The NFL season is just a few weeks away, which means we’re in the heart of fantasy football draft season.
Without fail, every draft season produces a long list of players who end up disappointing their fantasy owners. We’re here to help you avoid taking one of those guys. Here’s one player to be wary of from every NFL team. For more help with your draft, you can find our list of fantasy sleepers here.
NFC East
DALLAS COWBOYS: QB Dak Prescott
ESPN projection: QB No. 9 (3.785 passing yards, 30 total TD, 9 INT, 296.4 points)
We had him listed here in 2018 and he had one half of a bust season before Amari Cooper came along. There are better QBs to be had out there.
NEW YORK GIANTS: WR Golden Tate
ESPN projection: WR No. 55 (587 yards, 3 TD, 75.7 points)
He was a bust last year between Detroit and Philadelphia, and now he’s facing a four-game suspension.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: RB Jordan Howard
ESPN projection: RB No. 42 (670 rush yards, 94 rec. yards, 6 total TD, 111.7 points)
Will it be the ex-Bear who takes the majority of snaps or second-rounder Miles Sanders? And how much will Corey Clement and Darren Sproles cut in?
WASHINGTON REDSKINS: RB Adrian Peterson
ESPN projection: RB. No 59 (434 rush yards, 51 rec yards, 3 TD, 64.3 points)
The return of Derrius Guice and Chris Thompson should make you super nervous.
NFC North
MINNESOTA VIKINGS: TE Kyle Rudolph
ESPN projection: TE No. 19 (502 yards, 5 TD, 80.1 points)
Tight end is the most shallow position in fantasy, but how can you draft Rudolph when he scored just four times last year? Yes, touchdowns fluctuate from year to year, but that doesn’t inspire confidence.
DETROIT LIONS: WR Marvin Jones Jr.
ESPN projection: WR No. 35 (854 yards, 7 TD, 124.7 points)
The wideout to own here is Kenny Golladay. Despite Jones’ nose for the end zone (nine touchdowns in 2017, five in 2018), Golladay might be in line for more red zone work with his 6-foot-4 frame.
GREEN BAY PACKERS: TE Jimmy Graham
ESPN projection: TE No. 18 (554 yards, 5 TD, 83.7 points)
He proved last year that Aaron Rodgers really doesn’t look at tight ends, like, ever.
CHICAGO BEARS: WR Allen Robinson
ESPN projection: WR No. 27 (933 yards, 6 TD, 128.1 points)
He can’t stay healthy, and although he had a monster playoff game against the Eagles, those games are few and far between for the vet.
NFC South
ATLANTA FALCONS: RB Devonta Freeman
ESPN projection: RB No. 15 (864 rush. yards, 426 rec. yards, 11 total TD, 192.1 points)
I’m nervous about his health even though he seems to be good in camp, and Ito Smith had some good games last year. His ADP (32nd overall per Fantasy Pros) is a little too high for my liking.
CAROLINA PANTHERS: TE Greg Olsen
ESPN projection: TE No. 15 (593 yards, 5 TD, 87.8 points)
He’s a veteran name with a terrific track record, but he’s had seasons of seven and nine games the last two years and Ian Thomas looms.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: QB Drew Brees
ESPN projection: QB No. 10 (4,287 passing yards, 31 total TD, 8 INT, 280.9 points)
Speaking of name recognition! He’s still talented but the Saints are a more balanced team on offense and he’s throwing much less. That’s translated in his lowest yardage total since 2005.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: Any running back
Peyton Barber averaged 3.7 yards per carry last season. Ronald Jones barely played and ended up averaging 1.9 ypc. Andre Ellington is now on the roster. Someone is going to emerge from this with a starting job, and inevitably, you’ll pick the wrong guy.
NFC West
LOS ANGELES RAMS: RB Todd Gurley
ESPN projection: RB No. 7 (1,100 rush yards, 433 rec. yards, 16 total TD, 245.6 points)
His nagging knee injury is too much risk to take on. Let someone else roll the dice.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: RB Rashaad Penny
ESPN projection: RB No. 35 (640 rush yards, 198 rec. yards, 4 total TD, 110.9 points)
This seems like Chris Carson’s job all the way, so don’t reach for the former first-round pick thinking he’ll be a starter. Treat him more like a handcuff at this point.
ARIZONA CARDINALS: WR Larry Fitzgerald
ESPN projection: WR No. 41 (772 yards, 5 TD, 109.5 points)
The legend is ranked lower than usual after a disappointing year by his standards, but it seems like Christian Kirk is the WR1 here.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: RB Tevin Coleman
ESPN projection: RB No. 32 (627 rush yards, 320 rec. yards, 6 total TD, 131.8 points)
Will he be the RB1-A to Matt Breida’s RB1-B to Jerick McKinnon’s RB1-C?
AFC East
BUFFALO BILLS: QB Josh Allen
ESPN projection: QB No. 24 (3,281 passing yards, 569 rush yards, 21 total TD, 14 INT, 262.8 points)
Josh Allen was a productive fantasy quarterback down the stretch last year, which may have some thinking he’s primed for a breakout. I wouldn’t be so sure. His tape is full of red flags.
MIAMI DOLPHINS: RB Kenyan Drake
ESPN projection: RB No. 25 (635 rush yards, 494 rec. yards, 6 total TD, 147.7 points)
If you were on Twitter last week, you couldn’t escape the name Kalen Ballage. And the first Dolphins depth chart had Kenyan Drake and Ballage listed as co-starters. That’s a situation I’ll be avoiding until things become less murky.
