Fantasy football features players who are hyped up way too much every season. It’s always good to look for gems late in the draft and even better when they turn out to be big contributors on fantasy football rosters. The worst part is reaching for overhyped talent that fails to make any sort of impact throughout the season. These are some players to avoid when drafting.
Aaron Jones has received much less hype going into this season when compared to previous years, but he still shouldn’t be relied on. His ADP is listed as the 23rd running back. The tricky part is his new backfield partner, Jordan Mason.
Mason was the backup to Christian McCaffrey on the San Francisco 49ers and had a tremendous year last season in McCaffrey’s absence. Jones has still looked like the number one back in training camp, but with his competition closer than ever, one slip-up may allow Mason to get more snaps.
Puka Nacua is an early candidate for a fantasy football bust, and it is not his fault at all. His QB situation is as much of an unknown as anyone in the league. Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has been dealing with a back injury that has prevented him from practicing yet.
Nacua has been frequently selected in the first round of drafts, and that is just way too high. He is absolutely still a great receiver, but in games played without Stafford, he averages less than 40 yards per game. If his aging QB misses time, Nacua’s fantasy value will face a major setback, which is way too much of a risk for a mid-first round pick.
Derrick Henry has been one of the greatest running backs of his generation, but his value in Fantasy Football has been slipping year after year. His inability to impact the game as a receiver hurts his chances of having extremely high-scoring fantasy games in PPR leagues.
Henry has never been a receiver, but his ability to break huge touchdown runs has carried him through previous fantasy seasons. Henry is now entering his age-32 season and is coming off another year with a heavy workload. Despite his reliability, every trend of running backs says he cannot keep it up.
Henry is being drafted as the fourth RB in drafts, but his lack of great upside is concerning. Players like Chase Brown and Bucky Irving are younger and have higher upside as a pass catcher, and can be drafted more than a round after Henry.
Reaching for big-name players like Henry and Nacua in the first round is the downfall of many fantasy football players’ seasons. Evaluation of a player’s situation must be completed before drafting. Henry and Nacua are fantastic players, and at face value, look extremely appealing early in drafts. Diving deeper into a player’s role on their team and the players around them that may impact their production is necessary when looking to win a fantasy football championship.
If you love sports, download Stadium Rant from the Apple App Store and join one of the fastest-growing social sports communities. Be sure to follow us on socials too — you can find all our profiles on our Linktree.
