With the regular season of the NFL starting very soon, it is time to finalize your fantasy roster. There are always players who are automatic locks to draft if you get the chance such as running backs Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs.
But, there are also players who can make or break your fantasy team this year. These players are unpredictable or some of them get drafted higher than they should because of how recognizable their name is. Players like that are not ones you should have on your roster this season.
So, here are five players to avoid drafting in fantasy football this season.
RB Christian McCaffrey - San Francisco 49ers
In one of my fantasy drafts, I had the chance to draft either Christian McCaffrey or wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the Seattle Seahawks. I chose Smith-Njigba despite
the importance of drafting running backs early this year because I do not have confidence in McCaffrey to stay healthy. Last season was the first time he played in all 17 games since 2022 which is the year he was traded from the Carolina Panthers to the 49ers. In his entire NFL career, he has not played in all games in consecutive seasons since 2017 and 2018; there were only 16 games in a season at that time. With him turning 30 during the offseason, I do not expect this year will be the first time since the NFL expanded to 17 games in 2021 that he plays in all 17 games. Even if you have other reliable running backs, McCaffrey is someone to avoid.
QB Joe Burrow - Cincinnati Bengals
My concern with Joe Burrow is the exact same as my concern with McCaffrey - injury history. Burrow missed nine games last season, seven games in 2023, a game in 2021 and 2022 and six games his rookie year in 2020. Simply put, he never survives a full season especially in the past few years. The reason for this is clear, Cincinnati has had a poor offensive line that cannot protect Burrow. Supposedly, the unit is supposed to be better this year, but I still have my doubts. One caveat to avoiding him - if you are planning to draft a second quarterback earlier in the draft, then Burrow is not a bad pickup. It is just important that if you take the risk on Burrow to plan for him to potentially get injured and need the backup quarterback to become the starter. If you do not want to take that risk and have a more reliable quarterback, then avoid Burrow.
TE Harold Fannin Jr. - Cleveland Browns
The reason to avoid Harold Fannin Jr actually has nothing to do with him. He had a solid rookie season with the Cleveland Browns last year with 731 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Tight ends are also hard to come by if you do not grab one of the first three. If the quarterbacks for the Browns were going to be Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, I would not be concerned. However, the fact that Cleveland is starting DeShaun Watson, who looked terrible in the preseason, severely hurts Fannin’s fantasy value. With Hannin’s average draft position (ADP) right now, there are better tight end options available.
WR Wan’Dale Robinson - Tennessee Titans
Wan’Dale Robinson has two problems - his quarterback and the wide receiver competition. First, quarterback Cam Ward did not prove he is a franchise quarterback last season or in the preseason. In fact, former Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky actually looked better in the preseason. That does not give me a lot of confidence in Robinson’s fantasy production. Second, Tennessee did not draft Carnell Tate No. 4 overall so Robinson could go all season as the top wide receiver. They also have Calvin Ridley, so there are plenty of options for Ward to spread the ball around. This creates a bad scenario for Robinson’s potential in fantasy this season and makes him someone to completely pass in your fantasy draft.
RB TreVeyon Henderson - New England Patriots
Honestly, I have tended to avoid New England Patriots running backs for several years because they tend to have a two-back system that makes both of them unserviceable in fantasy football. Last year, that is precisely what happened. TreVeyon Henderson had 180 attempts while Rhamondre Stevenson had 130 attempts. While Henderson did more with his rushing opportunities, Stevenson was used more as the receiving back. This backfield split never ends well for fantasy owners, making Henderson (and Stevenson for that matter) someone to pass on this season.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 5 players to avoid drafting in fantasy football this season
