Very often the difference between winning and losing in Re-Draft leagues comes down to which players you avoid in the draft. If you are a regular reader here you already know that I’ve already done hundreds of mock drafts as research for the blog and more importantly in preparation for my own league drafts. Most Fantasy Football enthusiasts have preferences or disdain for certain players for various reasons. We draft with out gut and hope for the best. Each season there are players that I simply will not draft for a multitude of reasons. In this article I will profile 5 players that will not wind up on any of my fantasy squads.
For the purposes of this article I’m using ADP Data from Fantasy Pros
#5) Wes Welker WR Denver (ADP 40) – Welker is a big name player on an the most potent high scoring offense in the league. The problem is concussions. Welker had at least two concussions last season over a short timeframe. I believe there is more then a 50% chance we see another concussion this season and sadly I could see the next one as a career ender. There’s no way I’m risking my late 3rd rounder on a player with such a high injury risk. I’ll wait and grab Emanuel Sanders 40 spots later (ADP 81).
#4) Zac Stacy RB St. Louis (ADP 23) – Stacy burst on to the scene in 2013 with nice results for St. Louis. He saw a ton of volume in their running game and appeared headed towards a feature back role. Still with an ADP of 23 he won’t be on any of my fantasy teams. Stacy plays in the NFC West where fantasy players go to die. He will face Seattle, San Francisco and Arizona 6 times. As if facing top five defenses on a regular basis wasn’t enough, he also faces a playing time challenge from a highly regarded rookie Tre Mason. There’s just too much risk involved with using a high pick on Zac Stacy this season. Let the suckers grab him and grab one of Jordy Nelson, Alshon Jeffrey, Antonio Brown or Julius Thomas instead.
#3) Adrian Peterson RB Vikings(ADP 2) – Oh no he didn’t! Oh yes I did! Peterson is a great player that seems to defy the aging process. But this season he probably won’t be on any of my fantasy squads. Peterson is generally being drafted in the top 3 in most drafts. So why avoid him? First, Minnesota is a team in flux. They’ll be starting a Rookie QB in Bridgewater and I expect the offense to take a step back. Now before you start screaming about how Peterson has done well in the past with crappy QB’s let me stop you right there. I know this. Still my preference in the top of round one would be to grab players from explosive offenses with higher ceilings. I would take Forte’, Shady and Charles ahead of Peterson this season. I’d even have to struggle a bit if choosing between Lacy and Peterson this season. Since AP will be long gone by pick #5, he won’t wind up on any of my teams.
#2) Arian Foster RB Texans (ADP 12) – Every season some veteran Fantasy stars get over-drafted due to name recognition. Last season it was MJD going in the late second round. This season it’s Arian Foster being taken at the top of the second round. Let’s face reality for a minute. Foster is coming off a back injury that at one point looked career ending. The injury risk is high with this one. To make matters worse Houston looks like it could be in for a tough season on offense. Ryan Fitzpatrick is not an NFL starting caliber QB. His arm is garbage and defenses will key in on the run game. Word out of Houston is that they plan to reduce Foster’s workload this season in an effort to keep him healthy all season. I’ll let some other team owner worry about that. Foster will not be on my team. I’ll happily grab DeMarco Murray or Montee Ball a few spots later in the draft and laugh all the way to a Fantasy Championship.
#1 Andre Ellington RB Arizona (ADP 33) – The Ellington hype has become almost unbearable this season. Personally, I just don’t get it. Elington plays the Joker role for Arizona. The coaching staff there does not feel he has the size or durability to handle a feature back role. To make matters worse he plays in the NFC West. I don’t want to take a 3rd round Running Back that needs to be benched 4 games a season (Seattle and San Francisco). C.J. Spiller, a similar player in a better division for RB’s with higher upside, has an ADP of 35. Grab him instead. Or better yet wait a few more rounds and grab Shane Vereen (ADP 87). Similar potential at a much cheaper draft price.
That’s it for my top five players I won’t be drafting list. Remember this isn’t written in stone and everyone has a price. If Adrian Peterson is available in the bottom of the 1st round of course I’d take him. Nothing is written in stone. That said the beauty of Fantasy Football is that we all have our opinions and we all think we’re right. There’s a reason some owners win consistently and some don’t. Knowing which players to avoid is often more important then knowing which ones to draft.
What players will you be avoiding this season? Drop us a comment and lets get this discussion going in the comments section below!