Yin and Yang. Black and White. Opposites attract, and the same principle applies to my articles. For most of the offseason, I’ve been focused on players fantasy football managers should be paying attention to, either from a “bounceback” or “breakout” perspective.
Today, we are going to concentrate on the reverse ideology: Which players should managers actively avoid? Which situations are those that I would encourage others to stray away from, if possible, in favor of those that may be more beneficial in the long term?
Fantasy Football Do Not Draft List: WRs to Avoid
Here are several wideouts I’m lower on than most, entering 2025.
Chris Godwin (WR – TB)
Chris Godwin was already a “fade” candidate for many analysts, but I still feel like managers are clinging onto name recognition in an attempt to avoid the obvious — his time in the sun is now over. A mid-range WR2 for the past several seasons, Godwin is recovering from a frustrating 2024 season in which he failed to record 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2020.
The injury bug reared its ugly head yet again for Godwin, becoming the main culprit for his fall from grace, as he suffered a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula in Week 7. This marked the fifth time in the past six seasons he missed at least two weeks with various maladies, and clearly Tampa Bay decided that enough was enough.
The Bucs spent the 19th overall draft selection to bring in Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, whose skillset largely mirrors Godwin’s. Primarily known as a slot receiver who can play outside if necessary, Egbuka is essentially Godwin 2.0 — a quicker, younger version who will command a large target share right out of the gate.
Throw in the healthy return of tight end Cade Otton to the mix, and Godwin’s status as a staple for fantasy rosters is in severe jeopardy. Godwin is still the WR33 per our latest average draft position (ADP) figures, and the expert consensus rankings are (somehow) even higher on him (WR29). Call me a skeptic and a pessimist.
Rome Odunze (WR – CHI)
Rome Odunze’s inclusion in this article has no bearing on my ultimate opinion of him as a player. I was very high on his skillset coming out of Washington, and I remain committed to the belief that if he were on a different team in a featured role, he would thrive as a WR1. Sadly, that isn’t the case in Chicago.
Already a crowded receiver room in 2024 when he was competing for targets with Keenan Allen and DJ Moore, Chicago decided to complicate matters further by spending their top two draft picks on Luther Burden III from Missouri and Colston Loveland, a premier tight end out of Michigan.
Managers who have been keeping a close eye on my recent body of work know I’m confident in quarterback Caleb Williams having a bounce-back sophomore campaign in 2025. That is mainly due to the upgrades that the Bears brought in along the offensive line, coupled with an increase in available targets that will create mismatches for opposing defenses.
Chicago’s offense could very well replicate the mess from Green Bay last season, when there were plenty of capable mouths to feed and all demanded their fair share of looks. Odunze has his pedigree and existing rapport with Williams working in his favor, but I’d be foolish to bank on a massive rebound from his 54/734/3 rookie campaign.
Cole Kmet, Loveland, Moore and Burden will present competition alongside running backs D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson for looks in the passing game, creating a situation where this may very well be a better “real life” scenario than for fantasy football purposes. New head coach Ben Johnson is a mastermind at creating advantageous situations for his offenses to exploit — in this situation, he will have plenty of options to select alongside Odunze to capitalize on. Could Odunze potentially match his existing ADP of WR36 (or ECR of WR37)? Sure. But I’m not willing to spend that sort of investment on a “best case” scenario.
Deebo Samuel (WR – WSH)
You’re hopefully starting to see a common thread here of players that had a difficult 2024, being placed into an even more tricky spot for 2025. Deebo Samuel finished as the WR44 in fantasy last season, catching just 51 receptions for 670 yards and three touchdown catches across 15 games. Never known for being a beacon of health, Samuel struggled with a calf strain, pneumonia, a hamstring and rib issues in 2025 — all that was missing was the partridge in a pear tree.
