Fantasy football players to avoid at every position in 2025 drafts Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAYAugust 16, 2025 at 12:37 AM It's a tale as old as fantasy football. A top20 player goes early in a snake draft or for big money in auction leagues only to finish far below expectations.
- - Fantasy football players to avoid at every position in 2025 drafts
Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAYAugust 16, 2025 at 12:37 AM
It's a tale as old as fantasy football. A top-20 player goes early in a snake draft or for big money in auction leagues only to finish far below expectations. With just enough bad luck down the rest of the lineup, this can lead fantasy managers to worry more about last-place punishments than holiday plans once December rolls around.
It's a tough task trying to predict which high-profile fantasy players will fall short in the upcoming season. If it were easy, everyone would've known to draft then-backup Chase Brown over reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey this time last year.
Let's highlight one player at each position who could fall well short of expectations or may be too risky to take a chance on. This is not to say these players won't be successful this season. We're just concerned about how high their ceilings can be for one reason or another.
Here are our players to avoid this season:
QB Anthony Richardson Sr., Indianapolis Colts -
FantasyPros ADP: QB26, OVR179
Richardson's average draft position (ADP) makes sense given how risky a pick he is. The sheer talent is tantalizing; he has game-breaking athleticism and the arm strength to have a high ceiling in fantasy football.
He's played just 15 games over his first two seasons, though. Forgive us for being skeptical he can eclipse that total this season. With Daniel Jones in the building as a backup or competitor for the starting position in a make-or-break season for coach Shane Steichen, Richardson could have a very short leash if things start to go wrong. Best to avoid him entirely.
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants -
FantasyPros ADP: RB30, OVR80 (half-PPR leagues)
Tracy was a pleasant surprise as a rookie in 2024 for a struggling Giants offense. This is less about him as a singular talent and more to do with the environment around him.
New York has three quarterbacks who could end up playing significant snaps at some point this season, starting with Russell Wilson. The 36-year-old Wilson is operating behind an offensive line led by left tackle Andrew Thomas but lacking elsewhere.
There's also the matter of the schedule. New York faces a brutal slate of opposing defenses this year. Of the 14 teams they'll face, half of them were top-10 scoring defenses. Tracy's currently a Round 6-7 pick by ADP; we'd recommend waiting until later to take him, if at all.
WR DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers -
FantasyPros ADP: WR21, OVR48 (half-PPR leagues)
Like Tracy, this has a lot to do with Metcalf's environment. He's the top target in Pittsburgh but he'll have a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball. That's not the best combination for a wide receiver whose game is predicated on downfield speed.
Then there's offensive play-caller Arthur Smith. In his previous six years, his teams' best finish in passing offense was 16th. He's finished 21st or worse in every other year. The last player to have a 1,000-yard receiving season under Smith was Atlanta's Kyle Pitts in 2021.
Smith wants to run the ball. Rodgers is an aging quarterback. That's not a recipe for success.
TE Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens -
FantasyPros ADP: TE7, OVR76 (half-PPR leagues)
Andrews was either TE5 or TE6 in fantasy football across all formats last season, thanks mostly to a position-high 11 touchdowns. It might be a surprise to see him on this list.
Andrews struggled in the Ravens' playoff loss to the Bills last season, but it's not the sour taste from that game that has him here. Andrews had as many touchdowns in 2024 than he did in his prior two seasons combined.
He had the fewest targets (69) of any top 10 tight end from 2024. If he maintained his yardage total but had seven touchdowns instead of 11 (still a good season), Andrews drops from TE5 or TE6 to TE9 or TE10. Even with Isaiah Likely's health concerns in preseason, touchdown regression is likely coming for Andrews, making his ADP too rich for our blood.
K Chase McLaughlin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers -
FantasyPros ADP: K5, OVR232
McLaughlin benefited from one of the most productive and efficient offenses in the NFL last season to finish as the No. 6 kicker in fantasy football. That was up from 16th in 2023.
This is less about McLaughlin's ability and more about questions surrounding the Buccaneers offense. For the third time in as many years, the offense has a new coordinator. Josh Grizzard was promoted to the role this offseason but there are rightfully some questions about whether he can keep things going.
Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST -
FantasyPros ADP: D/ST3, OVR169
Pittsburgh finished as the fourth-best D/ST in fantasy football last season. That was impressive given multiple starters missed time, notably edge rusher Alex Highsmith.
Our reservations about making the Steelers a top-five defense have to do with age and schedule.
T.J. Watt signed an extension this offseason but he's entering his age-31 season and registered 11.5 sacks last season. For most players, that'd be a standout total. For Watt, it's the lowest in a healthy season of his career. The team traded safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who is two years older. The other cornerback starting opposite Joey Porter Jr. is 34-year-old Darius Slay.
Of the 14 teams Pittsburgh will face this year, six were top-10 scoring offenses in 2024. Two of those teams are divisional foes (Baltimore and Cincinnati). Scoring offense is less volatile than scoring defense and could make things tough on the Steelers in 2025 for what's being drafted as a top-three unit.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 6 fantasy football players to avoid in 2025 drafts
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