Thankfully, the 2025 fantasy football season is just around the corner. Each year, fantasy players want to construct their team with a proper mix of good-value players and upside sleepers while avoiding players with high bust potential. Here are notable players from the NFC West and their fantasy football outlook.
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Draft Busts: NFC West
Fantasy Football Bust Candidates
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (SEA): ADP 33.7 | WR14
Fantasy players should be comfortable drafting Smith-Njigba as the 14th wide receiver off the board, as he is the WR15 in my rankings. However, there are several players with a later ADP that fantasy players should draft over the former Ohio State star, including Alvin Kamara (37.8), Omarion Hampton (38.8), and Kenneth Walker III (40.3). Last year, Smith-Njigba replaced DK Metcalf as the Seahawks’ No. 1 wide receiver, ending the season as the WR9, averaging 14.9 PPR fantasy points per game.
However, he was the WR17 on a points-per-game basis among wide receivers with nine games played. Furthermore, Smith-Njigba was the WR20 on a points-per-game basis without the nine-game qualifier, averaging fewer fantasy points per outing than DeVonta Smith (15.3) and Stefon Diggs (15.2). Yet, the former Ohio State star was a heavily targeted player. He finished 12th in the NFL in targets (133), posting a 22.4% target share and a 23% target per route run rate last season.
Unfortunately, Smith-Njigba only had seven top-24 weekly finishes last year (43.8%). More importantly, the loss of Metcalf was negated by the addition of Cooper Kupp. Last season, Metcalf averaged 7.2 targets per game and a 21% target per route run rate. By comparison, Kupp averaged 8.1 targets per game and a 29% target per route run rate despite playing opposite Puka Nacua. Furthermore, there is a chance Sam Darnold turns back into a pumpkin after having success in 2024.
Jauan Jennings (SF): ADP 100.7 | WR45
The 49ers were decimated by injuries at the wide receiver position last season as Brandon Aiyuk suffered a significant knee injury, Ricky Pearsall missed the first six contests after getting shot during an attempted robbery, and Deebo Samuelmissed a couple of games. Therefore, Jennings had the perfect opportunity to have a career year, averaging 7.5 targets per outing. The veteran finished last season as the WR24, averaging 14 PPR fantasy points per game, 27.1% higher than any other San Francisco wide receiver.
By comparison, Jennings averaged 2.8 targets and 4.8 fantasy points per game over the first three years of his career, scoring double-digit fantasy points in only seven contests (15.6%). Furthermore, the veteran’s production was severely inflated by his Week 3 performance. Jennings had 46.5 fantasy points and three touchdowns, accounting for 22.1% of his fantasy points and half of his touchdowns for the season. He averaged 11.7 fantasy points per game in the other 14 contests last year.
More importantly, Jennings is dealing with a calf injury for the second time this offseason. Whether the veteran is truly hurt or using it as an excuse to sit out training camp over contract negotiations, Jennings hasn’t practiced since late July. Meanwhile, Pearsall has been a superstar during training camp and should be the 49ers’ No. 1 wide receiver to start the year. Fantasy players should pass on Jennings at his ADP and draft Marvin Mims Jr. 4.5 rounds later instead.
Jauan Jennings [Weeks 10-18]
+ 28.4 routes run per game
+ 25.1% target share (WR12)
+ 14.1 fantasy points per game (WR29)
ADP: WR39Marvin Mims [Weeks 10-18]
+ 12.4 routes run per game
+ 12.8% target share (WR76)
+ 14.4 fantasy points per game (WR28)
ADP: WR58 pic.twitter.com/6ELMbrO4VX— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) August 13, 2025
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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.
