While it’s important to know who to target as you prepare for your fantasy football drafts, it’s equally as important to know which fantasy football draft landmines you’re avoiding. Our analysts provide players they are avoiding in their fantasy football drafts. Here are a few players they consider overvalued or are otherwise avoiding this fantasy football draft season.
You can find all of their players to avoid here: Fitz | DBro | Erickson | Joe
Fantasy Football Draft Landmines to Avoid
Here are a few fantasy football draft landmines our analysts avoid.
Fitz’s Players to Avoid
David Montgomery (RB – DET)
As with Jared Goff, I have concerns about how the departure of 2024 Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and the retirement of center Frank Ragnow will affect Montgomery.
There’s also the Jahmyr Gibbs factor.
Sure, the near-50/50 division of labor between Gibbs and Montgomery has worked well for Detroit the last two seasons. But Gibbs is a freak of nature. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry and 8.2 yards per target last year, and he scored a league-high 20 touchdowns. Perhaps the Lions would be better served by giving Gibbs a few more touches and Montgomery fewer.
One more thing. Gibbs has scored 25 touchdowns in 28 regular-season games over the last two seasons. The Lions ranked fifth in scoring in 2023 and first in 2024. If the Detroit offense hits a speed bump in 2025, Monty’s TD total could disappoint.
Check out all of Fitz’s fantasy football picks to avoid 
DBro’s Players to Avoid
Tyreek Hill (WR – MIA)
Drafting Tyreek Hill as a top-15 wide receiver… even a top-20 wide receiver in 2025? Nope, count me out at that price tag. Hill took a substantial step back in 2024, even if we disregard his frustrations with the team, the trade demands and his off-field issues.
Last year, with Tua Tagovailoa under center (Weeks 8-16), Hill was the WR24 in fantasy points per game while ranking 39th in yards per route run and 34th in target share. Among 112 qualifying wide receivers overall last year, he was 28th in separation and 48th in route win rate, per Fantasy Points Data. The per-route metrics aren’t damning, but expecting him to continue to hum along as a strong mid-range WR2 with WR1 upside is too much in 2025.
If Hill takes another step back, gets cut or traded, or Jaylen Waddle passes him in the Dolphins’ target hierarchy, he’s cooked for this season.
Check out all of DBro’s fantasy football picks to avoid
Erickson’s Players to Avoid
Deebo Samuel (WR – WAS)
Terry McLaurin is still not attending the Commanders’ OTAs in the pursuit of a new contract. With him not in attendance and threatening a holdout, we could see Deebo Samuel step in as the de facto No. 1 WR with some strong early-season production. We have seen recently that players who have missed offseason time due to contract disputes have not produced up to expectations, besides, of course, Ja’Marr Chase.
If McLaurin’s contract dispute continues to linger, Deebo’s ADP might rise. And even though I spoke about Samuel being a potential bust in a recent podcast, I can admit that his price is more palatable than McLaurin’s as a fantasy WR4, especially with him slated for some decent early-season opportunities while he’s at his healthiest. That being said, you need to be careful with Samuel if his ADP continues to climb. Because he also has glaring red flags in his profile.
Samuel averaged just 8.5 PPG and finished outside the top-40 WRs in 2024, even with Brandon Aiyuk sidelined and minimal target competition. Just one game over 22 receiving yards in his final 7 outings; Jauan Jennings overtook him as the top target in the 49ers offense.
In his defense, the RB/WR hybrid battled through injuries and pneumonia, but the production cratered despite a strong opportunity. In 15 games, he surpassed his weekly projection thrice (20%). Samuel was expected to be cut from the 49ers, but they instead traded him to the Commanders for a fifth-round pick, followed by a one-year reworked contract. His injury history is well-documented, and it’s clear that the 29-year-old is way past his peak form. There’s only so much fantasy juice to squeeze for an aging player potentially pigeon-holed into a surplus of screen passes out of the backfield.
Check out all of Erickson’s fantasy football picks to avoid
Joe’s Players to Avoid
Brandon Aiyuk (WR – SF)
Coming off a major knee surgery, Brandon Aiyuk may be slow to start the season, and every week counts in fantasy football. He also has plenty of competition for targets if Christian McCaffrey is healthy again — George Kittle, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall.
That potentially leaves Aiyuk in no man’s land. His weekly floor feels too low, and the ceiling could be lower as well, based on his questionable explosiveness returning from major surgery. Usually, I want at least a steady floor or an explosive upside. If someone can’t give me either, then what’s the point in drafting them?
Check out all of Joe’s fantasy football picks to avoid
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
