Fantasy Football Quarterback Busts to Avoid in 2025: Patrick Mahomes Leads List

Michael Fabiano | Aug 13, 2025

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has failed to score more than 283.02 fantasy points in each of the last two seasons. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Quarterback busts can often be hard to find. It’s not because every signal-caller meets his statistical expectations, because we obviously know that’s not true (although how great would that be?). It’s more because in this day and age, there’s really only a handful of quarterbacks who are drafted highly enough to be labeled a true fantasy football bust.

Let me give you an example.

Last year, Kirk Cousins posted one of the worst seasons of his career and lost his starting job to Michael Penix Jr. But considering his average draft position (ADP) was 142.6, was he really a bust? I mean, he cost you a 12th-round pick. Maybe I’m showing a bit of my fantasy OCD, but I can’t call a player who cost you such minimum draft capital a true bust.

I’ll tell you who was a bust at quarterback in 2025. Patrick Mahomes (ADP – 33.0), C.J. Stroud (ADP – 50.5) and Anthony Richardson (ADP – 53.0) all fit the bill. Each cost you a pick in the top six rounds and failed to meet statistical expectations.

Based on these parameters, I’m going to give you some quarterbacks who might not be complete busts, but could fail to meet expectations based on his current ADP data. So, let’s call them quarterbacks you should beware or who could fail to meet expectations.

All Busts: RBs | WRs | TEs

2025 Fantasy Football QB Busts to Avoid Drafting

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs: Mahomes has posted two straight mediocre seasons based on his previously elite level of production, but he’s still coming off the board (on average) in the fifth round of 2025 drafts. I think that’s too high, especially when quarterbacks like Kyler Murray, Brock Purdy and countless others are coming off the board outside the top 80. Unless you believe a huge resurgence is coming, Mahomes isn’t worth his ADP.

Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers: Mayfield was awesome last year, ranking fourth in fantasy points on the strength of his 4,500 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes. His 365.8 points was 91.7 more than his previous career best, so this was truly what I like to call his “magical season.” The question is … can he do it again? Well, former offensive coordinator Liam Coen is gone and Chris Godwin is a question mark for the start of the season, so it wouldn’t come as a shock if Mayfield regressed and wasn’t worth his ADP of 63.0.

Bo Nix, Broncos: Nix quietly had one of the best seasons ever among rookie quarterbacks, as he scored 317.2 fantasy points in his 17 starts. While nothing on the surface suggests regression, the same held true of Stroud last season. Sometimes, things go wrong and players experience the dreaded sophomore slump. So, because I’m not brave enough to predict any sort of Jayden Daniels regression, I’ll put Nix in this category of players who could disappoint.

Sam Darnold, Seahawks: Listing Darnold here goes against what I said at the top, but I do think he’s worth mentioning because of how good he was last season in Minnesota. In fact, only eight quarterbacks had more points than him during a breakout 2024 campaign. But I think that had a lot to do with the Vikings offensive system and the surrounding talent, all of which he doesn’t have in Seattle. So, for those newbies who might see what Darnold did last season and believe he has some high-end value, well, I’m here to save your draft pick.