Known for generating the bulk of his fantasy points from yards after the catch (YAC) as a receiver (and supplementing his totals with a modest amount of rushing attempts each year), Samuel failed to be nearly as explosive as in years past, generating his lowest totals since 2020, when he barely played seven games. Even with injuries to Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall that should have forced him into a more integral role, Samuel took a backseat to San Francisco’s running game instead, and seemed a tertiary option to George Kittle and Jauan Jennings.
Seeking greener pastures, Samuel campaigned for a trade and was ultimately granted his request, being dealt to Washington in the offseason. Outside of Terry McLaurin, the Commanders have few proven threats at wideout on the team, and are banking that Samuel has plenty left in the tank heading into his age-30 season.
Borrowing some statistics from my FantasyPros cohort, Derek Brown, Washington ranked sixth in screen passes attempted last year, with the bulk of those attempts going to veterans Austin Ekeler and Zach Ertz. Ideally, the team would script several short-pass plays into the game script weekly for Samuel, hoping he could break plenty of tackles for chunk yardage to generate first downs on offense.
Is this something we’re really going to bank on? I say no. Relying on someone to generate “something out of nothing” is a fool’s errand, especially when it comes to the price point that Samuel remains in drafts. Being selected as a low-end WR3 in standard formats is fine for some, but I’m willing to pass on his services for other players within his tier.
Marvin Mims (WR – DEN)
Marvin Mims joins Odunze in the group of players I loved coming out of college, but fell into the wrong situation. Now I’m skeptical they can overcome the obstacles in their path.
From a pure numbers perspective, 2024 seemed decent enough for Mims. He made strides forward in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches, while being Denver’s main threat in the return game on special teams. He improved his draft stock as the WR57 for fantasy, and a player many analysts had their eyes on in the offseason, hoping head coach Sean Payton would be comfortable viewing him as the team’s No. 2 WR opposite Courtland Sutton. Call me skeptical.
Quarterback Bo Nix has an existing rapport with wideout Troy Franklin from their days at the University of Oregon, and his clear-cut favorite target from last year was Sutton (who nearly tripled the targets of Mims). The Broncos are desperately searching for a competent complement to Sutton, and appear to have found their top candidate in Illinois rookie Pat Bryant, who Payton has already compared to former slant-route aficionado Michael Thomas.
Keep in mind I haven’t even mentioned 6-foot-5, 210-pound slot-option Devaughn Vele yet, who caught 41 out of 55 targets for 475 yards and three scores last season. Or Denver’s non-existent running game last year, where Javonte Williams somehow led the team with 513 rushing yards on 139 carries. Improving their balance on offense will be a clear focal point for the Broncos, who were overly reliant upon then-rookie Bo Nix to pick up first downs when necessary (Nix finished eighth in rushing attempts at the position in his rookie season).
If you happen to participate in a league that rewards points for return yards (either as a punt or kick returner), Mims will garner extra value and you can bump him up from his current position as the WR58 (and ECR has him at WR59). Otherwise, I’d prefer to select other options within his tier, such as Cedric Tillman or Adam Thielen.
Jameson Williams (WR – DET)
I’ve never been a proponent of prioritizing big-play threats who capitalize upon broken coverages or speed from a fantasy perspective, so I’m doubly out on Jameson Williams.
When he takes the field, is he likely the fastest player on it, who has a chance to blow past cornerbacks and safeties? Yes.
Does that mean he will see enough targets to be relevant in a half-PPR or full PPR format (which currently dominates the fantasy landscape)? No.
Do I anticipate a better season in 2025 for Williams, with Detroit absent its former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson? No.
Is quarterback Jared Goff‘s 6.9% touchdown rate from 2024 sustainable? No.
Should the Lions prioritize targets to tight end Sam LaPorta or feed their running backs, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, carries instead of targets to Williams, to move the ball downfield? Yes.
Williams’ current position as the WR26 in PPR formats is a massive overpay, and I can’t envision a scenario where he becomes a target-hog, akin to teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown. Throw in my optimism that the Lions will become uber-reliant upon their running game, and I’m out on Williams at his current price.
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