One of the most important aspects of completing a successful fantasy football draft is knowing who to target and who to avoid. Sure, there could be ‘value’ that presents itself through the draft, but it’s important to know which players you should not only avoid as the draft goes, but also to consider passing on even if the “value” is there. Here are my top players to avoid in 2023 fantasy football drafts. And here is a free closer look at a few of my top picks to avoid.

• More Fantasy Football Advice
• Snake Draft Pick Strategy: Early | Middle | Late
• Draft Targets for Every Round: Early | Middle | Late
• Fitz’s Draft Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE

Fantasy Football Players to Avoid

Here are players I’m avoiding.

D’Onta Foreman (RB – CHI)

It’s not as if Foreman has a lofty ADP, but it’s hard to see his path to fantasy relevance in 2023.

Foreman needs touch volume in order to pop. He got it at times last year in Carolina. After the Panthers traded away Christian McCaffrey, Foreman fell into a boatload of early-down touches. He had five 100-yard rushing games, averaging 23.4 carries in those games.

Foreman isn’t going to see those types of touch counts in Chicago this year. He’ll be in a three-man RB committee with Khalil Herbert and rookie Roschon Johnson. It’s possible he gets a majority or a plurality of the early-down carries, but he’s not going to average anything close to 20 carries a game, and he’s unlikely to contribute much as a pass catcher — Foreman has 23 catches in 43 career games.

There are better ways to spend a late-round draft pick.

Davante Adams (WR – LV)

Adams spent his first eight years in the NFL catching passes from future Hall-of-Famer Aaron Rodgers. Then, Adams headed to Las Vegas to reunite with his old college teammate at Fresno State, Derek Carr. Now, Adams will probably have the worst QB situation of his career.

New Raider Jimmy Garoppolo is capable and efficient, but he doesn’t aggressively push the ball downfield. Carr averaged 9.1 intended air yards per pass attempt last season, according to Pro Football Reference, the fourth-highest total in the league. Garoppolo averaged 6.9 intended air yards per pass attempt last year.

Adams is reportedly unhappy with the direction of the Raiders. I don’t know about you, but “disgruntled” is not among the qualities I seek in early-round fantasy picks.

Oh, and Adams is 30 now, so the age cliff is drawing closer.

Adams has been money in the bank for years, but it seems like a good year to let someone else draft him.

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