Sunday Debate: Dez Bryant Will Be Biggest Fantasy Bust
Brendan Pignataro and Mark Morales-Smith will be debating a different topic each Sunday. This week will feature their first fantasy football debate of the season. Who will be the biggest bust this year?
It’s a slow time for NFL fans, as we are still about a month away from teams reporting for training camp. However, I know for a fact some of you die hard fans out there are taking this down time as an opportunity to get prepared for your fantasy football drafts. Just like any other year, there will be some major busts. This doesn’t mean the player will be awful, just means they will fail to live up to their expectation or ADP.
Related Story: Sunday Debate: Jordan Reed Will Be Biggest Fantasy Bust
I will be debating why Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant will be this year’s biggest bust. Meanwhile, Mark will be debating that it will be Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed. You guys remember Reed, the same guy who was one of the main reasons why fantasy owners (including myself) won their league championships last season. Not the best strategy for Mark, who ironically is considered a bust himself in these debates.
Let’s get health out of the way first. We know Reed has had his troubles staying on the field, but he was able to play 14 games last season. Bryant isn’t an iron man either, as he has already missed 11 games in his career. He only played nine games last year due a broken foot, which he had to have multiple surgeries one, and two bone grafts. Despite being cleared for football activities, this is still a major concern. He didn’t participate in most of the drills at OTAs. I don’t take foot issues lightly when it comes to wide receiver.
The second reason for Bryant being a bust is his team. The Cowboys philosophy has changed with the drafting of Ezekiel Elliot and their tremendous offensive line. They are a team that will look to pound the ball more often than not. You saw the offensive line bully opponents last year. Elliot’s talents will not be underused. Dallas did nothing this offseason to help out their depth at wide receiver, and Jason Witten is now in his mid 30s. Opposing secondaries will absolutely focus on not letting Bryant go nuts. He’s talented enough to have some big games, but I suspect he will be inconsistent.
Then of course the Cowboys have the aging Tony Romo. If he goes down again, Bryant’s value plummets. Obviously you can say that about most quarterbacks, but in the Cowboys case it is a disaster. Kellen Moore will provide nothing but horror for Bryant’s fantasy owners. If the 34 year old quarterback misses any game, then you might as well bench your first or second round fantasy draft pick.
The next issue for Bryant is his current ADP. FantasyPros consensus of experts is currently showing his ADP at 11th overall, and fifth wide receiver taken. This is too high for me. I do think Bryant can have a solid year, but not what we are accustomed to seeing with him. Even if he is healthy I see a dip in production due to his team’s roster and philosophy.
It seems every year there are more and more star receivers in redrafts to chose from. With all these concerns there is no need to draft Bryant in the first round, or even early second. You could snag a top running back (which there are fewer of) and wait a round or two to take a receiver that will have similar production. I’d much rather wait and take Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper or Brandon Marshall. I think these guys will have better numbers at years end anyway.
More nfl spin zone: Dallas Cowboys: Good, Bad and More in 2016
If you are debating drafting whether or not to draft Reed and Bryant this year, it’s pretty simple. Reed is going to excel again in the Washington offense, and Bryant will not live up to his fantasy owners everywhere.
Please check out Mark’s opposing article, and feel free to join in on the debate in the comments!