3 Wide Receiver Busts to Avoid (2026 Fantasy Football)

We’re still in the early stages of fantasy football draft season, but with several moves in NFL free agency, we can start monitoring early average draft position (ADP) value.

On this page, we’re going to take a look at FantasyPros’ expert consensus rankings (ECR) to find out which wide receivers you should avoid.

Find out why I’m fading Tetairoa McMillan, Davante Adams, and Zay Flowers.

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Busts

Each of these three wide receivers feels overpriced when you consider the risk involved with taking them. If you’re drafting now, I recommend passing on them, as their value can decrease as we get closer to the season.

Tetairoa McMillan (WR – CAR)

Tetairoa McMillan had a promising rookie season, catching 70 of his 122 targets for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns. As a touted prospect who went in the first round and delivered on expectations, there’s a lot to like here. McMillan is the clear-cut top target for the Panthers.

Why am I fading McMillan? It has to do with his price and his quarterback. Since the market is a big believer in McMillan’s talent, he’s going to be taken among the top 15 wideouts. As a potential alpha No. 1 WR for the Panthers, people are enamored by his potential volume. But considering what we’ve seen from Bryce Young, it feels like McMillan is too expensive.

Despite showing improvements last season, Young still only averaged 188.2 passing yards per game. This is a run-heavy offense with a game-manager at quarterback. Since most will project a second-year leap from McMillan, his price is going to rise to the point where I’m avoiding him. Simply put, I just don’t trust Young at quarterback.

Davante Adams (WR – LAR)

Davante Adams was quite productive in his first season with the Rams, especially in the red zone, as he scored 14 touchdowns. However, Adams averaged only 56.4 receiving yards per game, which was his lowest since 2015. As much as I like Adams as a player, we have to remember that Father Time is undefeated.

The future Hall of Famer is entering his age-34 season. As a fantasy player, my philosophy on veteran players is that I’d rather be too early than too late when fading them. That is, I don’t want to be caught holding the bag when Adams finally shows decline.

It’s also worth noting that the Rams have popped up in trade rumors for A.J. Brown. If that happens, it would do severe damage to Adams’ value, as he’d become the No. 3 target in this offense. With that in mind, there’s a legitimate chance that Adams’ price could decrease as we get closer to the season. If you’re drafting right now, I suggest avoiding him.

Zay Flowers (WR – BAL)

Zay Flowers put up a career-high 1,211 yards last year. But I’m betting against a repeat. For one, the Ravens had a bad defense in 2025. They were forced to air it out because their defense had them trailing in games. But make no mistake: This team wants to run the football.

With Jesse Minter, a stud defensive coach who comes from the Chargers, taking over as head coach, we can expect some improvements on defense, especially since they added EDGE rusher Trey Hendrickson. That means more low-scoring games and more opportunities for the Ravens to emphasize the run.

Then you have to consider the risk that the Ravens use their first-rounder on a wide receiver. With Rashod Bateman not showing much, Isaiah Likely moving on and Mark Andrews in decline, this team clearly can use another pass-catcher. If they take one of the first-round prospects, that would be bad for Flowers’ fantasy value. There’s already limited volume in this offense.