The reality of fantasy football is, you can’t have everyone, so you should know who you’re not willing to invest in, that way, when you’re on the clock, you are at ease with who to choose.
A wise man once said: Hate the ADP (average draft position), not the player.
Now, an important disclaimer in this is- nobody of any real value should be so untouchable for you that you let them slip 5 rounds past where they should go. As the million dollar man once said, everybody’s got a price. So for instance, if you don’t have a QB…but you hate Dak this season for some reason…and he’s falling to round 12. Take him. And get over yourself.
Here are the players I’m avoiding if I can help it:
·Austin Ekeler: This pains me, because I really like the player but right now Ekeler is going as the 13th guy off the board on average, ahead of guys like Stefon Diggs, Najee Harris, Calvin Ridley, and Antonio Gibson. All players I like more than Ekeler this year. Ekeler is a dynamic receiver out of the backfield, but if I’m going to invest what is basically round 1 capitol on a guy, I need volume, durability, and touchdowns. He provides basically none of those things. He’s supposed to be their “bell cow” back this year, but he’s never done that. Last year they tried and he broke down after 3 games. Missed time with a severe hamstring injury and was just ok when he came back. Ekeler’s been in the league 4 years and has NEVER rushed for more than 557 yards.
·Patrick Mahomes: I know, I know. He’s the best going today and I would love to have him on my fantasy team too. But he’s just too damn expensive! When McDonalds is selling burgers for a dollar, there’s no reason to go next door and buy one for $20. Mahomes is great but he’s also playing a position that is plush with greatness. Even if you just wanted to wait for the 2nd ranked QB in fantasy – you can still get Josh Allen 17 spots later according to ADP. And there’s not that much of a gap between the 2. Lamar Jackson, who I have ranked @ 2, is going 25 spots later than Mahomes. Mahomes was QB1 by a mile in 2018, but other QB’s have caught up in the points department. Just a fact.
·Amari Cooper: Now to players I actually don’t like. Cooper falls into the ‘you can have him category’ where I genuinely just don’t want him on my team. Too much volatility game by game. Often times we ignore this part of fantasy prep…we get so busy looking at rankings and projections and points scored the previous year…we forget that total points really means nothing. If I feel like I can’t start you, and so I bench you, and then you blow up after 3 garbage weeks, then it basically didn’t happen. Now at the end of the year, your total points will look great…but to that fantasy owner, it was meaningless. That is the life of Amari Cooper. The disappearing act of fantasy football.
·Kenny Golladay: I don’t trust his health, I don’t trust his QB, I don’t trust the Giants. I don’t want any part of it. He played in just 4 games last year and is still having trouble getting on the practice field for his new team. No thanks.
·Any Bucs RB: They would have to fall so far to me. Ronal Jones, Leonard Fournette, Gio Bernard…not interested in any of them. Bruce Arians named Jones/Fournette co-starters, which is code for puke in fantasy and Gio matches what Brady wants in a RB. A different guy will go off every week and you’ll never guess right, just avoid it.
·Melvin Gordon: A) He bores me. B) He is going to lose his job to Javonte Williams by about week 5.
·Odell Beckham Jr.: Did you know that Sterling Shepard is averaging more fantasy point per game over the last couple of seasons than OBJ? Don’t let his name value fool you, he’s not the same guy anymore.
·DJ Chark: I’m not even sure he’s on the Jags anymore, can someone put an APB out on him. Marvin Jones will be the #1. Shenault will probably end up leading the team in receptions, but most of his stuff will be short yardage. And I think they’re going to run a lot. Chark is the odd man out.
Photo: Getty Images