Bills receiver Sammy Watkins might not live up to the lofty expectations placed on him in 2015. (Getty)
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As the NFL becomes a pass-happy league, the wide receiver is becoming a more integral part of the fantasy football landscape.
Most fantasy leagues lineups use 3 receivers and they are vitally important in PPR (points per reception) leagues.
Alas, there is only one football.
So what perennial studs could find less footballs in their hands on game day this fall? They aren’t always easy to spot, but a few factors usually come into play.
Is a player getting older and/or is injury-prone? Does he have a less-than-desirable quarterback situation? Did he move to a new team in the offseason not known for throwing the ball? Is there an emerging star on his team ready to step up and get the lion’s share of the targets? If you can answer “yes” to those, you might have a bust on your hands.
Bookmark our fantasy football rankings 2015 page to keep up-to-date on the latest projections and rankings heading into the season.
Keep reading to find out who some of the potential busts at the wide receiver position for 2015 will be:
1. Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills
Matt Cassel, EJ Manuel and Tyrod Taylor are the 3 options to start at quarterback for the Bills. Actually, it’s probably down to Cassel and Taylor. Not exactly Joe Montana and Steve Young. Not even Kyle Orton, the starter for most of 2014. But it’s deeper than that. The Bills’ new coach is Rex “Ground and Pound” Ryan and the team acquired stud running back LeSean McCoy. I’m not saying that’s what the Bills are going to do, but, well, they probably are. Watkins, who caught 65 passes for 982 yards and 6 touchdowns as a rookie in 2014, might regress a tick or two in Year 2. Is he going to make a few long TD grabs with that blazing speed? Of course, but the QB situation is a kind of a mess and it’s not going to be a consistent occurrence. Don’t overpay for Watkins.
2. DeSean Jackson, Washington Redskins
Sometime over the summer Jackson called himself “unstoppable.” Then recently his quarterback, Robert Griffin III, said he was the NFL’s top QB. Um, right. Well, now RGIII is hurt, and Jackson is nursing a shoulder injury. Regardless who is under center — Griffin, Kirk Cousins, Joe Theismann — DeSean only knows how to catch DeBombs. He’s a deep-play threat who has only caught over 62 passes in a year once in his 7 seasons. Jackson is certainly not a player to target in PPR (points per reception) leagues and he just doesn’t score enough TDs to warrant the draft spot he’ll go in.
3. Mike Wallace, Minnesota Vikings
Like Jackson, Wallace’s game is the deep ball. Unfortunately, that isn’t Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s forte. That was the knock on him coming out of college, but Bridgewater did improve on those deep throws in his rookie season. Still, Wallace is a one-trick pony, though he does average 8 TDs per season over his first 6. Far from a PPR stud, Wallace is going to need some serious accuracy from his second-year QB if he’s going to be anything more than a No. 3 WR for your team.
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4. Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jackson produced his 4th-straight 1,000-yard season in 2014, but finished with just 2 TDs. At 32, time is not on his side, yet he can still produce. Unfortunately, Mike Evans has emerged as the Bucs’ biggest end zone threat, garnering 19 looks. That was with Mike Glennon and Josh McCown at quarterback. This year, it’s rookie Jameis Winston, who will no doubt be looking to build a rapport with the 2nd-year Evans. With young tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins also healthy again, Jackson is likely going to take a back seat in 2015.
5. Jeremy Maclin, Kansas City Chiefs
85 receptions, 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those were Maclin’s 2014 numbers. Awesome. That ain’t happening now that he’s in Kansas City with Alex “Let’s Play it Safe, Fellas” Smith as his quarterback. OK, that’s not a real nickname, but you get the point — Smith is a game manager who attempted just 464 passes in 2014, 156 less than the Philly QBs (620). In his final 3 seasons as the No. 1 receiver with the Chiefs, Dwayne Bowe caught 57, 59 and 60 passes. Ugh. And with the rest of the KC receiving corps blah at best, Maclin is going to get a lot of attention from opposing secondaries. Temper your Maclin expectations.
The Next 5
Dwayne Bowe, Cleveland Browns — Can he even be considered a bust anymore?
Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders — Expectations for the rookie are way too high
Victor Cruz, New York Giants — 2 concerns: Injuries and Odell Beckham Jr.
Eric Decker, New York Jets — The Jets are going to feed Brandon Marshall a ton
Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions — Megatron is beginning to break down and QB Matt Stafford’s accuracy isn’t there
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