RADIO
Being tied to bad teams, having anomalously high production that isn't sustainable long-term, and dealing with serious injuries are at least a few reasons why players can become overrated in Dynasty fantasy football leagues. When evaluating your players, it's important to take a wide-angle lens to understand what's going on.
Hanging on to an overrated player only to see their production drop off is never fun. You're essentially losing a valuable asset to have it replaced with a much less valuable one. Runs of statistical dominance can come to an abrupt and harsh end without clear warning.
With that in mind, let's break down five players who you should sell before the 2025-2026 season.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for the 2025 playoffs:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Wide receiver George Pickens is another player that's probably better to sell. Despite his talent, his consistent character issues have been a serious concern, and he's one of the few players that clearly leaves production on the field due to being completely insane.
GEORGE PICKENS CRASHOUT AGAIN.
TWO IN THE SPAN OF 5 MINUTES.
HE LIVES IN HIS OWN WORLD 😭😭😭
pic.twitter.com/a0v0yVbJkl— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 10, 2024
It's hard to see him ever becoming a 130+ target per year WR. Part of the problem is the offense he's in -- the Steelers still prefer to run the ball as much as possible and grind down the clock, tasking their defense withholding opponents to low-scoring outputs.
In 11 games, the team's starting quarterback, Russell Wilson, threw just 16 touchdowns, exceeding 250 passing yards just three times. Pickens had just three games with more than five receptions, despite being the clear WR1 on a team that didn't have many other options.
George Pickens fighting Greg Newsome during the Hail Mary LMFAO pic.twitter.com/1QT1sN1w5o
— Clay Fink (@clay_fink) November 22, 2024
And his habit of taking himself out of plays and lack of effort aren't going anywhere. He has a horrible attitude for professional football. He regressed in efficiency and has yet to catch more than five touchdowns in a season. This is probably the best it will get for him, too.
If the team signs or drafts another legitimate WR option, Pickens value could sink even further. It's best to sell him now.
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
After his monster 2022 campaign, many viewed Waddle as a WR1 masquerading as a WR2 and an elite option moving forward. After two more years, that magical season is looking more like a fluke than the norm. Waddle has failed to replicate his successes from that year.
Despite playing in 14 and 15 games over his last two seasons, his efficiency decreased markedly since then. His targets, receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdown totals were 140/104/1,015/6 in 2021 and 117/75/1,356/8 in 2022.
Those fell to 104/72/1,014/4 in 2023 and 83/58/744/2 in 2024. He averaged a ridiculous 18.1 yards per catch in 2022, as opposed to 14.2 in 2023 and just 12.8 in 2024.
Jonnu Smith has officially taken Jaylen Waddle's fantasy valuepic.twitter.com/jnQFphSCFz
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) November 17, 2024
There are a few factors behind this. Opposing defenses have completely sold out to take away the big plays, primarily hurting Waddle and Tyreek Hill's fantasy production.
The gimmicky explosive gains from 2022 and 2023 weren't present last season, and the offense instead concentrated itself around better middle-of-the-field and backfield threats, namely tight end Jonnu Smith and running back De'Von Achane.
It seemed that head coach Mike McDaniel adjusted to his long passes downfield not working well, and the injury and absence of starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa didn't help either. It doesn't appear that hyper-targeting Waddle will be a part of the game plan in the near future.
Jaylen Waddle: Round 1, Pick 6
2021: Fantasy WR17
2022: Fantasy WR7
2023: Fantasy WR29
2024: Fantasy WR49 pic.twitter.com/4EVIbVtTor— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) January 17, 2025
A world without Hill and one in which the Dolphins have a better offensive line is probably the only one that he ever becomes an elite WR1 in fantasy football again. That's not impossible, but it's probably a better idea for you to sell that hope to someone else.
