The NFL has always been a league of change. Every season, new players break out, Pro Bowlers become average, and teams go from 11-5 to 5-11.
2020 will be no different.
In fantasy football, predicting the players who are going to break out is key to success. In the same breath, avoiding players who are going to have a “bust” season is essential, especially towards the top of your draft.
Here are three quarterbacks who are destined to be fantasy busts in 2020.
Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills
Ranked No. 7 on ESPN’s Fantasy Quarterback Rankings
Allen is coming off a 2019 season where he led the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs and a 10-6 record. The Bills acquired Stefon Diggs in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings this year, which should increase the number of big plays this offense makes.
However, Buffalo is built on defense and winning low-scoring games. Their schedule is tied for the fifth-most difficult based on their opponents’ 2019 records.
Allen has shown inconsistency in his two-year career when playing in big games, with a 7-8 record in games decided by less than a touchdown. He’s thrown 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in those games on 52 percent passing.
Deshaun Watson | Houston Texans
Ranked No. 5 on ESPN’s Fantasy Quarterback Rankings
Watson is still a starting quarterback in the fantasy football world. His resume speaks for itself as the 24-year-old has back-to-back fourth-place fantasy finishes.
The downside for selecting Watson high is the gaping hole at wide receiver after the Houston Texans traded All-Pro wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, to the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason. They replaced him with speedster Brandon Cooks, who is on his fourth team in seven seasons. The rest of his weapons are an often injured Will Fuller, an aging Randall Cobb, and an inconsistent tight end Darren Fells.
Watson will still put up good numbers because of the damage he does in the run game and is worth being a starting quarterback, but he won’t finish in the top-five, so only draft him if he falls outside the first five quarterbacks taken.
Aaron Rodgers | Green Bay Packers
Ranked No. 13 on ESPN’s Fantasy Quarterback Rankings
The 36-year-old Rodgers has regressed the past three seasons in every passing category and the Green Bay Packers have become a run-first team led by Aaron Jones. His ranking shows that he shouldn’t start in a 10 or 12 team league, but people will draft him as a starter based on name alone.
He hasn’t topped 26 touchdowns since 2016 and his passing efficiency has declined each season since. He’s also no longer a threat with his legs.
The Packers also failed to address the wide receiver position in what many deem the deepest wide receiver draft in NFL history. Beyond Davante Adams, the Packers don’t have much depth at the receiver position.
Rodgers is worthy of being rostered as a spot-starter when your starting quarterback has a bye or can be worth a start or two if he has an overwhelming advantage in a game against a porous defense.
