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. McCaffrey has a dubious history of one season on and one season off, and this would be his season off. McCaffrey is currently not practicing because of "tightness," which sounds a lot like what transpired prior to 2024 when McCaffrey missed most of the year. This could be nothing, but I don't trust the 49ers.

By the way, if you're annoyed with the ads, consider the Ad-Free Version of WalterFootball.com. For a small fee, you'll have a super-fast site and have access to all of our premium content.

Rashee Rice is a player with many issues. He tends to get trouble off the field, and he's had problems staying healthy. Now, he may play some games without Patrick Mahomes. None of this is ideal, and yet Rice is being taken at the beginning of Round 3 for some reason. I don't even know if I'd touch him in the fourth round!

A year ago, Travis Etienne was considered a candidate to be traded because he had been such a big disappointment. He was even benched in favor of Tank Bigsby. 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, especially with Alvin Kamara remaining on the team. Kamara is banged up, but won't be out for too long.

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 Malik Nabers is being obtained for some amazing value in the middle of the third round. His ADP has risen lately because he's been practicing, but that's even more of a reason to fade him.

I love Chris Olave as a player, but there are a couple of concerns. First, Olave is dealing with blood clots in his lungs. He's taking blood thinners to resolve the problem, but it's unclear how this will impact his 2026 season. Second, Olave has a long history of concussions. This wasn't an issue last year, but it could resurface. There's too much risk for me to take Olave in the third round.

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. Sean McVay, who has a history of being truthful to the press, said that Corum will play a huge part in the offense this year.

Jonathan Taylor was an Offensive Player of the Year favorite for most of 2025 until the end when defenses were able to stack the box as the result of Daniel Jones' injury. Jones is coming off a torn Achilles and may not be 100 percent. His receiver group is in shambles. Teams may still believe that they can stack the box against Taylor. Also, Taylor had an extensive injury history that could easily resurface.

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. Once Beck starts, you can kiss McBride's touchdowns goodbye. 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 late in Round 2. 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).

Jeremyiah Love was tremendous in the preseason opener. He looked special, and the key take-away was that he played well ahead of Tyler Allgeier. I still think Allgeier would receive the goal-line work, while James Conner should handle third downs, but I felt more bullish on Love after watching him perform in the preseason opener. So, why is Love still on the bust list? Love suffered a high ankle sprain and could miss the first few weeks of the season. Ankle injuries can linger, so I wouldn't want my third-round pick being ineffective or absent for the first month of action.

I'm keeping Josh Jacobs on the bust list because I hated him prior to the commissioner's exempt list news. I wrote the following prior to Josh Jacobs being placed on the list:

Josh Jacobs is a huge risk in the middle of the fourth round. I wouldn't think about taking him until the eighth. He could be suspended at any point during the season, and it's not like he's in a great situation. The Packers lost multiple offensive linemen in free agency, so the blocking in front of Jacobs will be worse this year.