Players to Avoid: Rachaad White, George Pickens, C.J. Stroud (Fantasy Football)

The McBrayer coat of arms lays the framework for what to expect from our ilk. From the early days of William Wallace and other Scots rebelling against the crown of England, the MacBrayer clan felt it necessary to make it their creed. “In defiance” is emblazoned below a white knight with three red stars and a matching lion reared on its haunches. Hundreds of years later, my family has the independence it fought for. Ever the defiant one, I still bristle with pride when shunning average draft position (ADP) in my fantasy drafts. Why conform to the aggregate when you can chart your own way? The difference between a groove and a rut is perspective. Don’t let the consensus define who will lead your fantasy football squad to glory.

Players to Avoid at ADP (2024 Fantasy Football)

Before I warn you all about who not to pick in each round of your fantasy drafts, let me set the record straight. I don’t dislike any player, as a rule. The point of this exercise is to point out the guys who I have valued lower than where they are currently being selected.

Round 3: Rachaad White (RB – TB)

Perhaps no player in the league plays smaller than their size than Rachaad White. At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, White was one of the least efficient ball-carriers (especially between the tackles) in the entire NFL. Most of his damage in fantasy was from a ton of volume and high-percentage check-down passes. The Bucs didn’t have many other choices to haul it, so they kept shoving it in the Arizona State grad’s belly at three-and-a-half yards a pop. Bucky Irving is a smaller back who plays bigger than his frame. The Oregon standout has outstanding vision and contact balance, something Tampa Bay was certainly looking for in this year’s draft. We can hope a lighter workload can free up White for more efficiency, but it’s hardly worth the squeeze in the third round.

Round 4: C.J. Stroud (QB – HOU)

It was a remarkable rookie season for C.J. Stroud. Hitting on an early QB does wonders to accelerate a rebuild. Houston struck oil. Stroud was incredibly efficient as a passer and held a fantastic touchdown rate. The team even went out and acquired Stefon Diggs to bolster an already strong receiving corps. I still won’t touch Stroud in the fourth round. His record-breaking rookie campaign still only landed him at QB11 in fantasy with 368.10 points. That’s his ceiling. Not every elite NFL QB is great for fantasy. Stroud isn’t scoring many points with his legs, nor is he going to go too much higher than his 499 passing attempts in a Shanahan-style offense. There are a handful of QBs who fall in the same scoring tier as Stroud in fantasy who are available multiple rounds later. Don’t fall prey to the hype.

Round 5: George Pickens (WR – PIT)

Surely nobody has been burned by drafting a supposed top receiver in an Arthur Smith offense before, let alone in consecutive miserable seasons. George Pickens is a talented WR but is hardly a target magnet who gets open at will. Coach Smith’s favorite receiver is probably someone none of us has ever heard of. The Steelers won’t be throwing the ball much, nor will it be a very potent passing attack with either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields under center. I’m avoiding all Pittsburgh pass-catchers until the Tommy Callahan of FedEx is shown the door. To spend a precious fifth-round pick on Pickens is ill-advised, at best.