Players to Avoid in Fantasy Drafts

Added on Aug 17, 2012 by Scott in

NFL

Fantasy football season is upon us. Draft strategies are being plotted, rankings are being assembled and sleepers are being awakened. Experience tells us that botching a draft can and will cause a mountain of unwanted headaches for owners starving for fake glory. So rather than load your roster with risky players, why not put in the time to lessen the chances of disaster striking? Here are some names to avoid in 2012.

Adrian Peterson (Vikings) – If he’s sitting there in the third- or fourth-round, by all means grab him and feel good about it. However, don’t be the guy who believes AP is medical miracle who can shake off a shredded ACL in nine months and be just as dominant. Not gonna happen. Let someone else be fooled.

Darren McFadden (Raiders) – Like fellow AFC West injury-prone dynamo Ryan Mathews, Run DMC possesses oceans of talent offset by gallons of unreliability. He’s coming off the board in the top 20 of most drafts and that’s just plain insane. IF he stays healthy, he’s a lock for a monster season, but do you really want to put that much faith in him? No way.

Michael Vick (Eagles) – Vick’s two stud fantasy campaigns were in 2002 and 2010, when he combined to rush for 17 touchdowns. In his other seven seasons, Vick totaled only 16 scores on the ground. Despite his mechanical improvements under Andy Reid’s tutelage, he’s still an average passer at best. Draft him as a low-end number one, not an every week starter.

Andre Johnson (Texans) – Houston’s offense no longer runs through #80 since Arian Foster burst onto the scene in 2010. Johnson will probably put up solid numbers in 2012, but he’s never scored more than nine touchdowns in a season and staying healthy is becoming a problem.

Santonio Holmes (Jets) – When Tim Tebow eventually takes over under center, all of the Jets wideouts will be immediately downgraded. The bottom line with Holmes is simple: he’s had one legit fantasy year since entering the league in 2006. Draft him as a number three no earlier than the eighth round.

Chris Wells (Cardinals) – Don’t let the ten touchdowns he scored last year dupe you into the notion that Beanie is poised for a breakout. He’s still a brittle flower packed into a 6’2″ 230 lb body. And now Ryan Williams is back in the picture. Larry Fitzgerald remains the only Cardinal worth drafting.

Randy Moss (49ers) – Moss will find out soon enough that Alex Smith isn’t Tom Brady once Smith bounces a deep ball into the dirt. Not to mention, the Niners are a run-first offense and Vernon Davis is Smith’s favorite target. Randy might have a huge game or two, but he’s worth nothing more than a late round flier.