Injuries are an unfortunate reality in the NFL. However, even though they are expected it still stings when the best players on your fantasy football league team are hurt. Anybody that owns Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers can attest to that. Rodgers was on pace for an MVP caliber season before he suffered a broken collarbone in Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He joins Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson and New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as the biggest among many injuries that will have a significant impact in fantasy football leagues. Meanwhile, for as much as injury busts hurt there are still a handful of highly ranked players that also fall in to the bust category so far following slow starts. Fortunately for their owners, they still have time to turn things around. Here is a look at the biggest busts in fantasy football so far this season.
RB: Jay Ajayi, Miami Dolphins
Expectations were high for Ajayi after he recorded 1,423 total yards from scrimmage for the Dolphins last season. Miami’s offense is completely structured around a strong rushing attack and taking shots down field with play action. However, Ajayi has been a bust so far this season despite registering a respectable 414 yards from scrimmage. The biggest issue for Ajayi owners has been the lack of touchdowns as he still hasn’t found the end zone so far this season. Ajayi finished last season with eight touchdowns but he is still looking for his first score of the year heading in to Week 7. Fantasy football league owners need Ajayi to start finding the endzone if he is going to live up to the hype as a top-10 running back this season.
RB: LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills
McCoy got off to a terrific start when he recorded 159 total yards in a 21-12 win over the New York Jets in Buffalo’s season opener. However, McCoy has topped 100 total yards just once in four games since and he is still looking for his first touchdown of the season. Considered one of the premier running backs in fantasy football, McCoy needs to starting finding the end zone if he’s going to avoid the bust tag for this season. The 29-year-old is averaging just 3.2 yards per carry, which is well below his career average of 4.7 yards per carry. It will be interesting to see if he can improve that number and start scoring touchdowns for a Bills offense that really needs him to step up if they are going to contend.
WR: Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
The Saints have won three in a row to improve to 3-2 on the season. The biggest surprise has been the play of their defense. New Orleans scored three defensive touchdowns in last week’s win over the Detroit Lions. Few expected the Saints to be above .500 at this point following an 0-2 start and even fewer expected them to be thriving on the strength of their defense. Meanwhile, the vertical passing game hasn’t been nearly as effective as it has been in past years and it has impacted Thomas’ fantasy production. Thomas has 28 receptions for 321 yards and just two touchdowns through five games. There was a lot of hype about Thomas improving on last year’s numbers following the departures of Brandin Cooks and Ted Ginn Jr. in the offseason. However, Thomas is actually on pace to fall short of the 92 receptions for 1,137 yards and nine scores he registered last season.
WR: Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders
It certainly doesn’t help that Derek Carr suffered broken bones in his back or that Cooper is dealing with a lingering knee injury but even before those two things happened the top receiver had struggled. Cooper has been limited to just 18 receptions on 39 targets for 146 yards and a touchdown through five games. Those numbers have him on pace to fall far short of the 83 receptions for 1,153 yards and five touchdowns that he registered last season. The Raiders need more out of the former first round pick if they are going to contend for a division crown in the AFC West this season. It will be interesting to see whether Cooper can turn things around after a slow start that landed him in this category as one of the early season fantasy football league busts.
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