2014 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Busts

It's a sad day at the FFChamps.com Headquarters when two of our favorite receivers over the last 10-15 season makes the Bust List. Nonetheless we have to call a Spade a  Spade and for that reason Andre Johnson and Reggie Wayne find themselves in the article. We also tell you some other veteran receivers to stay away from plus two rookies on our DO NOT DRAFT LIST.

Andre Johnson, Houston Texans: If you play in Non-PPR leagues, Johnson is practically useless. He just doesn’t get in the end zone and has never, we repeat, NEVER had a season with double digit TDs. At age 33 we don’t expect Johnson to completely drop-off, in fact we still project him to finish with over 85 catches, but again in Non-PPR leagues, those receptions are worthless. Remember Commandment Number 1: Know They Scoring System. 

Percy Harvin, Seattle Seahawks: Other than a few snaps in the closing weeks of the regular season and some spectacular plays in the Super Bowl, we never really got to see Percy's true playmaking ability in a Seattle uniform. Without a doubt, he's Russell Wilson's top target but Harvin has to stay healthy, something he’s NEVER done in his 5 year career. Something else Harvin has NEVER done…surpass 1,000 yards. It’s hard to believe a player with his reputation isn’t even a 1,000 yard receiver, nonetheless it’s true. 

Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles: If he can come back from last year's ACL tear and stay healthy in 2014, Maclin would finally be able to live up to his potential, especially in Chip Kelly's Offense. With DeSean Jackson off the squad, Maclin is now the Number 1 in Philly's Offense…but a brief injury scare in the team’s 3rd preseason game just reminded us how injury prone Maclin truly is. Like Percy, Maclin has NEVER surpassed 1,000 yards. If you draft him as your WR3 that’s fine, but there’s absolutely no need to reach for him or feel confident if he’s your Number 2. Oh and by the way, Maclin has the 2nd hardest schedule for Wide Receivers based on 2013’s defensive points allowed.

Cecil Shorts, Jacksonville Jaguars: A talented receiver on a team with a poor QB, Shorts is unfortunately capped out by Chad Henne or rookie Blake Bortles. The Jags drafted two wide receivers in the 2nd round this year and Coach Gus Bradley wants to get them on the field which shouldn’t be difficult because Shorts is often injured. In fact, he’s missed 3/4 of Training Camp because of a hamstring strain. A similar injury kept him out of 3 games in 2013. His 7 TD and nearly 1,000 yard season from 2012 seems like his peak, all down-hill from here.

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The 2nd wide receiver taken in the 2014 draft, Evans is a big, tall, and strong athlete, just like Josh Mccown had in Chicago with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey. He's a bit raw in his route running but physicality will make up for it. That being said, Rookie WRs tend to struggle, hell even Calvin Johnson had less than 50 catches and only 4 TDs as a rookie, and he’s MEGATRON. There are some rookie WRs we like (Watkins, Cooks, Benjamin, Matthews) but want our members to pump the breaks on Evans for 2014. 

Odell Beckham Jr, New York Giants: The Giants wanted to add some playmakers to their "broken" Offense via the draft and did just that by selecting the former LSU star with the Number 12 overall pick. He's quick, elusive, and can jump through the roof, but he has ZERO reps with the Giants 1st team Offense this summer thanks to a nagging hamstring injury that dates back to Mini-Camp. Beckham may have been the 3rd WR off the board in the 2014 NFL Draft, but he shouldn’t even be drafted in your 2014 Fantasy Re-Draft League. 

Danny Amendola, New England Patriots: Expected to replace Wes Welker as Tom Brady's most reliable target in 2013, Amendola ended up with a groin injury early in the season which put a serious cap on his fantasy production. Amendola is quickly joining the likes of Darren McFadden as a player that can't be trusted due to his fragility. The last time he played a full 16 games season was in 2010, since then he's played in 1 game in 2011, 11 games in 2012, and 12 games in 2013.  

Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts: It really stings to put Wayne on our 2014 WR Bust list. He’s been one of our favorite (and most productive) fantasy receivers over the last 10 years. But father time is catching up to the veteran pass catcher. An ACL tear forced him to miss half the season which was the 1st time he’s missed a game since his rookie year in 2001. Wayne’s a player who consistently had close to double digit TDs, but he hasn’t found the end-zone more than 6 times in any of the last four seasons. He’s 35 years old now and still the Colts best route runner, but with so many other weapons on the roster, Wayne will be pressed for targets from Andrew Luck.

Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs: He entered camp 10 pounds lighter than last year, which is good news since Bowe looked slow in 2013 but a busted finger and a suspension to start the year is just the beginning of why we are labeling him a bust this year. How’s this for some alarming stats: Back-to-Back years with less than 60 receptions. Back-to-back years with less than 6 TDs. Back-to-Back years with less than 825 receiving yards. He was a monster in 2010 with 15 TDs, but you know what…that was 5 freaking years ago!!!