When we hear the word bust, we usually think of players who we expect to have poor seasons. Those players do qualify as busts, but that is not the only definition of the word. Players who will perform well this year but not well enough to justify their draft-day price should also be considered busts. If you draft a player in the second round and that player ends up as a fifth-round asset, that player is a bust.
Most of the players on this list have the potential to fall into that second category. For example, there is nothing wrong with drafting Josh Giddey this year. The problem with Giddey is that Yahoo has him ranked in the middle of the second round. At that price, it does not make sense to invest in the Australian given his likely output and who else is available in that range. The same goes for Jaylen Brown. He’ll be the right pick for some teams, but not just outside the top 30.
Many of the players on this year’s list will look familiar. There are a handful of big-name players who end up on this list almost every single year. Those players all have something in common. They all have games that are poor fits for category leagues. Those players tend to excel in the popcorn categories (points, rebounds, and assists) that fantasy players always overvalue. Remember, you don’t get extra points for winning points or assists.
This list will be updated as draft season moves along.
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