kyren-williams-rams-usatsi.jpg
USATSI

When it comes to Fantasy busts, the first thing you need to do is remember what the expectations were for these players prior to the season. And most of the players we consider as busts were expected to be stars.

Unfortunately, most of the players listed here ruined a lot of Fantasy teams in 2023. 

2023 All-Bust Team

QB: Patrick Mahomes
RB: Bijan Robinson
RB: Austin Ekeler
WR: Garrett Wilson
WR: Stefon Diggs
WR: Davante Adams
TE: Travis Kelce
FLEX: Tony Pollard

I took out players who missed at least four games due to injury, which is why Justin Jefferson didn't make the list. And you can argue Ja'Marr Chase should be here given how his season unfolded, but despite Joe Burrow's injury-marred campaign, Chase still averaged 17.1 PPR points per game.

The rest of the players listed here flopped given high expectations, and all of them were drafted in the first two rounds based on the CBS Sports ADP. And while Kelce still finished as the No. 1 tight end in PPR points per game, we all know he failed to deliver on lofty expectations that he would run away from the tight end field in 2023.

Here's how it unfolded for these busts:

Mahomes (ADP No. 8 overall, finished QB13)
Ekeler (ADP No. 3 overall, finished RB22)
Robinson (ADP No. 5 overall, finished RB19)
Diggs (ADP No. 11 overall, finished WR16)
Adams (ADP No. 17 overall, finished WR18)
Wilson (ADP No. 21 overall, finished WR31)
Kelce (ADP No. 7 overall, finished TE1)
Pollard (ADP No. 12 overall, finished RB24)

What went wrong for these players? There are likely several factors for each guy.

Mahomes had bad production from his receiving corps, including Kelce, and Father Time probably caught up to the 34-year-old tight end. And we've reached the point where Kelce is no longer the consensus No. 1 Fantasy tight end heading into 2024.

Ekeler (28), Diggs (30) and Adams (31) also are getting up in age, and Adams thankfully rebounded from a slow start to end his season with at least 24.1 PPR points in two of his final three games through Week 17. But Adams also had nine outings with 12.7 PPR points or less through Week 16, which is why he's on this list.

Fantasy analysts -- and Fantasy managers as a result -- had lofty expectations for Robinson and Pollard. For Robinson, he was held back by Arthur Smith, who is no longer the Falcons coach, which should help Robinson immensely in 2024. And Pollard never became the star in Dallas that many hoped for when the Cowboys made him their featured running back in 2023.

As for Wilson, he was hampered by poor quarterback play all season. We expected him to be amazing with Aaron Rodgers, but Rodgers ruptured his Achilles in the first quarter of the Jets opening game against Buffalo. Thankfully, Rodgers should return at 100 percent in 2024, and we should see the best of Wilson in his third season in the NFL.