WRs Who Will Be Busts in Fantasy Football Leagues

Now it’s time to take a look at our fantasy football wide receiver busts for the 2011 season. You don’t have to avoid every guy on this list come draft day, just go into your draft with your eyes wide open.

Dwayne Bowe, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

2010 Stats: 72 receptions, 1,162 receiving yards, 15 total touchdowns

 Bowe was a man among schoolboys during his incredible seven-game fantasy frenzy midway through the 2010 season. The scoring spree produced 49 catches, 732 yards and a mind-bending 13 touchdowns.

To put it in perspective, Bowe’s seven-week production alone—148 fantasy points—would have put him one spot ahead of Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald, who finished with 147 points (No. 14 overall) in standard scoring for the season.

Unfortunately, his unexpected, unsustainable run of dominance was book-ended by four- and five-game blocks of nothingness. In those other nine games, Bowe totaled just 23 catches for 429 yards and two scores. His roller coaster season was punctuated by a zero-target disaster against the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs.

Fantasy owners considering Bowe on draft day should not bet on lightning striking twice—we probably saw his ceiling in 2010.  The Kansas City Chiefs made offseason moves to counter the double and triple teams that plagued Bowe down the stretch.

In April, they drafted Pitt’s Jonathan Baldwin at No. 26 overall and recently signed former Arizona Cardinals wideout Steve Breaston through free agency.

While the new faces should loosen things up for Bowe, they will also cost him targets. It’s also important to keep in mind that the Chiefs set a franchise record last season with 32 passing touchdowns (15 to Bowe), something that won’t be easy to repeat.

The team finished with a 10-6 record and won the AFC West Division, which means their 2011 schedule is significantly tougher.  Bowe is too talented to bust outright, however fantasy owners are better off targeting him as a WR2 than a WR1.

Michael Crabtree, WR, San Francisco 49ers

2010 Stats: 55 receptions, 741 receiving yards, six total touchdowns

Make it three straight training camp absences for San Francisco wide receiver Michael Crabtree, whose most recent foot injury has put him in jeopardy of missing the team’s regular season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. It’s been one excuse after another for the former blue-chipper since the 49ers selected him at No. 10 overall in 2009 draft.

First there was the record-setting holdout, then nagging injuries, the unprecedented diva clause, poor quarterbacking, a lousy offensive coordinator and a head coach who didn’t like him. His supporters paint Crabtree as a victim of circumstance or bad luck, exempt from responsibility for his professional shortcomings.

The time has come to stop tiptoeing around the truth, folks: Crabtree just isn’t that good. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that his college success at Texas Tech was more a product of scheme than ability.

The 6’1”, 214-pound Crabtree has never had great size or speed—typical topflight NFL receivers have at least one of the two. What’s worse, his undisciplined work ethic and deplorable attitude have curtailed his chances of ever breaking through.

The numbers don’t lie. In 27 career games, Crabtree’s averaged just 50.5 yards and a touchdown every three games. He’s only topped 81 yards twice! Take out your red Sharpie and draw a line through Crabtree’s name—he’s a surefire bust.

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2011 BUSTS AND OVERVALUED:  QB  |  RB  |  WR

2011 SLEEPERS AND UNDERVALUED:  QB  |  RB  |  WR