2025 Fantasy Football Busts: Consider Avoiding Tyreek Hill, Chris Olave
There are very few absolutes in life. The same can be said for fantasy football.
I don't love advising fantasy managers to avoid certain players at all costs. If a player falls based on his expected ADP, then even projected busts could become bargains.
Having said that, there are still a handful of players this season that I believe fantasy managers should think twice about drafting -- at least based on their current Fantasy Pros rankings.
Let's take a look at those five players:
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Readers who follow my work know I'm not the biggest fan of targeting rookies early in redraft leagues. Doing that comes with great reward but also tremendous risk. I prefer safer options with my first couple selections.
Therefore, Jeanty makes my list based mostly on the fact he's never played an NFL down, and it will take a second-round pick to draft him. Fantasy Pros has Jeanty rated the No. 4 running back and No. 13 overall player for PPR redraft formats.
I would have to already have my RB1 and WR1 solidified for myself to feel comfortable drafting a rookie running back this year.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
Not much went right for Hill last season. He played through a wrist injury and without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for six games. That resulted in Hill posting his lowest yards per reception average in four years and his first non-1,000-yard season since 2019.
After Week 18, Hill's outburst in front of the media appeared to signal the end of his tenure with the Dolphins. However, he appears to have "made up" with the franchise.
Can be bounce back to form with a healthy 2025 season, especially should Tagovailoa be healthy too?
It's certainly possible, but Hill is 31 years old, and speed is largely considered his best trait. That doesn't bode well for a bounceback.
As a low-end WR2, Hill could be a great fantasy asset. But I wouldn't target him before the fourth round.
Fantasy Pros ranked him the No. 26 overall player and No. 15 receiver in PPR leagues.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers
Jacobs has this odd pattern of not producing back-to-back great seasons. That should have fans worried, as Jacobs had 1,329 rushing yards and 1,671 yards from scrimmage last season.
The veteran back also scored a career-high 16 total touchdowns.
Those touchdowns and his volume were the keys to Jacobs' success in Green Bay last season. If the volume is there again, then a repeat of last season is possible.
But 16 touchdowns is going to be hard to replicate, and just two years ago, Jacobs ran for only 3.5 yards per carry. That average is definitely an outlier on Jacobs' career resume, but it wouldn't be surprising if the Packers running back wasn't as efficient this fall as he was in 2024 when he averaged 4.4 yards per rush.
Fantasy Pros rated Jacobs a low-end RB1 in 12-team formats and No. 32 overall in PPR leagues. I'd feel better with him as my RB2.
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Incredibly, Evans extended his 1,000-yard seasons streak to 11 with a late reception during Week 18 last season. Evans has averaged 85 catches, 1,284 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns per 17 games in his NFL career.
Over the past two seasons, Evans has scored 24 touchdowns in 31 games and tallied 2,259 receiving yards while averaging 14.8 yards per catch.
But Evans will turn 32 years old before the 2025 regular season, and his run as one of the best fantasy assets at receiver has to end sometime.
The Buccaneers have also continued to accumulate a ton of offensive talent. They drafted Emeka Egbuka in the first round and re-signed Chris Godwin.
So, it wouldn't be shocking if Evans' run of 1,000-yard seasons ended in 2025. For that reason, he might be best suited as a low-end WR2 to begin the season.
Fantasy Pros has Evans rated as the No. 16 receiver in PPR leagues.
Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
Olave makes this list because of factors not completely within his control.
The Saints receiver, who turns 25 on June 27, is arguably in the worst quarterback situation across the league. That makes it very hard to trust Olave this season.
The receiver has also dealt with numerous concussions throughout his career. In 2024, he missed the final nine games of the season because of the fourth concussion of his NFL career and fifth since the start of college.
Olave is an injury risk entering 2025, which is far from ideal because even if fantasy managers are willing to take the risk, they aren't really doing it for a high-upside receiver because of the Saints quarterback situation.
Fantasy Pros has Olave rated as the No. 26 receiver in PPR redraft leagues. In a perfect world, I wouldn't grab him until my starting lineup was completely filled at running back, wide receiver and FLEX.
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