The NFL preseason is loaded with anticipation which often results in plenty of buzz around sleepers and late-round picks that will outperform expectations, but what about players to avoid?
In this article, we will look at 5 players who are currently going in every fantasy draft but are destined to let fantasy owners down. This includes 3 players going in the first four rounds and a QB who is often the first player drafted at the position.
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Current ADP: 17
Nico is an outstanding player, but ranked as the WR16 heading into the season is too spicy for me. The Texans have one of the best offensive units at the moment, but their success might cost one or two positional players some touches and touchdowns. Collins might be the odd man out here with Stefon Diggs serving Stroud as an elite short-to-medium yardage route runner and playmaker while Tank Dell has elite speed and playmaking skills out of the slot or out wide.
While Nico finished 2023 with 8 touchdowns en route to his best season as a pro, he might have trouble cracking the top 20 this season simply due to the competition in the wideout room, Joe Mixon & Dalton Shultz, and their game script during most games.
Current ADP: 21
While Achane is an impact player and a solid pickup in best ball formats, we are cautious with the Miami backfield in redraft formats. DA only played 11 games last season but showed his value to McDaniel and the Dolphin offense with his quick bursts of speed and catching out of the backfield.
With Raheem Mostert and rookie Jaylen Warren competing for touches, an expected top-10 season for Achane could take a quick turn for the worse as injury concerns loom as well as the touch ratio out of balance for a position that will remain fairly inconsistent regarding total touches.
Current ADP: 37
Josh comes into the season ranked as the QB1 via Sleeper for a good reason. He’s finished the season as the QB2 or better in each season since 2020 while rushing for a career-high 15 touchdowns last season - maintaining his elite status as a dual-threat QB. However, we are expecting some regression in 2024.
The Bills lost their top two wideouts Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, while replenishing the unit with Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, and KJ Hamler. Not only is Allen going to struggle to find the end zone while in the red zone, but it will take a massive 2nd half of the season chemistry-wise with these new WRs for Josh to finish anywhere near another top-two season.
Current ADP: 68
With Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Travis Kelce leading the way for this new-look Kansas City wide receiver room, it is likely that Hollywood Brown will get weeded out early in the season. Missing up to six weeks after an injury recently, I would stay away from Brown this year altogether as Mahomes already has his trio of targets that he trusts.
Outside of his breakout final season in Baltimore (2021), Hollywood has struggled with drops and route running which are two aspects of his game he’ll have to fix in a championship culture.
Current ADP: 94
In year one Trey Benson, Jaylen Wright, and Blake Corum have solid paths to late-season success behind a solid offensive line and an outstanding run scheme. As for the Carolina Panthers, not only is he competing for touches with Hubbard and Sanders, but he may not be ready until Week 3 or 4 for this squad.
As the RB27 on Sleeper at the moment, I personally rank Brooks in the 50s range as this Panthers team will be more about the short and medium-yardage gains through the air than anything else this year. Keep this in mind - both starting Carolina backs rushed for under 4 YPC last season.