Jerry Jeudy, WR, Cleveland Browns
It's ironic that Jeudy was sent to the Cleveland Browns to rot on another roster with terrible quarterback play while his former team, the Denver Broncos, turned things around on offense. It's a cruel twist of fate for the fifth-year pro -- while he did have a ridiculous stretch of games powered by gunslinger QB Jameis Winston, the team is letting him go due to his turnover-prone nature.
r/Things I will never forget.
The Browns Jameis Winston to Jerry Jeudy connection weeks weeks 9-15.
Jerry Jeudy in that stretch:
(includes a week 10 bye)
4️⃣4️⃣-7️⃣0️⃣7️⃣-3️⃣
WR4️⃣It was a masterpiece. 🫡pic.twitter.com/A3OHIuIJJm
— PlayerProfiler NOW+ (@Profiler_Now) January 2, 2025
Instead, they'll roll with the worst quarterback in the league, Deshaun Watson (Achilles) who will be recovering from a season-ending Achilles' tendon tear. And it's obvious Watson isn't trying anymore. He probably knows his current contract is the last big payday he will get.
The Deshaun Watson era in Cleveland will go down as one the biggest disasters in the franchise’s history. We all knew it was bad, but some of this stuff is eye opening.
Sounds like Stefanski tried to set him up for success in his scheme, but Watson didn’t adapt.#DawgPound pic.twitter.com/50vUCx4KAJ
— Big Mike (@big_mike9169) January 15, 2025
His history and ineffectiveness drag the entire team down with him. It's likely that none of the players want him there, and yet he will remain due to his contract. The organization is cursed (by the presence of the current ownership) and that's not about to change.
Whether Jeudy will be freed from his doom before his prime is up is yet to be seen. It won't happen unless he's lucky enough to be moved to another team. The hope that he will be could help you get a solid deal for him after his best statistical season.
Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Running back Kyren Williams had another great statistical season, handling the vast majority of the backfield workload for a second year in a row. However, especially in the playoffs, his inability to hold on to the ball has become an issue. He was only credited for one lost fumble, but the botched handoff with quarterback Matthew Stafford was on him, too.
5. EAGLES RECOVER ANOTHER KYREN WILLIAMS FUMBLE! -> Jake Elliott IS GOOD AGAIN IN THE SNOW! pic.twitter.com/JBZEU8nvIS
— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) January 20, 2025
You have to hang on to the football, and Williams fumbled away the Rams' chances of making the NFC Championship game. In addition, after posting an impressive 5.0 yards per carry in 2023, he averaged just 4.1 YPC last year. The sharp fall-off in efficiency is highly concerning.
Williams is viewed as the sure-fire workhorse moving forward, but he's given the team enough reasons to give his backup, Blake Corum, more opportunities next year. Corum didn't do much during his rookie season, but statistically, it was very similar to that of Williams.
And if Los Angeles doesn't believe Corum is the long term answer, they could draft another RB from this year's class, which is absolutely loaded at the position. There are plenty of reasons to be nervous about No. 23's long-term viability.
DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Wide receiver DeVonta Smith may not be his team's WR1 for at least a few more seasons, and he's 26 years old now. He'll turn 27 next season. His team's clear lead receiver, A.J. Brown, is just under a year and a half older and is signed through the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
This should concern anyone with AJ Brown and Devonta Smith on their dynasty teams, right?#fantasyfootball #nflstats #nfl #philadelphiaeagles #philadelphiaeaglesfootball pic.twitter.com/vdw0CF6SUI
— Fantasy Guides (@fantasy_guides) January 29, 2025
And he'll stay tied to quarterback Jalen Hurts, who has not been a good passer this season. His passing volume is simply not enough to support two elite fantasy WRs, and that's unlikely to change. Despite him having the best offensive line in football and being given all the time in the world to throw, he has been terrible considering the receiving talent and OL he has.
No quarterback could possibly ask for a better situation than Hurts. He's made a killing coasting off the elite squad around him. Fantasy football-wise, though, it's his receivers who are hurt the most by his ineptitude. Smith is a good WR, but the situation is unlikely to improve any time soon.
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