Fantasy Football: 10 Potential busts getting way too much hype
By Samuel Teets
10. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Cleveland Browns
It’s not 2016 anymore, and Odell Beckham is no longer a superstar. In the past two seasons, he’s produced 151 receptions for 2,087 yards and ten touchdowns. Those numbers seem decent, but Tyler Boyd has 166 receptions for 2,074 yards and 12 touchdowns during the same time. That’s the statistical company Beckham keeps in 2020.
Last season, Beckham finished 31st in standard leagues with 127.3 points and 25th in points per reception (PPR) leagues with 201.3 points. His teammate, Jarvis Landry, finished 14th in standard leagues with 154.4 points. So, Beckham is no longer a top wide receiver option in fantasy leagues. Fans should stop putting him alongside Mike Evans, Julio Jones, and Michael Thomas.
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9. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills
Earlier, I mentioned that Stefon Diggs’ arrival in Buffalo will lower John Brown’s fantasy value. However, the move could also alter Diggs’ projections. He’s Buffalo’s top receiving threat, but can Josh Allen realistically draw out his full potential? Even if Diggs sees drastically more than the 94 targets he got in Minnesota last year, don’t expect his fantasy value to rise.
In 2019, Diggs posted 149.1 standard league points (18th overall) and 212.1 PPR league points (24th overall), but some fantasy players believe he could crack the top-12 this year. That’s an unrealistic jump for a receiver joining the worst deep-ball passer in the NFL.
Diggs takes a hit by leaving a stable quarterback in Kirk Cousins for a questionable project in Allen. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) even pointed out Allen’s deep-ball issues earlier this offseason, ranking him 32nd on a list of the league’s best deep passers.
According to PFF’s Sam Monson, Allen went deep at the sixth-highest rate in the NFL, but “his adjusted completion rate was one of the worst figures in all of football, and he had the highest rate of uncatchable, inaccurate passes on those targets.”
Bottom line, stop pushing Diggs up fantasy boards. He didn’t raise his value much this offseason and should still fit as a WR3 or low tier WR2 in most leagues.