With training camp officially underway, welcome back to fantasy football season. Now is the time to get brushed up on players’ average draft position (ADP).
In case you missed it, I wrote a four-bounce-back wide receivers article. With the good comes the bad. There are always players who underperform when you least expect it. Below are three wide receivers you should avoid based on ADP.
Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Busts
Luther Burden III (WR – CHI) | ECR: WR24/ADP: 49
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of optimism surrounding Luther Burden III and this entire Bears offense. He flashed elite upside, particularly in the second half of the season last year. My concern is that we haven’t seen enough to draft him as a WR2 in 2026.
With DJ Moore now in Buffalo, I’m not arguing that opportunity and volume share won’t increase; I think we should temper expectations.
During the big spike weeks from Week 14 on, Burden was off the charts. He averaged 3.64 yards per route run, commanded 27.3% of the first-read share and averaged 81 receiving yards per game, while ranking 16th among wide receivers in receptions, per the Fantasy Points Data Suite.
What’s getting lost in all the hype is that Rome Odunze was out with a foot injury for every one of these games. Burden’s current ADP already has Moore’s departure baked in, so you’re paying a premium for a boom-or-bust receiver.
Colston Loveland also broke out during the same stretch, including in the playoffs. From Week 17 through the Wild Card game, he scored over 20 PPR fantasy points per game. Sorry to remind you, Packers fans.
Burden’s numbers came back down to earth when Odunze returned for the playoffs. He combined for six catches and 66 yards across the two playoff games. Small sample size aside, it serves as another reminder that Burden’s late-season explosion came while Odunze was off the field.
Jameson Williams (WR – DET) | ECR: WR25/ADP: 51
The Lions’ offense is one you want exposure to in fantasy football for 2026. Drew Petzing left Arizona as the offensive coordinator, where they ranked first in pass rate over expectation. He now inherits a Detroit offense graded fifth by Pro Football Focus (PFF).
Despite finishing WR21 in PPR points per game, Jameson Williams remains too volatile to trust in lineups. Starting Williams is like staring at a volcano, wondering if he’s going to erupt.
Williams produced seven WR1 weekly finishes last season, including three weeks inside the top five at the position. However, in seven other games, he finished WR50 or worse.
Let’s not forget about Sam LaPorta, who missed the final eight games with a back injury, and Williams still found a way to go catchless in Week 12 last season.
Don’t overlook Isaac TeSlaa either, who shared snaps with Kalif Raymond last year. With Raymond now in Chicago, the second-year receiver is in line to see more work as the third wideout for Detroit.
Despite having a limited role, TeSlaa finished with more red-zone targets than DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, DJ Moore and Alec Pierce.
Alec Pierce (WR – IND) | ECR: WR32/ADP: 74
Alec Pierce’s new contract and the departure of Michael Pittman Jr. are the two main reasons his value spiked, and it’s understandable. Does that mean he will suddenly catapult to a high-end WR2 in fantasy? I have my doubts.
Pierce surged late and had a breakout season, leading the Colts with just over 1,000 receiving yards. He was a downfield monster, leading all wide receivers with a minimum of 50 targets with an absurd 19.4 aDOT (average depth of target).
However, Pierce’s reception total is bothersome. He finished with only 47 catches, just one more than Jonathan Taylor, and was fourth among Colts pass-catchers.
It’s hard to rely on steady volume when you have Tyler Warren and Taylor as the focal points of the offense. Josh Downs, who had more receptions than Pierce, is only getting better.
It’s quite possible we already witnessed Pierce’s ceiling. When looking at wide receivers in this range, Courtland Sutton has a safer floor; Parker Washington and Quentin Johnston offer the same risk at a lower price.
Pierce’s fantasy football ADP is reasonable; it’s just the options later that I prefer that make him an easy player to fade.
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