Fantasy Football Busts To Avoid: Justin Herbert Will Let You Down, But Josh Jacobs Is Downright Scary Now

You should be avoiding these busts in your drafts this season.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) throws against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Fantasy owners are always looking for value and to avoid the dreaded busts. A bust is a player who fails to live up to their draft cost, not necessarily just a terrible player or a player who has an awful year. These are busts to avoid for the 2026 fantasy football season.

Busts

QB Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

I have watched Justin Herbert be selected as high as the QB4 in drafts this season. It's also common to see him being drafted as the QB5 or QB6. Every season we see this with Herbert, and year after year he disappoints. Not only does he always fall short of his expectations for the season, but he has a tendency to choke when you need him most, much as he has done for the Chargers.

Not once has he thrown for 4,000 yards since 2022, with his highest total being 3,870 yards in 2024, and he hasn't thrown for more than 26 touchdowns since 2021. Fantasy owners are buying into the fact that Mike McDaniel is his new offensive coordinator. McDaniel having success with Tua Tagovailoa and Herbert being physically superior does not equate to automatic success with a massive uptick in statistics for Herbert.

Los Angeles has been built to run the ball and play tough defense by a head coach who loves to run the ball. Let's not forget, McDaniel also prefers to run the ball as well. Herbert is not going to see a significant spike in volume this season.

The Chargers have consistently invested in running backs, offensive line, and defense during Jim Harbaugh's time with the team. They have made it clear what their plan is on offense, and the hopes of fantasy owners aren't going to change that.

RB Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers

We have been out on Jacobs all offseason for football reasons, so we are certainly fully out now with all the off-field issues. At 28 years old, he has a lot of wear and tear on his body, and we saw it take a toll on him last season. Not only did he miss two games with injury, but we also saw his efficiency drop as he averaged just yards per carry, dropping from 4.4 to 4.0.

His being officially charged with two misdemeanors yesterday doesn't really impact our view of Jacobs all that much, but it certainly doesn't help. The NFL waits until the court process plays out before they hand out suspensions. However, the fact that there is a video of the alleged incident floating around out there is terrifying for fantasy owners.

WR Nico Collins, Houston Texans

Jayden Higgins suffering a season-ending injury has spiked the ADP of Collins. He is now being selected as the WR9 overall according to his current ADP. That bump up draft boards has made him more expensive than we are willing to pay.

The loss of Higgins does not warrant the climb. Houston also traded for Kayshon Boutte and signed both Zay Flowers and Sterling Shepard since the injury.

Health has also been a concern with Collins. Not once in his career has he been able to complete a full season. Combine that with CJ Stroud, who we believe is terrible, and there is just too much risk to draft Collins at his new increased price.

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