PLAYERS CAN’T HELP YOUR FANTASY TEAM IF THEY ARE INJURED!
Durability is one of the most important criteria when evaluating players. If your guy isn’t on the field, he isn’t scoring fantasy points for your team!
Deandre Hopkins (WR – FA)
Hopkins just turned 31 and has only played 19 games over the past two seasons. He’s looking to get himself onto a Super Bowl-caliber team, so that means he’s not even going to be the #1 receiver wherever he lands, so that’s a downgrade as well. He was excellent when he came back from suspension last year, but then he got injured again and missed more games! He will still have some highlight plays, but he is definitely in the decline phase of his career, and he won’t be able to finish the season when you need him the most!
Dalvin Cook (RB – MIN)
Dalvin Cook is not a guy that will be able to come back at his age. He turns 28 this year and is surrounded just got cut by the Vikings. He has had years to wow us and we were kinda wowed. He is just not a reliable player, and the older he gets the worse it can become. Wherever he ends up, look for him to buzz kill the situation and be a pest, taking away volume from that teams RBs. Until of course he gets hurt again.
(Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire)
Breece Hall (RB – NYJ)
The Counselor and Jimmie really split between this player. The 16 Rounds PLUS app rates Breece as a risky pick because he only played seven games last season before suffering that MCL tear. There is a lot of history of players struggling after coming back from season-ending knee injuries, and that’s my biggest problem with him. The other big issue for me is that he’s going so early in drafts; his current draft position is 23rd overall, which is the second round. When I look at the other RBs available at this point, I’m much more likely to take a player like Nick Chubb or Najee Harris. The Counselor did not like what I said about his guy Beast Hall! He said I’m going to eat my words and said only to take him if you take an RB like Bijan or Taylor in the first round, do not take him as your RB1.
Kadarius Toney (WR – KC)
There is a lot of hype around Toney as people think that he is the heir apparent to Tyreek Hill, but it is not going to happen. Toney has only managed to play in 19 games over his first two seasons, so he’s not able to handle a full workload. He’s an exciting and explosive player that gets a lot of highlight reels, but his usage on the Chiefs is microscopic. In his seven games played with Patrick Mahomes, he averaged only two targets per game! There is no way this guy will get a much larger role on this team. He’s a gadget player who does special teams; that’s his role because any larger role will cause him to get injured. Don’t buy the hype on this guy!
Deandre Swift (RB – PHI)
Swift rates as mid-reliability, but he has never been able to play more than 14 games in a season. Now he goes over to the Eagles, and while the offense is an upgrade, his position certainly isn’t. Jalen Hurts is the elite RB1 on this team, and Swift will be splitting the remainder of the carries between Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Gainwell. This lower usage might be good for his durability as he might be able to make it through the season, but there’s no upside here, and he’s being massively overdrafted and pick at #66 right now. This guy has had years to wow us, and we’re still not wowed. Don’t even bother!
Lamar Jackson (RB – BAL)
Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire)
Lamar Jackson has suffered season-ending injuries in each of the last two seasons, and that has been devastating to anyone who drafted him. I know he got the big payday in the offseason, and I’m glad he won’t be holding out, but I am not buying into this whole narrative that says they are going to turn him into a pass-first player. I remember when they tried to do this with Cam Newton, and it failed spectacularly. I don’t think the receivers they’ve put around him are very good, OBJ hasn’t been good since 2016! I’m not interested in any piece of the Baltimore offense this season.
Javonte Williams (RB – DEN)
Javonte is in a similar situation to Breece Hall, but he’s coming back from a more severe knee injury. He’s going much later than Breece at pick #71 right now, but I consider him much riskier. We’re seeing videos of him running in OTAs, but just know it’s straight-line running; he’s not putting any lateral stress on that rebuilt knee, so I’m betting he’s not going to be ready to start the season. I like how Sean McVay utilizes his running backs, so there is some upside here, but I’m much more likely to try to acquire this guy once the season starts for cheap.
REMEMBER, THE ONLY TIME YOU CAN CONTROL INJURIES IS DURING THE DRAFT. DON’T DRAFT INJURED PLAYERS, AND DON’T DRAFT LOW-DURABILITY PLAYERS LIKE THESE GUYS, AND YOUR TEAM WILL BE MUCH STRONGER!
You can watch the full fantasy football podcast below:
