The biggest fantasy football draft busts by year (since 2010) (2024)

ADP: 26.8

Season Stats: 15 games, 185 carries, 766 yards, 2 TD, 16 catches, 120 receiving yards, 3 fumbles

Fantasy Stats: 112.6 total points, 7.5 points per game

The third member of the Jets on this list. Do yourself a favor and just avoid selecting anyone from Gang Green until at least the fourth round — which managers in 2010 nearly did with Shonn Greene but couldn’t get all the way there.

ADP: 26.2

Season Stats: 12 games, 184 carries, 707 yards, 1 touchdown, 39 catches, 252 receiving yards, 2 fumbles

Fantasy Stats: 109.7 total points, 11.0 points per game

The Madden Curse hit Hillis as hard as anyone. A year after averaging 18.4 points in a breakout campaign, Hillis fought through injuries, illness and inconsistency on the field and was never the same.

ADP: 19.9

Season Stats: 12 games, 184 carries, 707 yards, 1 touchdown, 39 catches, 252 receiving yards, 2 fumbles

Fantasy Stats: 136.9 total points, 11.4 points per game

Mathews never fully lived up to the fantasy hype with just two seasons of 1,000+ yards. His 2012 campaign was sandwiched between those and the single touchdown scored didn’t help his managers at all.

ADP: 9.3

Season Stats: 16 games, 188 carries, 563 yards, 3 touchdowns, 35 catches, 316 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 2 fumbles

Fantasy Stats: 144.9 total points, 9.1 points per game

You just knew it was a matter of time before Richardson showed up on this list. Here it is. His sophom*ore season in the league after averaging 17 points per game as a rookie.

ADP: 19.2

Season Stats: 11 games, 135 carries, 494 yards, 2 touchdowns, 13 catches, 64 receiving yards

Fantasy Stats: 80.8 total points, 7.3 points per game

The worst fantasy season on this list so far. Martin scored more than 11 points in a game just once. He scored fewer than five points in four different games.

ADP: 4.0

Season Stats: 15 games, 187 carries, 758 yards, 3 touchdowns, 20 catches, 188 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns, 4 fumbles

Fantasy Stats: 140.6 total points, 9.4 points per game

Lacy began his NFL career with back-to-back seasons over 1,100 yards and at least nine touchdowns. Then everything fell apart and he was out of the league by 2017.

ADP: 13.0

Season Stats: 15 games, 59 catches, 788 yards, 3 touchdowns,

Fantasy Stats: 155.8 total points, 10.4 points per game

Three touchdowns. In 15 games. In case you’re wondering why so many managers were happy to pick Marshall this early, it probably has to do with the career-high 14 touchdowns he caught in 2016.

ADP: 11.4

Season Stats: 15 games, 53 catches, 482 yards, 6 touchdowns

Fantasy Stats: 137.2 total points, 9.1 points per game

Sure, an injury to Aaron Rodgers this season hurt Nelson’s production, but the veteran wideout didn’t do himself or fantasy managers any favors. After averaging 19.75 points per game over the previous two seasons, Nelson’s scoring dropped into single digits for the first time since 2010. The Packers released him after the season.

ADP: 29.8

Season Stats: 14 games, 161 carries, 514 yards, 3 touchdowns, 34 catches, 238 receiving yards,

Fantasy Stats: 127.2 total points, 9.7 points per game

Shady’s final season in Buffalo was tough for fantasy managers as he rushed for less than 800 yards for the first time in eight years. He scored single digit points in half of his games played and went over double digits in back-to-back weeks only once. A brutally frustrating season for managers who thought drafting him in the third round would be a steal.

ADP: 8.8

Season Stats: 15 games, 245 carries, 789 yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, 66 catches, 461 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown, 1 fumble

Fantasy Stats: 215 total points, 14.3 points per game

Bell’s return after sitting out the 2018 season due to a contract dispute was anything but triumphant. The former Pittsburgh tailback signed a four-year, $52.5 million contract with the Jets and was released by October 2020.

ADP: 11.5

Season Stats: 10 games, 116 carries, 530 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 54 receptions, 403 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns, 1 fumble

Fantasy Stats: 165.3 total points, 16.5 points per game

Ekeler signed a four-year $24.5 million contract extension with the Chargers in March 2020 and turned in easily his worst season as a starter right after — though it’s hard to hold the 2020 season against anyone given the pandemic.

ADP: 16.7

Season Stats: 10 Games, 42 receptions, 572 yards, 8 touchdowns,

Fantasy Stats: 147.2 total points, 14.7 points per game

Career lows in receptions and yards made this a year to forget for anyone who had Hopkins on their roster. The wideout missed three weeks after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 8, then tore his MCL in Week 14 — right before the fantasy playoffs — to end his year.

ADP: 1.4

Season Stats:11 games, 192 carries, 861 yards rushing, 4 rushing touchdowns, 3 Fumbles, 28 catches, 143 receiving yards

Fantasy Stats: 146.4 total points, 13.3 points per game

Taylor was an extremely common No. 1 pick in all formats in 2022 after posting 21.9 points per game a year earlier. He didn’t get anywhere close to those numbers thanks to an injured ankle and overall horrid play by the Indianapolis Colts that made him hard to rely on.

ADP: 3.8

Season Stats:14 games, 179 carries, 628 yards rushing, 5 rushing touchdowns, 5 Fumbles, 51 catches, 436 receiving yards, 1 recieving touchdown

Fantasy Stats: 185.4 total points, 13.2 points per game

Ekeler makes this list for the second time. And it’s much worse than his first. Whatever benefit of the doubt he got during the pandemic-impacted 2020 campaign doesn’t quite carry over after the ankle injury he suffered in Week 1. He didn’t play again until Week 5 thanks to an early Week 4 bye for the Chargers.

Ekeler was ranked the No. 2 tailback on the board and never really got going and, wow, was it frustrating. He had five games with more than 20 fantasy points, but another six games with fewer than 10 points. You couldn’t drop him or depend on him. Just a brutal fantasy season.