The NFL offseason, and in turn, fantasy football, is starting to heat up. With more eyes moving towards preparing for the upcoming season, we are starting to get an idea of where players will be drafted in your league. Whether it be due to offseason moves or injuries, there are many players that you should think about avoiding to win your league.
Keep an eye out and make sure you are not the person in your league who drafts these three players in your fantasy football league.
3 Players Not to Draft in Your Fantasy Football League
Joe Mixon, RB – Houston Texans (ADP 46)
It was no secret that the Houston Texans took a step back last season, after C.J. Stroud recorded one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time. Looking to rebound this season, the Texans are already having one of the worst offseasons in the NFL. First, they lost Offensive Coordinator Bobby Slowik, who is now with the Miami Dolphins. The Texans will be without Tank Dell for at least the beginning of the season, giving defenses more of an incentive to play the run, as opposed to being scared of a deep threat. Another thing going against the Houston Texans’ offense is the state of their offensive line. In the offseason, they traded away Laremy Tunsil and Kenyon Green and released Shaq Mason. That alone brings about concerns for Stroud and the rush game. Finally, the last thing working against Joe Mixon is Houston signing Nick Chubb.
With four negatives surrounding the Houston Texans’ offense, drafting Mixon in the fourth round seems like a risk that is not worth taking. That is especially true if you are looking at him for your RB1. With the risk of injury (two ankle injuries last season) and a poor end to the season (129 yards in the last four games), look elsewhere for someone that you need to rely on during the fantasy football season.
DeVonta Smith, WR – Philadelphia Eagles (ADP 53)
While I am a big DeVonta Smith fan, he unfortunately falls into a system that benefits him more for the game of football as opposed to the game of fantasy football. Smith is probably a top-three number two wide receiver in the NFL, but on a team with Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, Dallas Goedert and Jalen Hurts, Smith will never be the number one option for the Eagles offense. With those players available for the Eagles, it is hard to believe that Smith will ever consistently top 6-7 targets per game. That alone feels way too risky to draft in the fourth/fifth round and be relied upon as a WR2 in most leagues.
Last season, Smith played in all but three games for the Eagles, where he finished as WR30 in fantasy football. He topped 100 yards just once. On the bright side, he did score eight touchdowns, with two of them coming in the week 17 matchup against the Cowboys. While the eight touchdowns are nice, we are looking for much more than that out of our fourth or fifth pick in the draft.
Chris Olave, WR – New Orleans Saints (ADP 58)
When we have seen him on the field, Chris Olave has shown that he is a solid NFL receiver. When healthy, Olave has put together two 1,000-yard seasons in his first three years in the NFL. While that sounds enticing as a player who is available towards the end of the fifth round, the one thing that has plagued him over the course of his career is the concussions. Olave has four concussions in his career, with two of them coming last season. Given the NFL’s importance and emphasis they put onto head injuries, it seems likely that Olave will be a main focus on player safety this season.
Olave is also facing an interesting change with the Saints. Kellen Moore is coming in as the new coach of the Saints and as we have seen from him in the past, the run game will be at the forefront of the offense. On top of that, the quarterback situation in New Orleans is less than ideal. Rookie Tyler Shough is set to start this season, and while I think he has the tools to be an NFL quarterback, there is no doubt that he will struggle early. Behind Shough is Spencer Rattler, who is not a great quarterback. With the uncertainty and mystery surrounding the Saints, Olave, even with the opportunities to succeed, is just too much for me to rely on as my WR2 or Flex this season.
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