You know exactly the kind of players I’m about to discuss. Year after year you get your hopes up just to be let down by inconsistent, underwhelming, and untimely performances. These guys are only hot when they burn you, otherwise, their fantasy production is as cold as ice.
I’m sure you have a list of players you’re simply done with. Well, here’s a list of players who are dead to me, and why.
Mitchell Trubisky (QB – CHI)
I’m pretty confident Mitch Trubisky is at the top of anybody’s “Dead to Me” list. He’s a player many owners bet on before the 2019 season in hopes he would turn around a disappointing start to his career. Trubisky finished as QB25 last year, and that my friend, is not a starting quarterback – fantasy or otherwise.
Expectations were high and it’s not all his fault. He didn’t ask the Bears to trade up and select him second overall in the NFL Draft over both Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. But that’s what happened and it’s his burden to bear. No pun intended.
Most owners drafted Trubisky because of his rushing upside. He ran for over 400 yards and three touchdowns in 2018, helping him finish as the QB14. This season the Bears decided to limit his exposure on the ground and we saw exactly why. Trubisky missed time with a shoulder injury. As a result, they asked him to rush 20 fewer times than in 2018 and his rushing yards per game dropped from 30.7 to 12.9. So, his rushing upside is no longer a reality and he’s thrown double-digit interceptions the last two seasons. Rumors even have the Bears moving on as soon as this year. I’ve already moved on and started selling my shares.
Derek Carr (QB – OAK)
Carr is a likable character. I think most fans want to see him succeed but he can’t seem to pull it all together. Carr has finished outside the top-15 fantasy quarterbacks in the last three seasons. Is it all his fault? Not really, he hasn’t been surrounded by a ton of talent outside of Amari Cooper. Oakland attempted the Antonio Brown experiment but we all know how that circus ended.
Regardless the numbers speak for themselves. He has a 6.9 career yards per attempt, meaning he doesn’t get the ball very far downfield. He’s also throwing 10+ interceptions more seasons than not. If Carr has proven anything, it’s that he’s not a viable fantasy quarterback and for that reason, I’m out. He’s still only 28-years-old so he still holds some value in SuperFlex leagues. Do yourself a favor and sell him for whatever the first-round pick you can get while you still can.
Sony Michel (RB – NE)
As a New England Patriots fan, this one hurts. Sony Michel was selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft by Belicheck and company. What makes it all the more maddening is he was picked ahead of Nick Chubb, who was selected in the second round by the Cleveland Browns.
Michel’s first year was decent for starting just eight games. He finished his rookie season with 931 yards and three total touchdowns. He was an off-season darling with many expecting a massive jump in his sophomore year.
However, that wasn’t the case. He received 38 more carries than his rookie season but rushed for 19 fewer yards. He finished 2019 with 912 yards and seven total touchdowns. Michel was the RB36, so barely an RB3 on your fantasy team.
His fantasy production is severely capped by his lack of exposure in the passing game. He’s only received 31 targets over two full seasons. I know we all thought he could improve after seeing his performance in the 2018 Super Bowl, but it seems as though he was propped up by a really good offensive line. Once that deteriorated, so did his fantasy production. He dropped from 4.5 yards per attempt in 2018 to 3.7 yards per attempt in 2019. I don’t see a clear path to fantasy success considering how ineffective he’s been in his short career. For that reason, I’m out.
Duke Johnson (RB – HOU)
Duke Johnson’s career was supposed to be resurrected after being traded to the Houston Texans. But it didn’t quite work out that way. Johnson finished as the RB37, just behind the previously mentioned Michel.
That’s fairly amazing considering his PPR upside. The issue is Johnson only started two games all season and received just 83 total carries. Even while receiving 62 targets a year, that’s simply not enough work to sustain consistent fantasy production.
Johnson is under contract through 2021 but it would actually save the team money to cut him. We will always think about “what could have been” with Johnson, but I can be patient no more. This was his opportunity to take the lead role and he was outperformed by a 29-year-old Carlos Hyde. Farewell Duke, it’s been real.
Sammy Watkins (WR – KC)
Sammy Watkins is clearly an extremely talented football player, but he’s death to your fantasy team. Each year fantasy owners spend far too much capital on acquiring a less-than-average fantasy asset. Watkins has failed to eclipse 1,000 yards in each of the last four seasons. He’s only had one 1,000-yard season and that was with the Buffalo Bills back in 2015.
To be fair, his career has been marred by injuries as he hasn’t started a full 16 games since his first season in the NFL.
