Fantasy owners generally have high hopes for the players they select. However, there’s always the chance that one athlete you grab frustrates you so unbelievably much that you vow not to take a chance on them in the future. Maybe this is how you felt when Josh Gordon was suspended (yet again) right before fantasy championship week. Perhaps it was after boom-or-bust wideout Corey Davis failed to accrue 50 receiving yards in any game from Weeks 13-16. No one would blame you for feeling this way with Leonard Fournette after his big struggles with health and performance last year.
Our featured experts fully understand how frustrating suspensions, inconsistent production, and health concerns can be for fantasy owners to deal with. Keep in mind that no matter how infuriating someone is, every player is worth taking if they fall far enough. So with that being said, who are the players these pundits simply cannot justify nabbing around their current Average Draft Position (ADP)? Their answers are below.
Q1. Who is one RB that burned you so bad you can’t fathom taking them at or near their ADP?
Mark Ingram (BAL)
ADP: 46th Overall | RB22
“In order to acquire Ingram’s services a year ago, you had to spend a top-50 pick on him. With an ADP of 46th overall and RB22, things are no different this year. Despite a four-game suspension, Ingram was getting drafted so high because people were expecting low-end RB1 production upon his return. That did not happen. In half PPR formats, Ingram scored fewer than 8.5 points in half of his games. With Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, and Lamar Jackson eating up a chunk of Baltimore’s carries, Ingram is headed for another timeshare – only this time, he won’t have the same scoring upside. Despite missing four games over the last two seasons, Ingram had just one fewer carry inside the five than all of Baltimore’s running backs combined during that span. Ingram is a hard pass for me at his current ADP.”
– Elisha Twerski (Cheesehead TV)
Dalvin Cook (MIN)
ADP: 19th Overall | RB12
“The sample size is small for Cook, and his talent level can’t be questioned. What I am questioning, however, is why we are still drafting him in the second round. Cook hasn’t been able to put together a healthy season since entering the league, and he has only amassed one, 100-yard rushing game after his rookie debut in 2017. Despite missing all but four games during his rookie campaign, he was still being drafted early in Round 2 (2.01) last season (3.04 ADP his rookie season). I know it is only two seasons, but he has failed to return any value on his draft capital in either of them and also failed us in the championship game a year ago.”
– Rich Piazza (Fantasy Shed)
Derrick Henry (TEN)
ADP: 36th Overall | RB18
“I’ve fallen for Henry before thinking that he’d get more involved in the passing game, but that ship has sailed, especially at his ADP. He’s gone through multiple coaching changes and nobody has thrown him the ball. With Dion Lewis on the roster, it’s unlikely that changes this year. He’s extremely talented, but Henry will be game script dependent once again in 2019.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
Kareem Hunt (CLE)
ADP: 93rd Overall | RB36
“I drafted Hunt everywhere I could his rookie year, and he was a great keeper for me in my main league last season…until he wasn’t. Now he’s in Cleveland and his suspension will keep him off the field until Week 10 (at the earliest). I want no part of drafting him as a top-100 player (RB36), and he’s absolutely on my do not draft list. You’re going to have a hard time holding onto Hunt through all of the bye weeks, and I don’t think he’ll even be worth the hassle.”
– Bart Wheeler (Hail to Fantasy Football)
Q2. Who is one WR that burned you so bad you can’t fathom taking them at or near their ADP?
Jarvis Landry (CLE)
ADP: 62nd Overall | WR26
“While his final rank did not end up being too far from his ADP, Landry’s finish to the 2018 season will have left a bitter taste in the mouths of those who owned him. In half-PPR formats, Landry failed to score more than eight points in seven of the final 10 games of the fantasy season. Landry was the only receiver to garner more than 130 targets and not finish inside the top 14 last year. That inefficiency led to Freddie Kitchens reducing his targets from 11.8 per game to 6.9 (nice). Landry’s about to play second fiddle to Odell Beckham Jr. so an ADP inside the top 65 is way too rich for me.”
– Elisha Twerski (Cheesehead TV)
Courtland Sutton (DEN)
ADP: 102nd Overall | WR40
“Last season, I spent a hefty amount of my FAAB budget on Sutton around Week 8 (after the Demaryius Thomas injury). He had every chance to perform with the added targets, but he was too inconsistent to even play down the stretch. He’ll have a similar opportunity this season, but I’m finding it hard to trust him. His ADP is in the top-40 wide receivers, but I barely have him in my top 50. I’d rather take a shot on Curtis Samuel or either of the young Green Bay receivers over Sutton.”
– Bart Wheeler (Hail to Fantasy Football)
Robby Anderson (NYJ)
ADP: 73rd Overall | WR30
“I believed in Anderson toward the end of the 2017 season and was willing to draft him in 2018 because of it. After a few disappointing games to open the year, he had a few big games, but was too inconsistent to trust in lineups. Add Le’Veon Bell and Jamison Crowder to the mix and it’s likely to bring even more inconsistency. I wouldn’t draft him anywhere near his top-30 (among wide receivers) ADP. ”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
Adam Thielen (MIN)
ADP: 26th Overall | WR12
“Theilen has put together some fantastic seasons the past two years and has rewarded his fantasy owners by finishing as a WR1 in both of them. So what’s the problem? He has disappeared during the fantasy playoffs in both of those seasons as well. Aside from Week 14 of 2017 when he had over 100 yards and a touchdown, Theilen has let so many of us down when it matters most. He has failed to score in any other fantasy playoff/championship game and has only topped 75 yards once. In fact, of those remaining five games, Theilen didn’t even produce a 50-yard performance in four of them.”
– Rich Piazza (Fantasy Shed)
Thanks to all of the experts for their players they wouldn’t draft again. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter for more great advice and check out our latest podcast below.
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