# Mike Fanelli: Fanelli names eight fantasy football busts to avoid drafting in 2026, arguing each will not return value at his current average draft position: Christian McCaffrey, De'Von Achane, Justin Jefferson, Bucky Irving, Jameson Williams, Harold Fannin Jr., Courtland Sutton and Jake Ferguson.

**Claimed:** Aug 29, 2026
**Pundit:** Mike Fanelli — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/mike-fanelli
**Outlet:** FantasyPros — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/fantasypros
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.fantasypros.com/2026/08/8-fantasy-football-busts-to-avoid-2026/

8 checkable claims — 8 fantasy bust calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

It names 16 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.

> Therefore, let’s look at eight fantasy football busts to avoid drafting.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Courtland Sutton to fall short of his draft cost (ADP: 76.6 (WR33))**
  - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Bucky Irving to fall short of his draft cost (ADP: 45.8 (RB20))**
  - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Harold Fannin Jr. to fall short of his draft cost (ADP: 70.2 (TE5))**
  - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Justin Jefferson to fall short of his draft cost (ADP: 11.8 (WR6))**
  - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Jake Ferguson to fall short of his draft cost (ADP: 112.4 (TE12))**
  - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **De'Von Achane to fall short of his draft cost (ADP: 10.8 (RB6))**
  - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Jameson Williams to fall short of his draft cost (ADP: 57.2 (WR26))**
  - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Christian McCaffrey to fall short of his draft cost (ADP: 5.8 (RB3))**
  - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Courtland Sutton — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/courtland-sutton
- Denver Broncos — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/broncos
- Bucky Irving — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/bucky-irving
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/buccaneers
- Harold Fannin Jr. — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/harold-fannin-jr
- Cleveland Browns — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/browns
- Justin Jefferson — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/justin-jefferson
- Minnesota Vikings — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/vikings
- Jake Ferguson — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jake-ferguson
- Dallas Cowboys — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/cowboys
- De'Von Achane — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/de-von-achane
- Miami Dolphins — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/dolphins
- Jameson Williams — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jameson-williams
- Detroit Lions — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/lions
- Christian McCaffrey — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/christian-mccaffrey
- San Francisco 49ers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/49ers

## What others said about the same people

- Connor Rogers on Dallas Cowboys: Rogers made his own Week 2 calls, taking the Packers, Eagles (by at least 10), Panthers (by at least a field goal), Cowboys (by at least six), Chargers, Chiefs and Rams to win. He also noted Baltimore was his Super Bowl pick and said it wouldn't shock him if Jacksonville hosted the AFC Championship Game. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0c2a0048-cb74-4da9-8ef4-695cc6571cdf (scored 100)
- Chris Simms on San Francisco 49ers: Simms went through every Week 2 game with predicted final scores, picking the Texans, Bears, Steelers (as an upset), Packers, Ravens, Eagles, Buccaneers, Panthers, Jaguars, Seahawks, Cowboys, 49ers, Chargers, Chiefs and Rams to win. He also reiterated that Denver was his preseason Super Bowl pick while predicting the Broncos would fall to 0-2. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/32db5f5e-13da-47e3-b280-2aa9a80d172b (scored 80.95)
- Mary Kay Cabot on Za'Darius Smith: Cabot reported that Za'Darius Smith is expected to sign with the Browns, possibly as early as Sunday, after working out for the team. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3eb50e55-cb33-43c3-a427-d47904beb7bb (scored 0)
- Chris Simms on Minnesota Vikings: Simms went through the entire Week 3 slate with straight-up winners and predicted final scores, taking Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle, the Giants, Baltimore, New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia. He also expected Zay Flowers and Puka Nacua to sit, Kyler Murray to play, and said Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as no better than a good No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/662b7ba3-1bf6-4ad0-9f93-9f2ab83143fd (scored 90.48)
- Connor Rogers on Detroit Lions: Rogers picked Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle and the Giants to win their Week 3 games, saying the Chiefs win by two touchdowns and the Giants by a field goal. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/83d1e88b-95a0-45ba-83d3-f86297170c6c (scored 100)
- Chris Long on Detroit Lions: Long liked the Rams over the Broncos on Sunday night even without Puka Nacua, and expected the Bills to beat the winless Chargers in Buffalo. He also backed the Bengals over the Steelers, expected an angry Detroit team to handle the Jets, and still thought both the Lions and Vikings could win the NFC North. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3df9ea25-e57f-4fd7-b20c-c910a1c3633a (scored 100)

## More fantasy bust calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Ryan Wormeli on Zay Flowers: Host Ryan Warmley endorsed Ricky Pearsall as a bet worth making and put his rookie-receiver capital in Tetairoa McMillan, while fading Zay Flowers at his cost and opting out of Marvin Harrison Jr. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/192d6e67-2e0e-49b3-bc82-4c8a77bd5950 (scored 0)
- Derek Brown on Zay Flowers: Derek Brown ("Debro") laid out a slate of wide receiver breakouts — Ricky Pearsall, Jalen Coker, Egbuka, Jalen Waddle, Joshua Palmer, George Pickens, DeVonta Smith and Travis Hunter — while fading Xavier Worthy, Tyreek Hill and the cheap Cleveland/late-round types, and gave his own rankings well ahead of ADP for several of them. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/effe2fda-3dcb-489f-a1e1-f8fa5b11ada7 (scored 0)
- Chris Welsh on Austin Ekeler: Welsh drafted Christian McCaffrey, Breece Hall, RJ Harvey, Tetairoa McMillan, Travis Hunter, the Rams and Saints receivers, Justin Fields (a top-10 QB), Drake Maye (QB10-14), Travis Kelce and Tyler Warren, while passing on Joe Mixon, the Commanders backfield, Tyreek Hill, Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/9f0f2132-f3b8-4813-b2b1-374b827d86a8 (scored 100)
- Joe Pisapia on Rashee Rice: Joey P (Joe Pisapia) played draft-or-pass on 2025 fantasy values: he passed on Christian McCaffrey at pick 7, Breece Hall, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Travis Hunter and Chris Olave, while drafting RJ Harvey, Tyreek Hill, Tetairoa McMillan, Puka Nacua, Tyler Warren and a late-round Joe Mixon. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c3c95c1c-64a4-42b6-9389-58d5fb5b27d1 (scored 0)
- Pat Fitzmaurice on Breece Hall: Pat Fitzmaurice gave draft-or-pass calls: reluctant drafts on Christian McCaffrey, RJ Harvey, Tetairoa McMillan (his WR16), Rashee Rice at a ninth-round price, Austin Ekeler, Chris Rodriguez, Chris Olave, Drake Maye (his QB8) and Tyler Warren, with passes on Breece Hall, Joe Mixon, Croskey-Merritt, Tyreek Hill, Travis Hunter, the Rams receivers and Justin Fields. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/e36f1287-466c-4889-a7ea-c9d86f4b5182 (scored 0)
- Derek Brown on Chuba Hubbard: Derek Brown ("Deebro") names three busts to avoid in 2025 fantasy drafts: Kyren Williams at an RB1 price, Chuba Hubbard as a top-20 RB, and Xavier Worthy as his ultimate bust, arguing Rashee Rice is the clear No. 1 receiver in Kansas City. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/9cc5c06e-e0c5-45bd-8b93-fa089f8673a8 (scored 100)

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Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages.

Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology

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