The “Lizard King” was one of the main reasons the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, but he’s not winning anybody a fantasy championship any time soon. All three of his touchdowns all came in the first game of the season. And as he wore down throughout the year, so did his fantasy production. Watkins finished as the WR46, not even coming close to cutting it as a fantasy WR3.
Now, off-season reports indicate he may not even play next year which is sure to put him on the outs in Kansas City.
Will Fuller (WR – HOU)
Fun fact: Will Fuller has never played a full season of NFL football. He’s also never had a 1,000-yard season. I like to say, he has paper mache hamstrings. He missed time with a hamstring injury in 2019 and has suffered four different hamstring injuries over his career. He’s also fractured his shoulder and torn his ACL. Fuller is made of glass and can’t be trusted to make it through a full season.
In Week 5 Fuller caught 14 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns. There’s no denying his abilities when healthy. But when has he been truly healthy? How long can we wait for that day to arrive before we realize he’s dead weight on your bench?
Fuller finished as the WR49. And he’s never even finished in the top 30 of his position. Yet, he still has value, being only 25 years old, so you can probably trade him for something useful. I just can’t keep getting burned.
Alshon Jeffery (WR – PHI)
You may notice a trend with the receivers on this list. They’ve all struggled with injuries throughout their careers. Alshon Jeffery has been injured almost every season he’s been in the league. There was a time when he was healthy enough to make it through a full year and be a viable fantasy option, but that was seven years ago. He hasn’t surpassed 1,000 yards receiving since 2014 and hasn’t been a top-10 fantasy receiver since 2013.
Here we have a 30-year-old, injury-riddled wide receiver whose future is uncertain. Reports are both the Eagles and Jeffery would welcome a trade.
His days of being fantasy relevant are in the past. Try to avoid getting caught up in seeing him as a “good value” just because you can get him at a low price or low ADP. He’s only going to disappoint.
Corey Davis (WR – TEN)
Yes, the former fifth-overall pick is on my “dead to me” list. Davis showed some improvement in 2018 but took a step back in 2019. A.J. Brown had a 1,000-yard season as a rookie, something Davis hasn’t done in his three-year career. Davis could have had a shot at some sort of fantasy relevance if he hadn’t been usurped by Brown as the WR1 in the Titans offense.
His lack of fantasy success is also in part a product of his circumstances. Davis received just 69 targets last season, ranking him 59th in targets among wide receivers.
Tennessee was 31st in pass attempts and leaned heavily on their running attack – meaning there are few targets to go around. The lack of passing volume means fewer chances for production from an already sub-par fantasy option. There’s always a chance that the 25-year-old bounces back. But I don’t see it. I’m looking to move on from Davis for the first reasonable offer I receive.
Kyle Rudolph (TE – MIN)
You would think six touchdowns would get a tight end into the top 12 of his position, but I’m here to tell you otherwise. Kyle Rudolph scored six touchdowns yet averaged just 7.6 fantasy points per game (FPPG.)
Although he’s finished as a TE1 in the past, he’s always been on the low end of FPPG. His final numbers look better than his week-to-week production. Rudolph saw fewer targets this year as well, largely due to the effectiveness of Dalvin Cook and the Vikings’ running game as a whole.
Rudolph caught six touchdowns on 39 receptions, that’s a 15.4% touchdown rate. The likelihood that happens again is not very high. He’s 30-year- old with rookie stand out Irv Smith right on his coattails. His FPPG can be a season killer, trust me. I’ve been burned too many times on a weekly basis and it’s time to cut bait.
O.J. Howard (TE – TB)
I imagine this one resonates with a large portion of the fantasy community. I firmly believe Jameis Winston doesn’t like O.J. Howard. There’s no other explanation for why Cameron Brate received more targets than Howard in 2019. Howard is a far superior athlete and has proven fantasy success.
He finished just outside the top 12 in 2018, but much of his success came with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. Howard finished as the TE28 and averaged just 6.5 FPPG in 2019 with Winston leading the offense.
However, Howard himself isn’t blameless. His drop rate increased from 2.1% to 9.4% in 2019. I watched too many passes bounce right off his gloves into the defenders’ hands, doing Winston zero favors.
There was some hope that Howard would be traded before the trading deadline and that could help his value. It would’ve certainly given him another chance and a fresh start. But he’s tainted as long as he remains in Tampa Bay. He also has to compete with an extremely talented receiving core, leaving him with just 8.94% of the team’s target share. The lack of volume and abundance of hate make Howard a fantasy pariah.
Thank you for reading. If you have any thoughts or would like to discuss, you can find me on Twitter @WillieBeamanDFF
