8 fantasy football bust candidates to consider avoiding on draft day

As always, there are plenty of big names that come with big fantasy question marks in 2025. Here are a few to avoid taking too early in your draft.

Every fantasy football draft has landmines — players coming off a big year, or a former fantasy stud who is now a better NFL player than a fantasy football performer, but whose production won’t come close to matching their price tag.

If you can avoid giving away your precious early-round picks for players who you’ll want to drop mid-way through the season, but you just can’t bear to admit your draft-day defeat, you’ll … well, you know the rest.

As always, there are plenty of big names that come with big question marks in 2025. From quarterbacks being drafted on reputation rather than recent results, to running backs staring down workload regression or crowded backfields, to wide receivers who may have already peaked, there’s danger lurking all over the draft board.

Of course, many of these players may still be solid contributors — but at their current ADPs, they carry more risk than reward. If you’re investing top-3 round draft capital, you can’t afford mediocrity.

Here are eight players I’m thinking twice about drafting in 2025 — big names who could end up sinking your season if you buy in too heavily.

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Baker Mayfield, QB, Buccaneers

ADP (PPR): QB7 | Justin’s current ranking: QB11

Baker Mayfield had a career year in 2024, throwing 41 touchdowns and rushing for nearly 400 yards — both far beyond his historical norms. But expecting him to repeat those numbers may be a mistake. Mayfield has never topped 30 TDs in any other season and now has his third offensive coordinator in three years.