has only thrown one touchdown pass, which came in a Sunday night matchup against Green Bay where he threw a 55-yard touchdown to receiver Josh Gordon. Don’t expect the fantasy woes to last for Brady, as he’s shown constantly over the years he won’t go down without a fight.
7.) Jordan Reed Tight End Washington Redskins
Reed has been considered one of the best tight ends in the league the past few seasons, but injuries have derailed his chances of proving it on the field. So far this season, he has only scored one touchdown, which came in week one against Arizona. Not only has Reed not been able to find the end zone, he has yet to rack up games where he gets a significant number of targets. He’s only averaging about four catches a game, which is adding to an overall disappointing 2018 campaign for the talented pass catcher.
6.) Larry Fitzgerald Wide Receiver Arizona Cardinals
Larry Fitzgerald is one of the greatest receivers of all time. Year in and year out he eats up touchdowns and yards and is a fantasy machine. This year is different. Now that he is 35 years old and dealing with a rookie quarterback in Josh Rosen, the number have significantly dropped. He only has two touchdowns this year, and has only had one big game, which came against San Fransisco in week 8 where he hauled in 8 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. It seems as if Fitzgerald is declining fantasy wise, but never doubt the legend.
5.) Rob Gronkowski Tight End New England Patriots
Rob Gronkowski is considered the best tight end in the game today, and maybe the greatest tight end of all time. This season he has dealt with injury problems and has been sidelined due to
ankle and back discomfort. He has only scored one touchdown this year which came week one against Houston where he earned 7 catches for 123 yards as well. Don’t sleep on Gronk though, when healthy, he is an absolute monster and can change a fantasy team in an instant. Look for him to have a big second half of the year to make up for the extremely disappointing first half of the year.
4.) Jordan Howard Running Back Chicago Bears
Jordan Howard is a very talented third year back out of Indiana. After a solid first two years in the league, this year he has not lived up to the fantasy hype. He has been handcuffed by his colleague Tarik Cohen, who has taken a lot of the work at running back for the bears. Howard has been extremely inconsistent so far this season, coming off a game where he only rushed for 21 yards on 11 carries against the lions, only mirroring how disappointing this season has been for the young and talented back.
3.) Lesean McCoy Running Back Buffalo Bills
Shady McCoy’s has been a disaster since before it even started. There were offseason allegations of him being involved in a domestic violence scandal with his girlfriend, and it has continued to go downhill since the season started. McCoy has been regarded as one of the best backs in the league the last few years and has shown his talent. Outside of a very solid performance in week 10 against the jets where he rushed for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns, McCoy has been practically nonexistent. Now on a bye week, maybe McCoy can build off his week 10 performance, and leave the rest of a disappointing season so far in the rear-view mirror.
2.) Jarvis Landry Wide Receiver Cleveland Browns
After being traded in the offseason to Cleveland from Miami, Landry was looking for a fresh new start with his new team. He was determined to help the Browns find a winning culture, which they have seemed to have gotten more accustomed to, but in no part is it due to Landry’s play. Throughout this season Landry has not exceeded any expectations that he was given prior. He only has two touchdowns this season and has overall not been a key piece to the Browns this season. He has not stepped up as a number 1 receiver after Josh Gordon was traded to New England. His lack of production this year has hurt many fantasy owners who were expecting big things from the talented Louisiana State product.
1.) Leveon Bell Running Back Pittsburgh Steelers
No surprise, Leveon Bell comes in at number one for most disappointing fantasy campaigns of 2018. After being regarded as a top 3 pick in most leagues, Bell decided to hold out in hopes for a new contract. He has sat out every game so far this season and missed the 4:00 PM deadline to report on November 13th, making Bell ineligible to play for the rest of the 2018 season. By sitting out the season, Bell has lost over 14 million dollars in contract earnings over the season. His absence has led to the emergence of second year running back and Pittsburgh native James Conner. Fantasy owners who drafted Bell in the early first round have been completely blindsided, as a result, their seasons derailed.
