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USATSI

You never like to call a player a bust when it's obvious that his lack of production isn't his fault. But that's where we are with the biggest bust in 2025, which is Justin Jefferson.

Jefferson came into the season with high expectations, which made sense, and he was the No. 7 overall player based on his CBS Sports Average Draft Position. Even though he was getting a first-time starting quarterback in J.J. McCarthy, we had just watched Jefferson have another dominant campaign in 2024 with Sam Darnold.

We had hope that McCarthy would be close to Darnold's level as a quarterback, at least when it came to supporting Jefferson. We also had faith in Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell to keep Jefferson producing like an elite Fantasy receiver. And we thought, when all else failed, Jefferson's talent would overcome any flaws in this revamped passing attack.

Things were going well for Jefferson early in the season because Carson Wentz was starting for McCarthy, who missed Weeks 3-7 with an ankle injury. Jefferson averaged 16.8 PPR points over that span, and no one was complaining.

But once McCarthy returned in Week 8, including two starts with Max Brosmer, everything fell apart for Jefferson. He averaged 8.9 PPR points per game over his final 10 games, and he only scored two touchdowns for the season.

I hope things improve for Jefferson in 2026 -- and McCarthy -- and that this passing attack will rebound, which includes Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. But in 2025, Jefferson unfortunately highlights our all-bust team.

All Bust Team

QB: Lamar Jackson

RB: Saquon Barkley

RB: Ashton Jeanty

WR: Justin Jefferson

WR: Brian Thomas Jr.

WR: Ladd McConkey

TE: T.J. Hockenson

FLEX: Alvin Kamara

I usually try to avoid calling a player a bust if they missed significant time due to injury, but Jackson played 10 healthy games prior to Week 18. And in those 10 games, Jackson scored 18.6 Fantasy points or less five times. That's not good since Jackson was the No. 2 quarterback off the board behind Josh Allen based on the CBS Sports ADP.

I had concerns about Barkley prior to 2025 due to his significant workload from 2024 (over 400 total touches, including the playoffs), as well as the history of 2,000-yard rushers falling off the following season. I didn't like Barkley's CBS Sports ADP at No. 3 overall, and he averaged 14.5 PPR points per game in 2025, which was a steep drop from the 22.2 PPR points per game he averaged in 2024.

Jeanty had lofty expectations as a rookie since he was the No. 6 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and his CBS Sports ADP was No. 9 overall. He averaged a respectable 14.5 PPR points per game, but he had seven games this season at 9.4 PPR points or less. There's plenty of reasons to believe in Jeanty moving forward, and hopefully the Raiders will enhance the talent around him to improve his Fantasy stock in 2026.

Thomas looked like a star in his rookie campaign in 2024 when he averaged 16.7 PPR points per game, which is why his CBS Sports ADP was at No. 21 overall. But his sophomore season was a disaster at 10.1 PPR points per game, and he was outplayed by Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers this year. Thomas didn't score his first touchdown until Week 6, and he only topped 11 PPR points three times.

McConkey also had a big rookie season in 2024 when he averaged 15.1 PPR points per game, and Fantasy managers selected him in Round 3 based on the CBS Sports ADP. But McConkey averaged just 11.3 PPR points per game in 2025, and he had eight games with 9.8 PPR points or less.

Hockenson was the No. 6 tight end based on the CBS Sports ADP, but he was the No. 26 tight end at 7.5 PPR points per game. Like Jefferson, Hockenson suffered from poor quarterback play, and he only had three touchdowns on the season, as well as just four games with double digits in PPR.

Kamara missed the final five games of the Fantasy season with a knee injury, but he struggled before getting hurt. He averaged a career-low 9.2 PPR points per game, which was a huge disappointment given his CBS Sports ADP at No. 31 overall. I had Kamara as a bust prior to the season, but I didn't expect him to perform this poorly in 2025.