Are you tired of making the same fantasy football mistakes year after year? In our latest article, a panel of Featured Pros analysts shares their insights on the players they will never draft again in 2024. Whether it’s due to injury history, inconsistent performance, or team changes, these experts break down why these players are no longer worth the risk. Don’t let these pitfalls derail your fantasy season—read on to discover which players to avoid and why.
Never Draft Again: Running Backs
Which one RB burned you so badly that you can’t fathom taking him at or near his half-PPR ADP?
“You know that one person in your life that you know is not really good for you, but you keep going back to them? Alvin Kamara, step forward, please. In between two seasons that saw Kamara post 39 total touchdowns (’18 and ’20) was the first year I had ever had him on a team, 2019. 97 catches wasn’t all that bad, but six touchdowns was meh. Perhaps the root of my Alvin Kamara torment was seeing him post only four touchdowns and top six or more catches in a game five times in 2022, a far cry from the lofty standards I had hoped for. The pain is unresolved, and I have not looked his way since.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
“Aaron Jones (RB19 in the ADP) left a bad taste in fantasy players’ mouths last season, missing six games and leaving others early with multiple injuries. More importantly, his production on the field was disappointing. He was the RB37, averaging 10.9 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. The veteran ranked 34th in explosive run rate (3.5%), 32nd in missed forced tackle per attempt rate (16%), and 21st in yards after contact per attempt (2.70) among running backs with at least 100 rushing attempts (per Fantasy Points Data). I don’t trust him, given his age, injury struggles, and situation in 2024. Fantasy players should draft Zamir White and Jonathon Brooks with a later ADP over Jones.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
“Rhamondre Stevenson is a fade at his current ADP of RB18 or #63 overall. Rhamondre’s career has been troubled with injuries, causing him to miss time in 2/3 seasons so far. Pair that with the fact that Antonio Gibson has been brought in to presumably eat up some targets out of the backfield, and I’m out on Stevenson at his current ADP. Cherry on top – New England’s win total is currently set at 4.5, while Rhamondre has never surpassed 6 TDs. I’d rather have James Conner at RB23, Aaron Jones at RB19, David Montgomery at RB21.”
– Justin Dodds (SleeperWire)
“James Cook. Yes, he is massively talented, but that’s exactly the issue. He lures you in every single season with the potential that this will be the season that he can finally get those red zone touches and improve on his TD numbers. But each and every season, he gets vultured by Josh Allen and whichever RB the Bills decide to trot out there. And Ray Davis feels like that mold of player.”
– Richard King (King Fantasy Sports)
“Everyone who took Austin Ekeler last year was hoping he could continue his streak of top 2 finishes, but the age cliff comes fast in your age 28 season. Ekeler averaged just 3.5 ypc last year, his yards after contact have dropped below 3.0 for two seasons in a row, and his fantasy points per game tanked to just 11.4 points per game and a meager 7.9 points per game over his last eight games. Ekeler now shares the backfield with Brian Robinson in a Kliff Kingsbury offense that has always favored a bellcow approach, but the fantasy death knell for Ekeler is that over five college seasons, quarterback Jayden Daniels threw only 14% of his targets to running backs, and only once was it over 14.8%! Ekeler has lived off of pass volume in the league, seeing 5.4 targets per game, and he isn’t likely to see the goal-line work in DC. It’ll be hard for Ekeler to pay off his RB33 price tag, and I’ll gladly stay away at that price.”
– James Emrick-Wilson (Armchair Scouting)
“I’ll draft any RB if the ADP is good enough… except for Austin Ekeler. He may have been hampered by a high-ankle sprain last season, but it’s possible that the 29-year-old is running out of gas. While I don’t necessarily believe the latter, it is important to note that Ekeler himself wants to be used less as a runner. With the 230-pound Brian Robinson leading the charge in Washington, I’ll pass on Ekeler every time at cost and take Robinson or Tyjae Spears instead.”
