10 Players Experts Avoid (2024 Fantasy Football)

When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into a few notable fantasy football players below.

2024 Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Players Experts Avoid

PLAYER NAME	TEAM	ECR	ADP	ECR VS. ADP	BYE WEEK
Nico Collins	HOU	29	23	-6	14
De’Von Achane	MIA	32	22	-10	6
Cooper Kupp	LAR	38	33	-5	6
Josh Jacobs	GB	41	36	-5	10
Stefon Diggs	HOU	46	39	-7	14
Keenan Allen	CHI	64	59	-5	7
Hollywood Brown	KC	82	76	-6	6
Jonathon Brooks	CAR	97	91	-6	11
Austin Ekeler	WAS	106	98	-8	14
Russell Wilson	PIT	185	161	-24	9

Fantasy Football Draft Outlook

Stefon Diggs (WR – HOU)

We’ve seen Diggs fall off in the second half of seasons in two consecutive years. If one year wasn’t enough to scare you off, then last year should have been. In the final seven games of 2022, Diggs only logged one 100-yard receiving game with 1.95 yards per route run. It was a similar, except an even more gruesome story in 2023. In Weeks 10-18 last year, Diggs finished as the WR45 or higher in weekly scoring only twice. During that stretch, he only had one game with more than 80 receiving yards while finishing as the WR52 in fantasy points per game. Moving from Josh Allen to C.J. Stroud is a push as far as arm talent. The problem for Diggs is that even if you want to excuse away the back halves of the last two years, he’ll be challenged for targets by a strong trio of pass catchers in Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Dalton Schultz. I’ll avoid Diggs in many drafts for the upside swing of Collins or the value play of Dell.
– Derek Brown

Cooper Kupp (WR – LAR)

Kupp took a step back last year, and there’s no denying it. Last year, he dealt with an ankle sprain and hamstring issues, which could be partially to blame, but at his advancing age (31 years old), it’s no sure thing that he will reclaim all or any of his former glory in 2024. Does that mean it’s time for Kupp to hang it up? No. Last year, in 12 games with him and Puka Nacua active, Kupp still commanded a 23.4% target share, produced 2.08 yards per route run, and was the WR23 in fantasy points per game (per Fantasy Points Data). Kupp could return WR2 value in 2024, but his days as a WR1 are likely over. Kupp is a player that my interest is lukewarm at best for 2024, but if I can get him as a WR3 for my fantasy teams, I’m more inclined to take the plunge in drafts.
– Derek Brown

Austin Ekeler (RB – WAS)

Austin Ekeler’s 2023 season was a letdown, no matter how you look at it. Ekeler suffered an ankle sprain in Week 1, which led to three games being missed and possibly muted production for the rest of the season. Once he returned from injury, he averaged 16.1 touches and 69.2 total yards as the RB28 in fantasy points per game. It was a dramatic fall from grace for a back that had not finished outside the top-nine running backs in fantasy since 2018 (RB28). Ekeler retained some of his pass game prowess as he ranked eighth in target share and 19th in yards per route run (among 60 qualifying backs per Fantasy Points Data), but his rushing skills fell apart. Among 49 qualifying backs, Ekeler ranked 38th in yards after contact per attempt and 46th in missed tackles forced per attempt. Landing in Washington with Anthony Lynn was one of the better-case scenarios this offseason. He likely forms a frustrating committee with Brian Robinson in an Antonio Gibson-plus role for Washington.
– Derek Brown