Several factors go into building a winning best-ball team. One of those factors is identifying which players will let your team down and bust. Another is knowing which players have league-winning upside, especially in the later rounds. To help you build an elite best ball roster, I will identify the most likely bust candidate and potential league winner for every NFL team.
Today, I break down the AFC West teams: the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers.
The ADP used for this article comes from Underdog Fantasy.
- AFC Busts & League Winners: East | North | South
- Snake Draft Pick Strategy: Early | Middle | Late
- Expert Consensus Fantasy Football Draft Rankings
- Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Fantasy Football Busts: AFC West
Jerry Jeudy (WR – DEN): ADP 39.7 | WR20
While he will be Denver’s No. 1 wide receiver this season, Jeudy is a tad overpriced. The former Alabama star has struggled to stay healthy in his career. He was the WR21 last season, averaging 11.4 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. However, half of his touchdowns and 17.2% of his fantasy points came in the Week 14 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. By comparison, Jeudy would have been the WR27 last season without that performance. Furthermore, the veteran had only five games last year with over 13.3 fantasy points. While he will be a productive fantasy receiver, give me Drake London (ADP 42.9) and DJ Moore (46.9) over Jeudy.
Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC): ADP 83.7 | RB26
Kansas City’s backfield was a roller coaster for fantasy players last year. Clyde Edwards-Helaire started the season of fire but tailed off. Meanwhile, Jerick McKinnon was the highest-scoring Chiefs running back. However, Pacheco is the first one getting drafted this year. Pacheco was the RB35 as a rookie, averaging 7.6 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Some believe he will have a larger role in 2023. Yet, he had double-digit rushing attempts in over half the games last season. More importantly, it’s hard to trust Kansas City’s backfield after seeing what happened a year ago. Javonte Williams and James Cook have a lower ADP than Pacheco. I’ll draft both before the second-year man.
Austin Ekeler (RB – LAC): ADP 7.5 | RB2
Last year, Ekeler was the RB1, averaging 18.8 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. While the superstar running back won’t be a bust in the traditional sense, the veteran has some concerns this year. The former undrafted free agent had 107 receptions on 127 targets in 2022. Not only were both career highs for Ekeler, but he had the second-most receptions ever by a running back in a season. The Chargers added Quentin Johnston during the NFL Draft. More importantly, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams should be healthier this season. While Ekeler is still a fantasy superstar, I would draft Bijan Robinson (ADP 10.1) and CeeDee Lamb (10.7) ahead of the veteran running back.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.