– Jeremy Shulman (Fantasy Football Universe)
“For the last three years, no matter what I did with Austin Ekeler, I got burned. In 2021 and 2022, I faded Ekeler, and he did awesome. So last year, I said screw it, I’m in on him, and he burns me again. Now I know how Dr. Evil feels. Austin Ekeler is the snake to my mongoose. Or the mongoose to my snake? Either way, it’s bad. This time, it’s personal! Muah! Dr. Evil Ringo”
– Mark Ringo (Sleepers and Busts)
“Kyren Williams is going as RB7, and while he has never burned me himself, this archetype of running back has been a poor investment in fantasy football. While Williams was certainly a league-winner in 2023, the chances are that last year was the top of the mountain for him. Most running backs with low draft capital are never able to replicate their breakout season numbers again, with a good percentage of them falling off a value cliff the next season. This is never more concerning than in a situation like this one, where the Rams invested heavily in Michigan Wolverines running back Blake Corum. I’m not guaranteeing that Williams is going to be a bust, but at his current ADP, I simply don’t want to invest such a high pick on such a risky profile.”
– Aaron St Denis (Fantasy Football Universe)
“Josh Jacobs. It seems like many agree with that sentiment, but for some reason, he’s still being drafted as an RB1 by ADP despite the absolute train wreck of a performance he had in the 2023 season. Do we really expect him to get that much better? I know he’s on a better offense now, but I can’t fathom a world where he continues to be a workhorse RB with MarShawn Lloyd and AJ Dillon also fighting for touches out of the backfield. Jacobs’ efficiency will have to improve significantly in order to meet his ADP, which is a bet I’m not willing to take this year.”
– Leo Sells (Couch Report Sports)
“D’Andre Swift is a player we fall for every offseason. There is a narrative that he will be more efficient as a runner without Jalen Hurts. He was not efficient in Detroit behind a great offensive line and he wasn’t efficient in Philly. The price is not as high as it has been in the past, but there is a reason Swift is on his 3rd team in three seasons. This could be more of a committee than we think.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)
“D’Andre Swift is on his third team in as many years. When he came into the league, he was supposed to be the next great Detroit running back. He disappointed fantasy managers and NFL fans as he never eclipsed 620 yards rushing in Detroit (Gibbs & Montgomery BOTH did that in 2023). Last year, in Philadelphia, he wasn’t a bust, but definitely lost weeks for owners with nine games under 10 points (including 3.9 pts in Week 1 of the fantasy playoffs)! In Chicago, with a rookie quarterback and other players in the backfield who could challenge for touches, he will continue to disappoint fantasy owners, which is why I will not draft him, even at his low RB2 ranking.”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)
“I really thought Javonte Williams was going to be a top running back in this league, but he just hasn’t panned out. I have taken him in leagues each of the past two seasons, and he has provided me with next to nothing. I expect more of the same this year, especially with recent reports he is just fighting for a roster spot.”
– Jeff Paur (RTSports)
“Jonathan Taylor as RB4 is way too high for me to even consider drafting him. With him as RB4, people are living in his glory days as RB1 TWO YEARS AGO. He has played in 21 total games over the past two seasons and his yards per carry has dropped below 4.5 in those two seasons. I get it. He was dominant when he joined the NFL. But now the team has a big-sized rushing quarterback that will likely take opportunities away from him. Yes, Taylor has shown RB1 upside, but until he shows he can stay healthy again, I am out on him as a top-10 running back to be drafted. I would much rather have a back like Najee or Joe Mixon, two running backs I know I can grab later that have proven they can stay on the field and produce.”
– Miguel ‘SC’ Romero (Fantasy Football Universe)
“I’ve never been a big Najee Harris believer, but some of my closest friends and family have been severely burned by glaring at his rookie season statistics like a solar eclipse with no shades. Harris, on paper, turned in a “solid” fantasy season in 2023, right? He finished RB21 in half-PPR scoring, the ultimate embodiment of mediocrity (and RB2 stability?). Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll see an RB who ranked just RB30 in points per game and was severely outplayed by fellow teammate and star-in-the-making Jaylen Warren. Arthur Smith has brought his run-friendly scheme to Pittsburgh for 2024, and Najee should stand to benefit and, if anything, remain at his RB30 points per game pace. But that’s not worth drafting at an RB20 price tag, my friends, especially when Warren is being taken at RB26 and nearly 15 picks later, according to FantasyPros ADP data. Remember, it was Smith who deserves credit for unearthing “The Big Dog” Derrick Henry in Tennessee when Henry was stuck in a timeshare and begging to be unleashed. We could see the same for Warren, a player who has shown flashes of prime Austin Ekeler in his game – and not Najee, for the Steelers and Smith this season.”