NEW YORK JETS: RB Le’Veon Bell
ESPN projection: RB No. 6 (1,152 rush yards, 512 rec. yards, 9 total TD, 220.2 points)
Just a total guess. But I’m not spending a premium pick on a player I haven’t seen play in two years.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: WR N’Keal Harry
ESPN projection: WR No. 58 (618 yards, 4 TD, 89 points)
With Gronk retired (for now), N’Keal Harry could see more snaps in the slot than we’d typically expect from a rookie. But he’s still a rookie, and it takes time to earn Tom Brady’s trust. Wait a year before investing in Harry.
AFC North
BALTIMORE RAVENS: Any WR or TE
The Ravens have spent the offseason telling us that their offense is going to be unlike anything we’ve seen in the NFL. My takeaway: Baltimore will be running the ball A LOT.
CLEVELAND BROWNS: RB Nick Chubb
ESPN projection: RB No. 14 (1,138 rush yards, 297 rec. yards, 11 total TD, 207.5 points)
Nick Chubb finished the 2018 season as Pro Football Focus’s highest-graded running back, but he’ll have more competition for carries when Kareem Hunt returns from suspension. And I don’t see Freddie Kitchens and Todd Monken, the Browns’ offensive brain trust, running the ball a whole lot.
CINCINNATI BENGALS: WR Tyler Boyd
ESPN projection: WR No. 25 (985 yards, 4 TD, 124.4 points)
Tyler Boyd is a good receiver but I feel like he has a little too much hype surrounding him heading into draft season. A.J. Green will eventually return and claim a lion’s share of the targets, and we still have to see how Boyd fits in new coach Zac Taylor’s offense. I wouldn’t avoid Boyd — I promise I did not mean for that to rhyme — but I would be cautious about drafting him too high.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS: RB James Conner
ESPN projection: RB No. 10 (1,034 rush yards, 409 rec. yards, 13 total TD, 214.8 points)
James Conner proved to be a worthy successor to Le’Veon Bell in 2018, but now we’re seeing reports that Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner is enamored with versatile backup Jaylen Samuels. We could be looking at a timeshare in Pittsburgh.
AFC South
HOUSTON TEXANS: QB Deshaun Watson
ESPN projection: QB No. 2 (3,939 passing yards, 613 rush yards, 30 total TD, 11 INT, 319.7 points)
This has nothing to do with Deshaun Watson, who is a fantastic quarterback. But have you seen the Texans’ starting offensive line? And Bill O’Brien isn’t the most progressive offensive coach. There are high fantasy expectations for Watson, and I’m not sure Houston has done enough to help him meet them.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: TE Eric Ebron
ESPN projection: TE No. 11 (534 yards, 6 TD, 92.7 points)
This one is pretty simple for me: Eric Ebron isn’t going to catch a billion touchdowns again. There will be a regression to the mean. And Jack Doyle being around for a full season will cut into Ebron’s targets. Buy low.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: RB Leonard Fournette
ESPN projection: RB No. 12 (901 rush yards, 399 rec. yards, 10 total TD, 187.7 points)
Leonard Fournette has yet to average more than four yards in a season, and now he’s playing for an offensive coordinator who won’t be calling 30 runs a game. Fournette needs a big workload if he’s going to be a fantasy asset, and I don’t think new Jags offensive coordinator John DeFilippo is going to give him that.
TENNESSEE TITANS: WR Corey Davis
ESPN projection: WR No. 38 (753 yards, 4 TD, 103.2 points)
Corey Davis would be a star on a team with a more stable quarterback situation. I don’t trust Marcus Mariota or Ryan Tannehill to get the most out the talented third-year receiver.
AFC West
DENVER BRONCOS: RB Phillip Lindsay
ESPN projection: RB No. 28 (774 rush yards, 252 rec. yards, 6 total TD, 140.8 points)
The undrafted free agent broke out during his rookie season, but I would not be surprised if Denver went with more of a committee approach in 2019 and split carries between Lindsay and Royce Freeman. That would obviously drive the former’s fantasy value down quite a bit.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: RB Damien Williams
ESPN projection: RB No. 21 (645 rush yards, 401 rec. yards, 11 TD, 169.4 points)
I’m of the belief that any moderately talented back will have success in Andy Reid’s offense, meaning Williams is replaceable. Carlos Hyde has stepped in for Williams during camp and has been playing well. Hyde should also be first in line for goal-line carries, and, if he continues to impress in camp, that could lead to a bigger workload all around.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS: Wr Keenan Allen
ESPN projection: WR No. 10 (1,232 yards, 7 TD, 165.4 points)
With Mike Williams emerging as the team’s chief red zone target and Hunter Henry returning from an injury, you have to wonder if there will be enough red-zone targets to go around for Keenan Allen to produce like an elite WR1.
OAKLAND RAIDERS: WR Tyrell Williams
ESPN projection: WR No. 50 (790 yards, 4 TD, 100.1 points)
Derek Carr isn’t exactly known for pushing the ball downfield, which isn’t the best news for a receiver who thrives off of deep targets. Unless Carr dramatically changes the way he plays the quarterback position, Tyrell Williams will have a rough season.
