One of the most thrilling aspects of the NFL season is fantasy football. As the preseason concludes, many football fans are preparing for what should be a very exciting 2022 fantasy football season. Now, let's look at potential fantasy football wide receiver busts, especially as the 2022 NFL season approaches and drafts begin.

Remember that a breakout player may help your team and sleeper prospects from the waiver wire can salvage your fantasy football season. On the flip side, picking a bust can ruin your season before it even starts.

Of course, one thing to consider is how a wideout might be overvalued. Managers must take into account their injury history, team status, and complementary positions, such as their quarterback.

It is not a question of whether these wide receivers can lead their clubs to a winning season or the Super Bowl. This is about whether these wide receivers can make an impact in fantasy football based on their current average draft position.

Here are five potential wide receiver busts for this year whom fantasy football managers should be very careful about when drafting.

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Busts 2022

5. A.J. Brown

The veteran has never played in a pass-happy scheme, and that is unlikely to change if the Eagles return to their ground-and-pound approach from last season. While he was WR5 in fantasy points per game in 2020, there are some question marks about him this season after his trade to Philadelphia.

Brown was the WR33 last season and had his stats drop due to a few minor injuries. He has actually been a more volatile fantasy asset throughout his career, finishing as a WR1 in 33% of his games but outside the top 24 in 42%.

He will be the Eagles' alpha dog and their WR1 in 2022, but there is fear that Brown's value may decline in 2022 because of the team's reliance on the run. In fact, from Week 8 on, they led the NFL in running percentage (59%). This worked for the Eagles as a team, but it may not work well for Brown's fantasy managers.

4. Terry McLaurin

Terry McLaurin was WR1 for Washington in 2021. He ran a route on 91% of offensive dropbacks, ranking second in the NFL only to Justin Jefferson. Still, he could be one of the fantasy football wide receiver busts in 2022.

Recall that his fantasy performance was limited to WR25 due to poor quarterback play. When you consider the quarterbacks McLaurin has played alongside, you can see why he has struggled. Taylor Heinicke, Garrett Gilbert, and Case Keenum, among others, have been the team's quarterbacks. That's a long list. Heck, Carson Wentz could be the finest quarterback McLaurin has ever played with in the NFL.

McLaurin's talent should not be used to decide whether or not to draft him. He's outstanding and has top-12 upside at his position. The real question is whether managers feel Wentz is a genuine upgrade at quarterback. If this is the case, McLaurin presents significant upside throughout his contract year. In reality, he's a fantasy WR1 stuck as a low-end WR2/high-end WR3.

3. Tyreek Hill

The Chiefs made sure to put the ball in Hill's hands in 2021. In fact, his 27.1 percent target per route run rate was by far the highest of his career. He trailed only Davante Adams (30.7 percent), Cooper Kupp (30.6 percent), and Diontae Johnson (27.5 percent) among players with at least 350 routes run. He also finished as WR6 in fantasy. Right now, his ADP is WR8 with Miami.

Can we truly expect the Dolphins to involve him more in 2022? We can't expect Hill's efficiency to improve as he goes from experience with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid to a new system led by a first-time head coach and an unknown quantity at QB.

To justify Hill's current ADP, his target per route run rate will have to skyrocket. That, however, doesn't take into account the fact that the Mike McDaniel-led Dolphins will likely produce considerably fewer pass attempts than the Chiefs did. All signs point to Hill producing below what his ADP may suggest.

2. D.K. Metcalf

The gap between having Geno Smith/Drew Lock at quarterback and having Russell Wilson under center cannot be emphasized enough. Both have career passer ratings of less than 80.0. Wilson's career passer rating (101.8) is second all-time among quarterbacks with 100 starts.

Metcalf has thrived on efficient QB play touchdown output (32 in his first three seasons), but scoring may be a scarce commodity for this 2022 Seahawks attack. Metcalf's grip as the team's target share leader is also in jeopardy. He and Tyler Lockett have registered virtually identical target shares over the previous two seasons.

It's a terrible circumstance that puts Metcalf in a precarious situation. On one hand, he did put up 14.9 fantasy points per game in 2021 (15th — the same as his final season-long standing) without Wilson at QB for three games.

On the other hand, not having Wilson for a whole season will diminish Metcalf's fantasy value. Recall that Wilson led the NFL in yards per attempt (10.4), passer rating (133.6), and passer rating from a clean pocket (130.9) before his finger injury. Seattle just won't have that QB quality in 2022. This is why Metcalf is among our fantasy football wide receiver busts.

1. Deebo Samuel

Deebo Samuel's 2021 WR2 finish was founded on two things — an absurdly high yards per reception and an even more absurd running touchdown percentage. As good as 18.2 yards per catch is, that's realistically unsustainable.

One doesn't need to be a mathematician to figure out that racking up eight touchdowns on 59 carries will be tough to replicate. Of course, now that Trey Lance has fully taken control, volume is the most important aspect to watch. As a rushing QB, Lance will almost certainly limit Samuel's own rushing efforts, and the 49ers will consequently throw fewer passes overall.

This is significant since Samuel has stated that he does not want to be a running back. Rather, he desires to play as a WR. After all, this is where the NFL's money is. As a result, it's doubtful he'll match or exceed his totals from the previous season.

One may argue that Samuel is still a WR1 in 2022 fantasy football. Maybe he can finish in the top eight, but no way he should be considered among the top five for the position. Others with greater reception volume should certainly be ahead of him right now. Do not gamble a top-five pick on Samuel. With a new QB and OC, chances are he won't replicate what he did in 2021.