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 NFC West teams: the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.
The average draft position (ADP) used for this article comes from Underdog Fantasy.
- AFC Busts & League Winners: East | North | South | West
- NFC Busts & League Winners: East | North | South
- Snake Draft Pick Strategy: Early | Middle | Late
- Expert Consensus Fantasy Football Draft Rankings
Fantasy Football Busts: NFC West
Kyler Murray (QB – ARI): ADP 148.9 | QB19
Unfortunately, Murray tore his ACL late last season. However, the quarterback was a fantasy star before getting hurt, averaging 20 fantasy points per game in his 10 healthy contests. He would have been the QB5 over a 17-game pace with that fantasy points per game average. Despite some holding out hope, the star quarterback won’t be ready for Week 1. More importantly, the Cardinals have no reason to rush Murray back on the field. Meanwhile, Arizona has one proven wide receiver after releasing DeAndre Hopkins this offseason. There is no reason why he should have an ADP inside the top 25 quarterbacks.
Tyler Higbee (TE – LAR): ADP 144.4 | TE15
The only thing appealing with Higbee is the lack of proven wide receivers on the Rams’ roster. However, the veteran was only the TE18 on a points per game last season, averaging only 6.8 half-point PPR fantasy points per contest. Furthermore, he was the TE10 without Cooper Kupp on the field but the TE16 with the superstar wide receiver healthy. More importantly, Higbee lacks the upside needed for spike weeks. Last year he scored under 12.5 fantasy points in all but one matchup. Sam LaPorta and Juwan Johnson have a later ADP than Higbee. Yet, both are much better options for fantasy players.
Deebo Samuel (WR – SF): ADP 33.9 | WR18
Samuel had a career year in 2021, averaging 18.8 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. However, he has never been an elite fantasy receiver outside of that year. More importantly, the veteran has missed nearly 25% of the games in his career because of various injuries. Meanwhile, Samuel’s fantasy production fell off a cliff after the team added Christian McCaffrey. The veteran was the WR10, averaging 12.9 fantasy points per game before McCaffrey’s arrival. By comparison, he was the WR59, averaging only nine fantasy points per game once the team added the superstar back. It’s crazy to see Samuel have an ADP inside the top 60 picks, let alone the top 36.
DK Metcalf (WR – SEA): ADP 28.2 | WR15
While fantasy players like to think Metcalf is Seattle’s No. 1 wide receiver, Tyler Lockett has been the better fantasy asset. The veteran averaged 12.2 half-point PPR fantasy points per game in 2022 and 12.8 in 2021. By comparison, Metcalf averaged 10.7 fantasy points per game last season and 12.2 the year before. Meanwhile, the Seahawks used a first-round pick on Jaxon Smith-Njigba, impacting the star wide receiver’s fantasy upside. More importantly, Metcalf scored over 15 fantasy points in only four games last season. Instead of drafting the former Ole Miss star at his ADP, wait three rounds and select Lockett.
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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.