We’ve all played fantasy football long enough to have been burnt. And we always remember the busts. I’ve won my main league three times, but some of my most vivid memories are of the guys who totally destroyed my season, whether it be due to bad performance or injuries.
And when these players hurt us badly, we vow never to draft them again.
While it’s hard to operate in absolutes in fantasy football — value is value, after all — the names below have achieved rare status: they’ll never get another chance from me.
This is my Never Again Team for the 2023 season.
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Fantasy Football Never Again Team
Never Again Quarterback: Trey Lance (SF)
Am I being a little harsh? Probably. Lance came into the 2022 season with serious hype, then struggled in a Week 1 monsoon before breaking his fibula in Week 2.
In most years, you can stomach a loss at quarterback. But 2022 was a horrible year to play the waiting and streaming game at the position. That’s what made drafting Lance even more disappointing. And given the three-ring circus surrounding San Francisco’s quarterback situation this year, I want no part of Lance, no matter how talented he might be.
I don’t have the willpower to try and make sense out of a quarterback camp battle between Lance, Sam Darnold, and Brock Purdy, a more random collection of characters than the Need for Speed movie franchise.
Honorable mention: Russell Wilson (DEN)
Wilson was initially the first name that came to mind after a season that made him extremely unlikable both on and off the field. But I’m more willing to see what Russ does with Sean Payton at the helm, as I think Nathaniel Hackett’s incompetence played a big role in his demise.
Never Again Running Back: Antonio Gibson (WAS)
I want to remind you that none of these names on this list should be shocking, and Gibson shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. If you relied on Gibson as your RB2 or even as your FLEX, it was an uncomfortable and dissatisfying ride that ended with Brian Robinson overtaking him as the lead back in the offense. In between all of it were flashes of decent games that made you believe he could chip in with 60 yards, a few receptions, and maybe a touchdown here or there. Gibson was the guy who would produce nothing when he cracked your lineup but would put up decent numbers while toiling away on your bench.
Relying on Gibson was like relying on the class clown to pull their weight in a high school group science project.
Never Again Running Back 2: Any Chiefs Running Back
Sometimes I just get tired of trying to find a fantasy opportunity that isn’t there. For years, fantasy football players have drafted INSERT CHIEF RUNNING BACK’S NAME HERE, hoping they’d serve as Patrick Mahomes‘ caddy and score a billion 1-yard touchdowns when Mahomes needed to rest his amazing arm.
And this isn’t to say that Chiefs running backs don’t produce. Jerick McKinnon finished the year as the RB21, after all, right? While that may be true, McKinnon did so with 291 rushing yards and nine receiving touchdowns. For a running back. Good luck if you’re expecting that to happen again. And sure, Isiah Pacheco is a nice runner. He’s a bowling ball. But I don’t think the Chiefs view him as a featured back because they haven’t viewed anyone as a featured back for several years.
As far as I’m concerned, Mahomes and Travis Kelce are the only Chiefs who will deliver consistently, with everyone else having their moments but never being consistent enough to trust. I’m tired of chasing Chiefs tailbacks.
Never Again Wide Receiver: Amari Cooper (CLE)
Amari Cooper’s existence is predicated on frustrating fantasy football players. Now, you may be stunned to see Cooper on this list, considering he finished ninth among wideouts in 2022. But anyone who had Cooper last year knows it was a rocky ride. Cooper finished as a WR1 six times last season. He finished outside the top 30 receivers on nine different occasions.
Cooper might be the purest definition of a boom-or-bust player. And he’s just far too inconsistent for me to count on as my weekly WR2 in starting lineups.
I stopped riding roller coasters years back because they make me too nauseous. The same goes for Cooper.
Never Again Wide Receiver 2: Michael Thomas (NO)
Drafting Michael Thomas is like seeing the new Indiana Jones movie. You buy your ticket out of nostalgia. You know in your heart that Harrison Ford probably can’t turn back the clock and deliver a vintage performance. But you go anyways because there’s just a sliver of hope that you get something brilliant.
Ultimately, the experience ends up being 2.5 hours of disappointment.
2019 Michael Thomas is never coming back, just like you aren’t seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark reincarnated. I learned this lesson the hard way last season, and now I’m done for good. No more remakes.
Who’s on your Never Again Team? Let me know on Twitter @RealMattBarbato.
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