First-Round Fantasy Picks Who Could Be Busts

Added on Sep 08, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

NFL: JAN 12 AFC Divisional Playoffs - Jaguars v Patriots

It happens every year. No matter how much studying and analyzing you do, it’s inevitable. A handful of first-round fantasy picks will end up having disappointing seasons. In 2009, Matt Forte, Michael Turner and LaDainian Tomlinson were all top ten selections and all three were monumental busts. So, which players are most susceptible to doing an epic face-plant in 2010? Let’s take a look.

Maurice Jones-Drew – A month ago, MJD was the consensus number three overall pick. He’s the Jaguars entire offense and a touchdown machine… if he’s healthy. A reported balky knee has recently sounded alarms in fantasy circles. If you own him, hold your breath the knee is a-okay. If you haven’t drafted yet, you might want to consider safer options.

Steven Jackson – Two words: back surgery. Two more words: rookie quarterback. Now, Jackson is accustomed to playing in a bad offense and still manages to produce solid numbers. However, he’s scored only 18 total touchdowns in the last three seasons, and missed ten games to boot. He’s NOT a first-round running back and should be avoided until round two in drafts.

Ryan Mathews – All the so-called fantasy experts are gushing over the Chargers rookie running back. And it makes perfect sense. LT has taken his Hall of Fame career to New York making Mathews the main man in San Diego. He’s a 20-plus carry bell cow back with loads of upside. Buyer beware, though. Rookie running backs in the first-round of fantasy drafts are risky propositions.

Randy Moss – Typically, Moss is going around the end of the first round, or early in the second. The optimist in me says Randy is safe because he’s in a contract year and Tom Brady looks 100% healthy. The pessimist in me says Randy is already whining about not being appreciated. Uh, oh. An unhappy Randy can often lead to a disinterested Randy on the field.

Chris Johnson – 2500 yards?! C’mon, Coach’s Dream, that’s just plain silly. As someone who owns Johnson on one of his fake teams, I’m a little leery about those outlandish predictions. It’s highly unlikely he’ll come close to repeating last year’s gaudy stats, but 1500 yards and 10-12 scores is more than reachable, and I’ll be more than satisfied if he hits those figures.