As we get ready for fantasy championship weekend, we will take this chance to look back on the 2023 fantasy football regular season. With a little help from my friends, I will be looking back on players who have burned us for the last time. Whether it be injuries, ADP or underperforming, this will be a list of players that we will not be drafting next year. Welcome to I’ll Never Do That Again!
Miscellaneous
Premium Handcuffs, Various Positions & Teams (Jason Allwine of Player Profile)
I’m not necessarily a player but I’m done drafting “premiere handcuffs” It’s just not worth trying to predict which RB will get hurt and which backup will have actual value. It’s best to try to hit on a late-round QB WR or TE than try to get the “right handcuff”. For every Jerome Ford, there’s a Josh Kelley, Elijah Mitchell, Keaontay Ingram, Sean Tucker, Dalvin Cook, etc etc etc. Have fun trying to find the next Trey McBride, Tank Dell, Puka Nacua, CJ Stroud, and Sam LaPorta instead.
Running Backs
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans (Justin Stephens of Toilets to Titles)
His time is done and Tyjae Spears is already coming on strong. Henry isn’t showing the explosion he once had and Spears is playing like a man that has to prove something.
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans (Greg Kellogg of FSWA Hall of Fame)
The truth is I am never all out on any player. Situations change so quickly in the NFL. As an old-school Stud RB believer, I will take RBs later than I normally do. This means I won’t be drafting Derrick Henry. Now there are two reasons for this. Age and likely draft position!
Miles Sanders, Carolina Panthers (Chevin Noone of Dynasty Rewind)
The Carolina Panthers offence has been atrocious. Sanders is rarely involved in the game plan, especially in the receiving game.
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots (Steve Bradshaw of Dynasty Nerds)
With how good Rhamondre Stevenson was last year, he should only improve, right? Nope, never trust a Bill Belichick running back.
Wide Receivers
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders (Derek Brown of Fantasy Pros)
I’ve always been a Terry McLaurin fan and stan, but this season was the last straw. If I had a crystal ball in the summer and told you that he would be 20th in raw target volume and tenth in deep passing targets this season as the WR1 on a pass-first offence, we would have been falling all over ourselves to draft him. While these things are true as we enter Week 17, the production has not followed. he ranks 25th in receiving yards, 38th in fantasy points per game, and 52nd in yards per route run. With a murky offseason ahead with possible changes incoming at head coach, offensive coordinator, and maybe even quarterback, there’s no way I’ll be investing in McLaurin in 2024.
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders (Jeremy Shulman of The League Winners)
McLaurin looked like a value this offseason. With Eric Bienemy running the Commander’s offence, McLaurin had the upside. He also had enough talent to insulate his value against the whims of an unproven QB… or so I thought. Though Sam Howell has been decent, Terry is a scary PPR WR34 through 13 games. With only one WR1 week and just three WR2 finishes on the season, I’m out on McLaurin for the foreseeable future, unless he somehow manages to pair up with an elite QB.
Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills (Matty Kiwoom of Player Profiler)
The question was asked to me, “Who am I avoiding like the plague next season?” The answer came to me immediately but it pains me dearly to say it out loud. That player is Stefon Diggs. Diggs is one of my favorite players in the NFL but the fact is that he has slowed down considerably each of the past two seasons. I mean yeah he balled out to get me to the top of the standings but he isn’t helping me cross the finish line. I need CHAMPIONSHIP winners. Having said all that, he will probably toast the Pats this weekend.
Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos (Dave Heilman of SGPN Fantasy)
If you have to make excuses for a guy after 3 years, he isn’t it. Jeudy was not the value we were hoping he was. I will let someone else take a chance next year.
DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles (Dustin Ludke of Dynasty Pros FF)
Is he a great receiver? Yes but for fantasy he is just too inconsistent. He can go out there and give you 20+ point weeks which he has done ten times in his three-year career. the issue is he also goes out there and gives you games of under 6 points which he has done 10 times in his career. He is now the true second receiver behind a dominant A.J. Brown. Smith doesn’t have the size to be a red zone threat. he doesn’t have the speed to burn down the field. He runs good routes but I want more consistency from a guy that is getting drafted in the early rounds of my fantasy draft.
Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns (Bradley Stadler of Player Profiler)
Moore has 8 games this season with 7+ targets, and yet no games with more than 83 receiving yards. He’s been unable to replicate his rookie-year magic with PFF rec grades below 63 and YPRR below 1.20 each of the last two seasons.
Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans (Jeremy Popielarz of FTN Fantasy)
When it comes to drafting players you will hardly hear me say I am avoiding a player, I believe in drafting for value, but there is one player I will do the most to avoid in 2024—Treylon Burks. I loved Burks coming out of Arkansas, he had all the raw traits you would want in an NFL receiver but lacked refinement. Whether it is due to injuries or the jump in competition is too much for him, but he has sadly failed to put it all together at the NFL level.
This year felt like a breakout was coming getting to play alongside DeAndre Hopkins, allowing him to draw the easier coverage, but this did not happen. He has been given plenty of opportunities despite being in a run-heavy offence and has only produced a mere 654 yards and one score in his two-year career. At some point, the lack of availability becomes a liability and I am at that point with Burks.
Tight Ends
Darren Waller, New York Giants (Aaron St.Denis of The League Winners)
I’m done with Darren Waller. A few years back he was one of my favourite tight-end targets as he was normally available outside the first group of elite tight ends while still offering a similar upside. After being irrelevant for fantasy football through the first four years of his career, he exploded onto the scene in 2019 when he put up back-to-back top 3 seasons. In the three seasons since then, he has missed at least six games and has been inconsistent when he has been in the lineup. Add in a move to a New York Giants offence that is completely inept and I want nothing to do with Darren Waller who is going to be drafted as a top 12 tight end once again in 2023.
Darren Waller, New York Giants (Jack Cavanagh of Player Profiler)
I will never draft Darren Waller again. I hoped a change of scenery and the opportunity to function as a team’s WR1 would lead to steady production with the occasional spike week. A 32-year-old TE with chronic hamstring issues will never again be on my roster
Individual Defensive Players
Chase Young, San Francisco 49ers (Steve Hungarter of Fantasy Six Pack)
In his first season, he got hyped up but again it was only 7 1/2 sacks. We expected so much more from a high draft pick. Then, in his second season, he was predicted to be a breakout, and he got injured. OK look at the film before he got injured he only had 1.5 sacks in nine games. Suspect already. Then we had your three and what happened? He only lasted three games. This year it’s been pedestrian with 5.5 sacks. Look at the last three games he’s not useful unless you get a sack because he does nothing on the tackle line. I’m not doing that again and we should’ve seen this coming because historically, we have four years of data on him.
All player graphics can be found at statmuse.com
