PlayerProfiler is home to award-winning dynasty rankings and tools. Our Dynasty Deluxe package includes complete Dynasty Rankings, Rookie Rankings, Trade Analyzer, Draft Planner, Mock Drafts, and more. Check it out! Below, Wyatt Bertolone shares his Must Fade Players for 2025!
Every year, there are a handful of players who destroy our fantasy football hopes and dreams. No, I’m not talking about those players who get season-ending injuries. At least we know they’re done, and we can add someone in free agency to try and replace them. I’m referring to the players who are outright busts. The ones who stay healthy, but don’t come remotely close to expectations. Today, I’m highlighting the five players that I’m fading the most.
Marvin Harrison Jr.
Entering the NFL, Marvin Harrison Jr. was seen as an elite wide receiver prospect, and he was drafted higher than any other before him in 2024 fantasy drafts. For a normal rookie wide receiver, his first season was fine. 11.6 PPR PPG while going for 885 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns is a good year for most. But Harrison Jr. wasn’t like most rookie wide receivers. His rookie season was a disappointment, given his profile and cost.
Marvin Harrison Jr.’s Advanced Stats & Metrics
Marvin Harrison Jr.’s advanced metrics were poor. He finished 58th in Yards Per Route Run and 42nd in Yards per Team Pass Attempt. Some of it wasn’t his fault. Kyler Murray struggled to complete passes to him, evidenced by Harrison Jr.’s 68.1-percent Catchable Target Percentage, 64th at his position. Additionally, the offense ran through Trey McBride first, and Harrison Jr. played second fiddle. Unfortunately for Harrison Jr., his situation for 2025 is the same as it was last year.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is still the prospect we thought he was. He’s a big, talented wide receiver who excels at working downfield and can dominate in contested catch situations. That’s not Kyler Murray’s strength, though. Harrison Jr. could still perform well despite this. But at his current cost, he’s being drafted as he will instead of as if he could. Except for at the very top of drafts, we don’t want to draft players at their ceiling. We want to draft players we think will outperform their cost. That’s a tough bet with Harrison Jr.
Deebo Samuel
I’m sure Deebo Samuel would like to mostly forget his 2024. Battling through multiple injuries and pneumonia, Samuel struggled and made little fantasy football impact. For the season, Samuel averaged just 10.2 PPR PPG, the lowest of his career. The injuries and illness impacted his season. The question is, were it only those factors, or is Samuel showing decline? He plays his position like no one else and has suffered more punishment over his career than the average wide receiver.
Deebo Samuel’s Advanced Stats & Metrics
This offseason, Deebo Samuel was traded to the Commanders, which makes sense for all parties involved. The 49ers were able to recoup some draft capital for a player who wasn’t part of their future. The Commanders needed to find another weapon to play next to Terry McLaurin. Samuel finds himself on a team where his skill set matches what the team wants to do, and he has a good path to opportunities.
Where you come out on Deebo Samuel’s cost will depend on whether you think he’s in his decline or was merely held down by injuries and sickness in 2024. Age regression doesn’t happen the way most think it does. It’s not a gradual decline. Normally, a player is good until the decline shows itself, and then it’s a steep drop. We saw that decline last year for Samuel. Samuel’s cost is still at a point where you have to rely on him. That’s too high for someone with his risk.
Isiah Pacheco
2024 started fantastically for Isiah Pacheco. Through two games, Pacheco was the Chiefs’ workhorse and averaged 16 PPR PPG. Then came the broken ankle. Pacheco missed the next nine games, coming back for the end of the season. Unfortunately, Pacheco looked like a shell of his former self. His signature explosive running style was gone, and he ceded opportunities to Kareem Hunt because of it. Especially in the playoffs, the most important time of the year, Hunt received more opportunities than Pacheco, 31 to 18.
Isiah Pacheco’s Advanced Stats & Metrics
This offseason, the Chiefs made a few different moves to bolster their backfield. First, they brought in Elijah Mitchell after the 49ers let him walk. Mitchell has been good whenever he’s on the field, but struggles to stay there. Next, the Chiefs re-signed Kareem Hunt, likely due to his familiarity with the offense. Lastly, they drafted Brashard Smith in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. None of these are particularly impactful moves, but the collection of them has to make you wonder how confident the Chiefs are in Isiah Pacheco.
The combination of Isiah Pacheco’s injury and the moves the Chiefs made is concerning. Yes, Pacheco is now further removed from his injury, but what if he’s never the same? It’s also important to remember that the Chiefs have little invested in Pacheco. The only reason they would have to return to his beginning of the 2024 role is if he’s clearly the best running back on the roster. That’s not clear anymore. Drafting Pacheco is buying perceived volume and a hope for a bounce-back in efficiency. I’m not making that bet.
Cooper Kupp
Cooper Kupp’s 2024 season left a lot to be desired after starting well. While Puka Nacua missed most of the first game of the season, Kupp was yet again Matthew Stafford’s target magnet, earning 21 targets in week one. But, as we’re now accustomed to, Kupp got injured in week two and missed the next four games. When he returned, he picked up where he left off, scoring at least 15 PPR points in each of the next five games. His season took a turn for the worse after that, though.
Cooper Kupp’s Advanced Stats & Metrics
Over Cooper Kupp’s final seven games, including the playoffs, he gained more than three targets just three times. Kupp clearly slowed down as the season wore on. During the season, there were rumblings Kupp could be traded, but he ultimately remained on the team as they continued to win games. After the season, though, the Rams made it clear they were going to move on from Kupp. Failing to find a trade partner, Kupp was released and picked up by the Seahawks.
Cooper Kupp’s days as a fantasy football contributor could be over. I’m betting that they are. The fact that the Rams, who are one of the better talent-evaluating teams in the league, were so ready to move on from Kupp tells me all I need to know. It looked like Kupp was declining in 2024, and the Rams’ moves confirmed that. He has a path to opportunity with the Seahawks, but he needs to be productive with it, an unlikely task. At Kupp’s cost, he’ll be a vital part of your team if you draft him. I won’t be doing so.
Jared Goff
Jared Goff had a great 2024, scoring the second-highest PPG of his career with 19.8 and setting a new career high in passing touchdowns with 37. The Lions’ offense in 2024 was nearly unstoppable, and Goff was a big part of the reason why. Last year also marked the third straight season in which Goff finished in the top 10 among quarterbacks in total points. All in all, it was Goff’s best season in the NFL so far.
Jared Goff’s Advanced Stats & Metrics
2025 brings change, though. Ben Johnson is now in Chicago, and Frank Ragnow, who was one of the best centers in the league, has retired. Now, we must question whether Jared Goff and the Lions can maintain their offensive proficiency. For a pocket quarterback like Goff, he needs passing efficiency to be a valuable fantasy player. Without rushing to bolster his fantasy points, his value will be replaceable if he’s not highly efficient as a passer.
Betting on Jared Goff for 2025 is threading a bit of a thin needle. If he doesn’t keep up his 2024 efficiency, he won’t be able to separate himself from not only the quarterbacks drafted near him, but many drafted after him as well. Overall, I don’t have any serious worries for the Lions’ offense. This is still Dan Campbell’s team and I expect them to keep their identity of keeping a high pace while being aggressive on fourth downs. I worry Goff can’t separate at his cost, though. I’d rather be drafting Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, and Justin Herbert.
Pick the Right Fades
When taking hard stances on which players to fade, it’s important to do so carefully. Some players can beat you if you completely fade them, some can’t. Missing out on the WR36 finishing as the WR28 doesn’t kill you. Fade the players where they need multiple factors to break their way for them to be large fantasy values.
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