Anyone who’s played fantasy for any degree of time has been burned by at least one player at some point. Sometimes the disappointment is so strong that you may vow to never draft that player again unless you can get them at an extreme discount from their current draft price. We’re sure many who took a chance on Cam Newton and James Conner last year know exactly how that feels.
With that being said, our featured analysts are here to share with you which athletes they are highly reluctant to draft again. It’s important to remember that most of the players we are about to mention are not being suggested as players to completely avoid and they will likely provide some value if they were taken at a discount.
Super-charge your draft preparation with our Fantasy Football Tools 
Q1. Who is one RB that burned you so bad you can’t fathom taking them at or near their ADP?
Miles Sanders (PHI): ADP – RB20 | 36th Overall
“There isn’t a lot of history here, but once is enough for me. That may not apply to everyone, but it does apply to those in a crowded backfield with a new coach and scheme. Nick Sirianni wasn’t shy about using a committee with his backfield while in Indianapolis, and based on the running backs the Eagles brought in via free agency and the draft, it appears that is the direction they’ll be going in Philadelphia.”
– Rich Piazza (Fantasy Shed)
“The deep committee system continues in Philadelphia and that’s really all you need to know. With Boston Scott, Kerryon Johnson, and Kenneth Gainwell in the backfield, you simply cannot target Miles Sanders in redraft. On the positive side, Sanders remains a solid choice for best-ball enthusiasts and a must-have.”
– Richard Savill (Fantasy Six Pack)
Josh Jacobs (LV): ADP – RB16 | 30th Overall
“It’s weird to say that Jacobs ‘burned’ me, as he finished as the RB8 in half-PPR formats, but he was still enough of a disappointment that I’m certainly not going near him as a mid-RB2 and the 30th pick of the board. Jacobs survives as a fantasy option because of his large volume of carries (273 last year) and his red-zone usage (66 carries, second most in the league), but his touchdowns were so concentrated (nine of his 12 touchdowns came in four games) that he more often than not left fantasy managers wanting more. Throw in Kenyan Drake, who should quiet any leftover notions that Jacobs will do anything in the passing game, and a weaker offensive line, and I just can’t go near him at his price. I’ll spare myself the Instagram hoaxes this year.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)
David Johnson (HOU): ADP – RB35 | 83rd Overall
“I’m in a dynasty league with some other FantasyPros writers and I sadly started off my squad back in 2018 with Johnson as my first-round pick. Whoops! Thankfully I’ve managed to have some success in that league in spite of DJ and pawned him off for a first-round rookie pick in the middle of last season. He won’t be finding his way onto any of my rosters again considering his advancing age, diminished skill set, tenuous spot on the depth chart, and train wreck of a team situation. If you’re going to force me to draft a Texans back, give me Phillip Lindsay.”
– Andrew Seifter (FantasyPros)
Damien Harris (NE): ADP – RB32 | 76th Overall
“This is less about Harris and more about the Patriots’ RBs. If you could combine the backfield into one player, he would surely be a stud for fantasy. However, James White is taking pass-catching duties and a mix of Cam Newton and Rhamondre Stevenson will steal goal-line work. In previous years, I’ve bought into the backfield and have seen good results by the end of the season, but you never feel comfortable starting them each week since it’s a lottery whether any of them have a good week or not.”
– Richard Cooling (5 Yard Rush)
Joe Mixon (CIN): ADP – RB13 | 20th Overall
“It pains me, but it’s Mixon simply because I don’t HAVE to consider the talent at the position near him. With the upside of Najee Harris, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and others, I don’t think the combination of Mixon’s injury history, offensive line, and great WR corps make for a good investment at his current ADP.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)
Q2. Who is one WR that burned you so bad you can’t fathom taking them at or near their ADP?
Mike Evans (TB): ADP – WR12 | 37th Overall
“I’m not fading Evans as much as some unnamed FantasyPros analysts, but he can’t be taken as the 12th receiver off the board. Evans had a fine season, again surpassing 1,000 yards receiving and scoring 13 touchdowns. But he had 10 games with 56 or fewer yards and seven games with three or fewer receptions, so he was hardly someone on whom you felt you could rely. Had he finished with his career average of nine touchdowns on the season, he would have finished as the WR17, which is exactly where I have him ranked. It’s hard to see him improving much on his 109 targets from last year with a full year of a healthy Antonio Brown, making his ADP of the 12th wide receiver off the board way too high.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)
Tyler Lockett (SEA): ADP – WR20 | 56th Overall
“Lockett’s a good football player who catches passes from a great QB, but he’s also the No. 2 receiver on a team that desperately wants to run the ball. Last year, he was a really fun player to have in your lineup on September 27, October 25, and January 3 (when the vast majority of fantasy leagues were already over). The rest of the time, he was infuriating. Mindlessly starting a receiver who only broke 70 yards once between Weeks 4 and 16 was the fantasy football equivalent of banging your head against a wall, but we all felt compelled to do it because we didn’t want to miss the next three-touchdown game. I’ll pass this time around, thanks.”
– Andrew Seifter (FantasyPros)
Odell Beckham Jr. (CLE): ADP – WR25 | 69th Overall
“It has been a few years since Beckham has returned any value on his ADP. We all know that he has all the talent, but health has been a major problem for the 28-year-old receiver. Now entering a season in which he appears to be fully healthy and ready to go, he still finds himself on a team that will lean on the running game and is paired with a quarterback that plays better when Beckham isn’t on the field. Even at his lowest ADP, he won’t be on many of my rosters.”
– Rich Piazza (Fantasy Shed)
Kenny Golladay (NYG): ADP – WR25 | 69th Overall
“I was a big Golladay believer, but he burned me in a few leagues last year by not returning from his injury. Moving to this year, he’s in a new season, but we’re already seeing nagging injuries start to surface. The same hamstring that sidelined him last year is now forcing him to miss preseason action. For the price of a sixth-round pick, I just can’t pull the trigger and feel comfortable.”
– Richard Cooling (5 Yard Rush)
JuJu Smith-Schuster (PIT): ADP – WR30 | 80th Overall
“Was Antonio Brown right? Maybe. The fact is that Smith-Schuster is practically undraftable and his place in the Pittsburgh pecking order is now third. You have to wonder if James Washington and Smith-Schuster were on another team — which one would shine? It isn’t as obvious as you think.”
– Richard Savill (Fantasy Six Pack)
Thank you to the experts for sharing who they won’t be drafting again in fantasy football. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and subscribe to our podcast below for advice all year round.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
