Fitz’s Fantasy Football Busts to Avoid (2023)

Here are a few of the players I’m avoiding in 2023 fantasy football drafts. Upgrade to our premium subscription to view my full list of 2023 players to avoid.

Draft Targets for Every Round: Early | Middle | Late
Fitz’s Draft Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE
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2023 Fantasy Football Draft Kit

Fantasy Football Draft Players to Avoid

D’Andre Swift (RB – PHI)

The Lions had three years to assess Swift and gave him a thumbs-down a la Joaquin Phoenix in “Gladiator.” They were so eager to replace Swift, in fact, that they spent the 12th pick of the NFL Draft on his replacement, Jahmyr Gibbs, even though running backs are rarely drafted in the top half of the first round these days.

The Lions traded Swift to the Eagles, which seems like a soft landing. But is it really? Yes, the Eagles have a terrific overall offense, a top offensive line, and they’re skewed toward the run. But several Eagles beat writers believe Rashaad Penny will be Philadelphia’s primary early-down back. Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott are still around, too.

Much of Swift’s fantasy value during his time in Detroit was derived from his pass catching. Detroit RBs were targeted at the 11th-highest rate in the league last year, with Swift drawing 70 of the Lions’ 115 RB targets. Eagles RBs were targeted at the lowest rate in the league last season, drawing only 61 targets.

Pass.

Javonte Williams (RB – DEN)

The knee injury Javonte sustained last October was a bad one. He tore his ACL and LCL, also damaging his posterior lateral corner. Multi-ligament knee tears typically require a longer recovery than isolated ACL tears, and when Javonte returns to regular-season action, he might not be his old self right away.

J.K. Dobbins tore his ACL and LCL in the 2021 preseason, along with his hamstring and meniscus. Dobbins didn’t return until Week 3 of the 2022 season, didn’t look like his old self in his first four games back, was shut down for another seven weeks, then finally looked normal when he returned in Week 14. It amounted to nearly a 16-month recovery.

It’s painful to fade a player as talented as Javonte, but it’s the prudent move. It’s encouraging news that he wasn’t placed on the PUP list at the start of training camp, but take that news with numerous grains of salt, a shot of tequila and a hit of lime.