The NFC West is one of the most exciting divisions in football, with each team having its share of fantasy storylines to monitor. Unfortunately, not every player will work out, so don’t enter your fantasy football drafts without checking out our 2021 fantasy busts for the NFC West.
All average draft positions (ADP) are PPR scoring and taken from Sleeper.
NFC West fantasy football busts for 2021
Which players from the NFC West could wind up being busts for your fantasy football team in 2021?
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals looked like one of the best offenses in football early in the 2020 season, but a difficult second half of the season provided more questions than answers. However, Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins showed instant chemistry, and the team will rely on them to lead the offense.
Chase Edmonds, RB | ADP: 71 (RB28)
It’s unlikely that you’re pinning all of your fantasy football hopes on Edmonds, but he’s still being drafted too high. The coaching staff has made it clear how they view him by making him play second fiddle to Kenyan Drake and the husk of David Johnson over the years.
James Conner is the latest veteran who will force Edmonds into a heavy timeshare, and Edmonds is unlikely to benefit from red-zone work. He’s capable of having a couple of big performances each season to help raise his fantasy points per game, but managers must prepare to be underwhelmed.
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams made a major splash by trading for Matthew Stafford and moving on from Jared Goff in the process. Stafford is capable of making every throw and finds himself with an innovative play-caller and strong supporting cast. The Rams should have plenty of assets again this fantasy football season. There are no clear fantasy busts, but not everybody can produce.
Tyler Higbee, TE | ADP: 111 (TE14)
Stop trying to make Higbee happen.
Every year we try to convince ourselves that a Rams tight end is going to break out. Gerald Everett’s departure theoretically opens the door for Higbee, but the Rams just used a fourth-round pick on Jacob Harris. Harris is an outstanding athlete looking to transition from college WR to NFL TE the way Darren Waller did.
Harris has already had positive reviews in training camp. The Rams should have an upgraded offense with Stafford, but it will run through Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp — not Higbee.
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers swung for the fences when they traded up to select Trey Lance in the 2021 NFL Draft. The quarterback situation in 2021 is likely to keep us guessing, but adding a player with the arm talent of Lance will open up the playbook for the offense. The team has a wide range of outcomes. Players who might be fantasy football busts under Jimmy Garoppolo could be studs under Lance.
Trey Sermon, RB | ADP: 87 (RB33)
Trey Sermon could be a great player, but the San Francisco 49ers hate your fantasy running backs. Kyle Shanahan likes to use players in different roles, and Sermon looks unlikely to get any real value. Supporters will point to the fact that Shanahan reportedly handpicked Sermon. Still, the offensive mastermind has proven multiple times that he will do whatever gives the team the best chance of winning.
Jeff Wilson’s injury could open up some red-zone work, but Sermon will need to prove that he deserves it. Raheem Mostert is likely to handle the majority of the load, and it’s a role that he’s impressed in previously. Elsewhere on the depth chart, Wayne Gallman and Elijah Mitchell will be involved just often enough to limit Sermon’s ceiling.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks seem to be in a state of permanent disillusionment with their offensive coordinator. Brian Schottenheimer is out, though, and his replacement is Shane Waldron, a Sean McVay disciple. The Seahawks’ offensive line has been a disaster at times, but Russell Wilson is still the best player on the team. Fantasy managers will hope that the coaching staff will finally “let Russ cook.”
DK Metcalf, WR | ADP: 15 (WR4)
When you think of fantasy football busts, last season’s WR7 might seem a strange choice. There aren’t many better fantasy assets than DK Metcalf when things are going well. He’s a physical marvel and big-play threat who can score a touchdown on any play.
In the first eight games of the 2020 season, he had 90+ receiving yards seven times and scored 8 touchdowns. Unfortunately, the second half of the season was far less productive. He topped 90 receiving yards just once more, with just 2 touchdowns.
Metcalf averaged 21 PPR ppg in his first eight games but only 12.9 in the second half. Of his 103.5 fantasy points in the latter half of the year, 27.7 of them came in a 10-reception, 177-yard effort against the Eagles in Week 12.
Andy Gallagher is a fantasy football and NFL writer for Pro Football Network. You can follow him on Twitter @AndySGallagher and find more of his work here.