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In the ever-unpredictable realm of fantasy football, there are always going to be several players who fall short of the expectations set for them each season. As the dust settles on another electric season, these players have become the unexpected protagonists in the narrative of fantasy football’s biggest busts of the year. What can we learn from these busts for the future? It's tough to say as the world of fantasy football is fickle, where even the most promising stars can dim, and unknown players can become household names in a few short months.
The term Fantasy Bust can be open for interpretation. However, I will do my best to narrow it down and talk about some of the guys in the community, yes, including me, who got everything wrong. Now, personally, if a player suffers an injury that causes them to miss a significant amount of time, I don’t like to count them as a bust (i.e., Nick Chubb and J.K. Dobbins). I would rather focus on the players who got the opportunity to live up to the hype but couldn’t get it done.
Patrick Mahomes (Consensus QB1)
Heading into the 2023 season, Patrick Mahomes was the reigning Superbowl Champion, 2x Superbowl MVP, OPOY, 2 MVPS. Mahomes, in recent years, has been everything short of a real-life superhero for fantasy teams. Coming into the year, in most leagues, Mahomes was a top 20 pick. Mahomes struggled to meet the lofty expectations set by his past stellar performances; however, as the perennial fantasy stud, he found himself grappling with a combination of factors that led to an uncharacteristic underperformance. The most daunting factor is the 6.9% drop rate the Chiefs had this year. As a team, they had 44 total drops, most in the NFL.
Through 13 weeks ... is Patrick Mahomes the biggest QB bust in fantasy football?
- Was drafted as QB1, is QB8 in total points and fantasy PPG
- Went in Tier with Allen and Hurts - they are QB 1 and 2 averaging 23.5+ fantasy PPG, Mahomes is 18.5
Now, don’t get me wrong, at times, Mahomes encountered unexpected slumps in his own form, but he was also the only thing keeping the Chiefs’ offense afloat. Even his number one target, Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, had a down year where he failed to extend his streak of consecutive 1000-yard seasons. Mahomes was drafted ahead of players such as CeeDee Lamb and AJ Brown. Mahomes would finish the year outside of the top five quarterbacks in fantasy.
Austin Ekeler (Consensus RB3)
Austin Ekeler, known for his dual-threat capabilities as a dynamic running back, found himself contending with a mix of injuries and changes within the Chargers offensive dynamics. These hurdles, combined with heightened defensive scrutiny, created a scenario where Ekeler struggled to replicate the fantasy glory he had previously achieved. Managers who have heavily relied on Ekeler witnessed a downfall from the explosive plays and consistent point production they had come to expect.
Ekeler was being drafted among the top 5 players in fantasy football. Ekeler would finish the season as RB28 in a half-ppr. format Ekeler got beat out by running backs like Jerome Ford, Brian Robinson Jr, Josh Jacobs, and even Chuba Hubbard. Ekeler had an inefficient 1,000 total yards and rushed for a career-low 3.5 yards per carry as he heads into an offseason looking for a fresh start with a new team.
Austin Ekeler playing "pissed off"
179 carries for 628 yards ?
3.5 yards per carry ?
3.0 YPC since December ?
5 fumbles ?
37 podcast episodes ?
Get this man off my team ? pic.twitter.com/gasREfeo1X
Josh Jacobs (Consensus RB7)
Josh Jacobs, found himself grappling with a series of factors that contributed to an underwhelming performance. Despite being a cornerstone of many fantasy rosters in previous years, Jacobs injuries, fluctuations in offensive strategies, and intensified defensive focus. These elements converged to create a scenario where Jacobs struggled to achieve the consistent and impactful performances that had endeared him to fantasy managers. The anticipation surrounding Jacobs and his long-term future with Las Vegas entering the season gave way to disappointment as his fantasy output failed to meet the expectations set by his earlier successes.
Jacobs had a career-low 805 rushing yards, averaging a career-low 3.5 yards per carry, and missed four games due to injury. The Raiders were a dysfunctional team for the better half of the season, and teams were able to easily key in on Jacobs and prevent the running game from ever getting going. Jacobs finished the season as RB27 behind Gus Edwards, Jaylen Warren, and Tyler Allgeier.
These players are only a few of the list of unexpected disappointments this year, but that's the nature of this game we love. As managers reflect on the choices that shaped their rosters, it’s a reminder that even the most celebrated stars can falter, and the unexpected underdogs can rise. The lessons learned from this season’s disappointments will undoubtedly echo in draft rooms and strategy sessions for seasons to come.
All this does is add another layer of complexity to the ever-evolving chessboard of fantasy football. As we close the chapter on 2023, the anticipation for 2024 begins, with the hope that our lessons of the past will guide us to fantasy glory.
