Fantasy Football: 3 Players To Avoid In The Early Rounds

Your fantasy football draft is right around the corner, and there are plenty of opinions and options for who you should be selecting in the early rounds.

But there are a handful of guys that you’d be better off avoiding when making your top picks. Certain players may not hold the same value that they did in years past, and others are in situations that may call for lightened work loads.

3 Players To Avoid In The Early Rounds Of Your Fantasy Football Draft

Here are three players to avoid drafting in the early rounds in fantasy football this season:

Most fantasy points over the last 5 seasons by a TE:

742.2 — Travis Kelce
[gap] 566.9 — Mark Andrews
482.1 — George Kittle
437.9 — Darren Waller

How high are you drafting Kelce this season? pic.twitter.com/7fVamAfoEp

— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 18, 2023

George Kittle – 49ers TE

Kittle isn’t going to be a fantasy bust by any means, and could still wind up in the top-5 in certain categories when all is said and done. But gone are the days of him being considered one of the top producers in the NFL, and he likely won’t be worth drafting within the first few rounds in 2023.

His 11 touchdowns last season is something of an outlier. It was by far the highest touchdown total of Kittle’s career, with his previous high being 6. He got those scores despite being targeted just 86 times, down a full 50 targets from his career high in 2018.

There will be more players calling for attention in the 49ers offense this year, too. Deebo Samuel is of course one of their most utilized weapons, and Brandon Aiyuk is reportedly making large strides in becoming a stat-producing wideout. Running back Christian McCaffrey could have an even bigger role, too, with this being the first offseason in which Shanahan is able to work him into the offense.

Any (Current) Miami Dolphins Running Back

The Miami Dolphins might have one of the better running games this season given how high-powered their offense is, but you might want to avoid drafting any of their running backs for now.

Raheem Mostert figures to be a solid producer in fantasy after his nice season in 2022, and Jeff Wilson Jr. could be a good option in the later rounds of deeper leagues. But there is no denying that the Dolphins have had serious interest in bringing in a more high profile running back. They flirted with Dalvin Cook for weeks before he signed with the Jets, and they are the heavy favorites to land Jonathan Taylor should the Colts end up trading him.

Drafting a Dolphins running back might be a solid play, but that player might not actually be on the team yet.

Report: The #Dolphins among the teams that have called the Colts about trading for RB Jonathan Taylor, per @flasportsbuzz

Miami has interest in making a deal, but a handful of other teams also have inquired, according to Barry Jackson.

A source confirmed to Jackson that the… https://t.co/X64t2xSZKn pic.twitter.com/iWAWXLy6Qr

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 23, 2023

Odell Beckham Jr – Ravens WR

One of the most talked-about moves of the offseason was Odell Beckham Jr. joining Lamar Jackson in Baltimore and signing with the Ravens. He is on just a one-year deal, with the team forking over $15 million for a season of his services.

It is easy to get dreamy-eyed about the potential connection between Beckham Jr. and his new quarterback. You might even consider selecting him in one of the earlier rounds as your second wide receiver.

But use caution in drafting Odell this year. He hasn’t played at all since February 2022, and he hasn’t played in (nearly) a full season since 2019. Even then, he barely scratched the 1,000 yard mark. He played in 14 games in 2021 and amassed just 537 yards. He hasn’t put up 1,300+ yards since 2016, which was the last time that he was any kind of real producer in fantasy football.

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