2026 Fantasy Football Busts

We’re sticking with Christian McCaffrey as a top bust again. Not only is he a 30-year-old with an extensive injury history; he led the NFL in carries last year, so this large workload could adversely affect him this upcoming season.

Rashee Rice is a player with many issues. He tends to get trouble off the field, and he’s had issues staying healthy. Now, he may play some games without Patrick Mahomes. None of this is ideal, and yet Rice is being taken early in the second round for some reason. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Rice got into trouble again and then had to have a cleanup procedure. I don’t know if I’d touch him in the fourth round.

Everyone suddenly loves Kenneth Walker because of what transpired in the Super Bowl, quickly forgetting that he had to split the workload with Zach Charbonnet last year. The Chiefs don’t have good blocking, so it doesn’t seem like they’ll be able to support a second-round fantasy running back, especially one who can’t handle a full workload.

I hate trusting receivers coming off torn ACLs. Sometimes, they’re fine, but why seek out injuries if they’re going to happen to you anyway? It’s just added risk, and it’s not like Nabers is being obtained for some amazing value at the end of the second round. Nabers has had some other complications with his knee, so it’s fair to wonder if he’ll be able to play much this year.

A year ago, Travis Etienne was considered a candidate to be traded because he had been such a big disappointment. Etienne had a much better 2025, but only because of Liam Coen’s brilliant coaching. Every running back who has separated from Coen in recent years has regressed, and I have to believe that Etienne will follow the same trajectory.

Reports indicate that Kyren Williams and Blake Corum will engage in more of a 50-50 split this year. It’s difficult to trust most beat reporters, but we know that Corum eats into Williams’ workload, so drafting Williams in the third round is a tough ask. If he falls on this news, and we can get him in the fourth, that would be decent value.

Tetairoa McMillan won Offensive Rookie of the Year, but I don’t trust anything about this situation. I don’t trust McMillan to work hard on his game because he’s said that he doesn’t love football. I don’t trust the offensive line to hold up because of some injuries and departures. And I don’t trust Bryce Young to play on a mediocre level again.

I don’t hate Justin Jefferson this year, but 1.08 is way too rich for him. Jefferson is a great player, but he’s stricken with terrible quarterbacking. Kyler Murray will be an upgrade over J.J. McCarthy, but given his horrible injury history, we know that he won’t last that long. I’d be fine with Jefferson in the middle of the second round, but he’s being drafted too early.

Trey McBride logged an absurd number of touchdowns last year. It’s completely unreasonable to expect him to match that total again. You can argue that Kyler Murray’s absence helped McBride, which is true. However, Jacoby Brissett is a much better quarterback right now than Carson Beck is, and Beck is expected to start some games this year. Also, keep in mind that there are countless great tight end values who can be obtained in the double-digit rounds.

This applies to all of the top quarterbacks, but particularly Josh Allen, who’s being drafted in the middle of the second round. I have Allen slotted in the middle of Round 4, and that’s not a knock against him, but rather an indication of how strong the depth is at the position. Do not draft quarterbacks early this year (or most years).