– Christopher Dell (Betting Predators)
Never Draft Again: Wide Receivers
Which one WR burned you so badly that you can’t fathom taking him at or near his half-PPR ADP?
“2023 Jaylen Waddle. Need I say more? Yes, he had over 1,000 yards last season that is all well and dandy. But 4 touchdowns? On top of that, you got to see Tua heave balls to Tyreek Hill on what seemed like a quarterly basis while Jaylen Waddle was out there just getting his reps in. The wound is too fresh for me to consider Waddle in 2024, and while he is a great regress to the mean candidate, I can’t stomach it.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
“Stefon Diggs (WR22 in the ADP) has had late-season struggles in back-to-back years. He was the WR47 over the final eight games last season, averaging only 7.5 half-point PPR fantasy points per game and 0.41 fantasy points per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). I would consider giving the veteran another chance in 2024 if he was still Josh Allen‘s No. 1 wide receiver. However, Diggs won’t see the 27.5% target share and 28% target per route run rate from last year in Houston, with Nico Collins and Tank Dell healthy. There are several wide receivers with a later ADP than Diggs that I would draft ahead of him, including Amari Cooper, George Pickens, Christian Kirk, and Chris Godwin.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
“Stefon Diggs is going way too high right now. Not only is he at the age cliff for wide receivers, but we already saw him hit a wall over the back half of the 2023 season. Now he gets traded to a team with two stud young wide receivers, and he’s still a borderline third-round pick? Too rich for my blood. I much prefer the top-five potential that Nico Collins brings to the table or the discount-upside that Tank Dell offers over a declining veteran on a new team.”
– Leo Sells (Couch Report Sports)
“Stefon Diggs is going off of the board as the WR22 in half-PPR scoring. I love CJ Stroud, but I think we have seen Stefon Diggs‘ best football. The past two seasons he has let us down in the second half of the season. In 2023, from weeks 10-18, he had two finishes inside the top 20 and zero top 12 finishes. In 2022, his fantasy football playoffs four-game stretch were WR59, WR40, WR69, and WR63. Nico and Dell will earn targets. Diggs should find it difficult to be a consistent option with less volume.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)
“As a fan of the Houston Texans, I absolutely love that they acquired Stefon Diggs. He has shown time and time again that he is a true WR1 of the NFL; however, after last year’s end-of-season stretch, Diggs left a bad taste in my mouth. Through the final eight games, he averaged just below five receptions with 43.6 yards per game. This is after the first nine games when he averaged eight receptions per game with 92.6 yards per game. That crazy dip cost me in some leagues, and although Diggs was great early on, that eight-game stretch will forever leave a scar on my heart to not draft him this season. But go Texans!”
– Miguel ‘SC’ Romero (Fantasy Football Universe)
“Drake London is someone I can’t get behind at his current ADP of WR12, 18th overall. I understand he’s up for some better QB play with Kirk Cousins joining the Falcons; however, the Falcons have also added some solid depth at WR that, in my opinion, might warrant some more targets than the previous depth of Jonnu Smith, Mack Hollins, & KhaDarel Hodge. London has finished as the WR36 & WR39 in his two seasons thus far, while his ADP has him being drafted in the mid-second round as the WR12. I’d much prefer Deebo Samuel at WR14, Jaylen Waddle at WR16, Mike Evans at WR17, Cooper Kupp at WR18, and possibly even DK Metcalf at WR20.”
– Justin Dodds (SleeperWire)
“Drake London is being drafted at an insanely high price tag of WR12 right now, ahead of fantasy rockstar staples such as Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jaylen Waddle, Mike Evans, Cooper Kupp, DK Metcalf … I could legitimately go on forever here … but let’s pump the brakes for a hot second. London barely finished inside the TOP 50 in WR fantasy half-PPR points per game (8.7) last season, ranking behind the likes of Kendrick Bourne and Bo Melton. I understand the optimism here. Kirk Cousins should revive a passing game that was left for dead in 2023, and London should benefit most in this pass-catching core. But the market is accounting for all that and 50 bags of chips right now, making London’s ADP price tag extremely tough to swallow. There’s no guarantee Cousins will make it through the season healthy at his age AND coming off major surgery. And if we get Michael Penix under center? Well, let’s just say London Bridge might be falling down in a hurry. That might’ve been the corniest line I’ve ever written, but it’s true, and you know it. Don’t take the bait, folks.”
