Quarterback busts look a little different than busts at other positions. That’s because quarterback is typically one of the deepest positions in fantasy football, so even being a steady producer isn’t necessarily enough to become a league-winning or starter-worthy signal-caller.
With that in mind, projecting out quarterback busts isn’t necessarily about which players will have bad seasons. It’s more about identifying those who have lower ceilings than their similarly drafted counterparts.
Whether it’s due to volume concerns or regression around the quarterback, there are a variety of reasons to approach certain passers with caution. Below is a look at a few quarterbacks should be treated more as streamers than fantasy starters in 2025.
QB busts to avoid in fantasy football 2025
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Goff has finished the last three seasons as a top-10 fantasy quarterback. Will he be able to continue that positive momentum in 2025? Perhaps, but Goff is entering the season without Ben Johnson as his offensive coordinator for the first time since 2021.
Johnson, who now coaches the Chicago Bears, was a major catalyst for Goff’s improvement. He helped lead Goff to a career high in passing touchdowns (37) and passer rating (111.8) last season, when the 30-year-old finished as the QB6. However, in six seasons without Johnson, Goff has finished better than QB13 in fantasy just once. That came in 2018, his best season with Sean McVay.
Occasionally, quarterbacks can overcome the loss of talented offensive coordinators, with Baker Mayfield notably finding success in 2024 after losing Dave Canales. That could create some hope that Goff can continue to be a fantasy asset even without Johnson.
But given Goff’s track record and the retirement of the Lions’ stalwart center Frank Ragnow, it’s probably better to treat Goff as more of a borderline QB1 than a sure-fire fantasy starter.
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
There’s no doubt Herbert is a talented quarterback, and he was one of the league’s most efficient passers in 2024. He had a league-best interception rate of 0.6% and posted a career-best 101.7 passer rating in his first year working with Jim Harbaugh.
Despite this, Herbert finished the season ranked 16th among quarterbacks in fantasy points per game (FPPG). That was largely due to his middling total of 25 touchdowns, stemming from a lack of passing opportunities in the red zone.
Herbert attempted just 57 passes inside his opponents’ 20-yard lines last season, tied with Tua Tagovailoa for 17th-most in the NFL. That might not sound bad, but it’s worth noting Herbert was one of just 14 quarterbacks to make 17 starts last season. Among those quarterbacks, his 57 red-zone passing attempts ranked second-fewest ahead of only Geno Smith (54).
The Chargers don’t appear likely to change their run-heavy red zone approach in 2025 after signing Najee Harris in free agency and spending a first-round pick on Omarion Hampton. That will once again limit Herbert’s ceiling and make him more of a situational streamer than a legitimate fantasy starter.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Love tantalized fantasy managers in the second half of the 2023 NFL season, when he racked up 2,150 yards, 18 touchdowns and just one interception over the final eight games. Many believed him to be a potential breakout candidate in 2024; instead, he ranked 18th in FPPG among quarterbacks.
Part of Love’s issue was his lack of opportunities to throw the ball. He averaged just 28.3 attempts per game, which ranked 26th among 36 quarterbacks who qualified for the NFL’s passer rating leaderboard last season. By comparison, Love averaged 34.9 attempts per game during his torrid close to the 2023 NFL season.
Could the Packers decide to give Love more opportunities to throw the ball in 2025? It’s possible, especially since the team spent a first-round pick on a wide receiver, Matthew Golden, for the first time since 2002.
But if Love remains unable to exceed 30 passing attempts per game, it’s hard to imagine him cracking fantasy football’s top 15 quarterbacks, let alone the top 10.
