5 players to avoid at all costs feat. Deshaun Watson 

Fantasy soccer rosters needs to be stuffed with gamers you’re enthusiastic about. Drafting guys rising as NFL superstars makes the expertise far more enjoyable.

Not each participant provides us that heat and fuzzy feeling in our stomachs on draft day, although. It’s not as a result of they’re dangerous gamers. Generally, the ADP (common draft place) is simply too excessive on a selected participant, and I’m out then.

Listed here are 5 gamers I’m avoiding at their present draft value.

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#5 Travis Etienne Jr – RB – Jacksonville Jaguars

ADP 30 (Fantasy Execs consensus ADP knowledge)

I like the place this Jacksonville crew is headed. Nice coach, a high-end QB, and a bunch of enjoyable ability place gamers. That mentioned, I’m out on Travis Etienne this 12 months.

Etienne struggled final season as a receiver. Whereas many thought move catching was a power popping out of faculty, he didn’t exhibit these traits on the NFL area. Etienne did not catch greater than three passes in any sport in 2022. The previous Clemson product additionally struggled mightily as a goal-line again, changing simply 4 of his 23 carries from contained in the 10-yard line into touchdowns.

The Jags added thrilling rookie Tank Bigsby this offseason, and judging by his coaching camp highlights, he’ll take a significant chew out of Etienne’s workload. If Bigsby steals goal-line touches and proves to be a extra succesful move catcher, then I see Etienne being relegated to a between-the-20s kind again. Together with his upside capped by Bigsby, I’m passing on Travis Etienne this 12 months.

#4 Deebo Samuel – WR – San Francisco 49ers

ADP 38

There’s no denying Samuel is a monster with the ball in his palms. The query right here is how a lot will or not it’s in these palms?

As soon as the 49ers settled on Brock Purdy as their quarterback and traded for Christian McCaffrey, the backfield touches that made Samuel such an outlier dried up. Samuel dealt with 18 carries in his six wholesome video games following the 49ers’ Week 9 bye week. That’s a far cry from his 2021 marketing campaign, which noticed him run the ball 34 instances over the ultimate 5 weeks.

Samuel additionally noticed his function within the 49ers’ receiving sport take a success. Per Fantasy Factors Information, his goal share dipped from 24.2% in 2021 to 22.6% final 12 months. In distinction, his common depth of goal (aDot) plummeted from 8.5 to 4.2. That may be a large drop-off. You’ll be able to thank the emergence of Branon Aiyuk and new QB Brock Purdy for that.

I don’t need to spend a late third or early fourth-round decide on a man who final 12 months scored simply two receiving touchdowns and isn’t getting used as the identical elite runner we’ve seen in years previous. I’ll let another person draft Samuel, and I’ll scoop his teammate Brandon Aiyuk a number of rounds later.

#3 Kenneth Walker – RB – Seattle Seahawks

ADP 39

Walker had a nice rookie marketing campaign. He ended the season as RB 18 in PPR scoring. After a sluggish begin, he posted double-digit scoring weeks in 11 of 12 to shut the season.

My difficulty with Walker this 12 months is what the crew did round him. They added a potent large receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba (now out with a wrist harm) and second-round working again Zach Charbonnet. When a crew provides a premium exterior weapon to associate with the studs they have already got, you may assume they’ll need to throw extra.

Then, after they added one other participant at Walker’s place, I’m out. None of those additions spell extra touches for Walker. Simply extra competitors.

Give me Dameon Pierce, Cam Akers, or Alexander Mattison in that very same vary. In order for you a bit of the Seahawks run sport, draft Charbonnet within the ninth spherical.

#2 Michael Pittman – WR – Indianapolis Colts

ADP 76

I’ve all the time been a Pittman fan, however this 12 months, I don’t belief his scenario one bit. The Colts are beginning rookie QB Anthony Richardson, who’s a uncooked passer by all accounts. So now we now have an inaccurate thrower who, most of the time, will look to tuck and run as a substitute of standing within the pocket to ship a move. That’s not a recipe for achievement for Pittman and the Colts wideouts.

Whereas Pittman may have spike weeks, I’m extra involved {that a} decrease quantity move sport in Indy will result in uneven manufacturing, contributing to losses in your fantasy ledger. I can’t see Pittman approaching the 99 receptions he had a season in the past.

Assault upside in your drafts, not instability. I might as a substitute choose Diontae Johnson or Tyler Lockett in that very same draft vary.

#1 Deshaun Watson – QB – Cleveland Browns

ADP 81

It’s not laborious to move on Watson for off-the-field functions. However I’m solely taking a look at what he brings as a participant. Watson is three years faraway from his 2020 QB 5 end.

I don’t see that very same participant ever returning in Cleveland due to head coach Kevin Stefanski’s inflexible system. Watson thrived in off-script performs whereas main the Texans. It was playground soccer, and he was the very best child on the playground. Now he’s locked right into a scheme that forces him to play from the pocket, and up to now, he doesn’t look snug.

Final 12 months, from Weeks 13-18, Watson was QB 15 in whole factors and averaged a really pedestrian 15.1 factors per week. Throughout these weeks, the Browns have been twenty first in move makes an attempt and fifth in rush makes an attempt. It’s straightforward to see the sport plan; Cleveland will need to pound the soccer with Nick Chubb. Discover a totally different QB with extra upside, like Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields.

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