– Christopher Dell (Betting Predators)
“DJ Moore. Yes, he had some big weeks, like that week’s winning game in Week 5 against Washington. But other than that, despite his target share, he only had 5 games where he found the endzone. In the second half of the season, he struggled to be the player that you’d need him to be at WR21. That’s before you even consider the impact of Keenan Allen in the offense!”
– Richard King (King Fantasy Sports)
“The answer will always be Calvin Ridley. Now, with the Tennessee Titans, Ridley gets a quarterback downgrade, going from Trevor Lawrence to Will Levis, and he’ll see considerable target competition from incumbent WR1 DeAndre Hopkins and the rest of the rehauled Titans offensive roster. Last year, Hopkins and Ridley had exactly 126 targets each, but Hopkins outpaced Ridley in yards per route run (2.1 vs. 1.5), yards per reception (14.9 vs. 13.0), and yards per game (63.8 vs. 58.3), plus Hopkins has familiarity with Levis. At his current ADP of 65th (WR35) overall, I’m more inclined to target Chris Godwin three spots earlier, Diontae Johnson at 78, or take the preferred teammate DeAndre Hopkins at 79 over Ridley. ”
– James Emrick-Wilson (Armchair Scouting)
“AJ Brown is going as WR6 and 9th overall, and he is simply a player I’m never going to have at that cost. I was a big believer in the upside of Brown early on in his career, but after being burned multiple times, I simply prefer to avoid the hassle. Whether it be a poorly timed injury or a playoff dud week, AJ Brown always lets me down when I need him the most. I prefer to take a player like Amon-Ra St. Brown or Garrett Wilson, who hasn’t been a constant disappointment for me.”
– Aaron St Denis (Fantasy Football Universe)
“I won’t have any Deebo Samuel this year. It doesn’t make sense. His upside is tasty in a high-powered offense. I just can’t do it after banking on a sophomore breakout and watching him go down to injury. The next season I passed and he was the WR2 overall. Then, last year, he finished as the WR12. He can absolutely go off if featured, and I just don’t expect him to be with all the weapons in San Francisco. We’ll see how the Brandon Aiyuk drama plays out, but I still can’t bring myself to bet on Deebo as the current WR14 off the board.”
– Jeremy Shulman (Fantasy Football Universe)
“For the last two years, I’ve been in on Gabe (aka Gabriel) Davis, and for the last two years, I’ve been burned worse than John Candy’s character (Jack Chester) in the movie Summer Rental. I actually had to go around telling my readers, “Yeah, that’s a good base. You’ve got to do these things in stages.” Ugh! I gave Davis a pass the first time because he had a high ankle sprain, and those tend to linger all season. However, after 2023, I’m out. If you can’t do well with Josh Allen throwing you the rock, it ain’t happening. Now, where’s that aloe at? -Jack Chester Ringo”
– Mark Ringo (Sleepers and Busts)
“I have no faith in Jerry Jeudy finally having that breakout season. He has shown me very little to start his career, and a sudden change in teams doesn’t move the needle for me. He moves to a more run-heavy offense and could have trouble getting consistent targets in the passing game, having at least two options ahead of him in the pecking order for targets. No thanks.”
– Jeff Paur (RTSports)
“DK Metcalf is a monster of a man (6’4″/235lbs)! If owners look at Metcalf’s 2023 season as a whole, it appears he had a great season with 1,114 yards and eight touchdowns, but if fantasy owners look closer, they will notice that he only had two games with more than 12 fantasy points (seven games over 10 fantasy points). With Jaxon Smith-Njigba on the rise, Tyler Lockett getting extended, and a strong backfield, Metcalf will continue to be a good, not great, fantasy wide receiver. In fantasy football, where passing is king, he will not be on my team because he will let owners down (only three games over 100 yards) more often than he will win weeks (three touchdowns in Week 13…but only eight on the season)!”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)
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