FantasyPros Staff | Mon, Jun 30th 2025, 3:29am EDT

3 Draft Picks to Avoid (2025 Fantasy Football)

Here are a few fantasy football draft landmines our analysts avoid.

You can find all of their players to avoid here: Fitz | DBro | Erickson | Joe

Fantasy Football Draft Landmines to Avoid

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.

Fitz’s Players to Avoid

Justin Herbert (QB – LAC)

Herbert is a fine quarterback who might be a fantasy star in different circumstances.

The Chargers were the 10th run-heaviest team in the league last year under run-loving offensive coordinator Greg Roman, and the Chargers have since spent a first-round draft pick on RB Omarion Hampton.

The Chargers’ offense operated at the second-slowest pace in the league last season, averaging 28.7 seconds between offensive snaps. Only the Buccaneers were slower at 28.9 seconds between plays.

With a run-heavy offense and a sluggish pace, Herbert simply won’t get enough pass attempts to have a chance to be a needle-moving QB.

Check out all of Fitz’s fantasy football picks to avoid

DBro’s Players to Avoid

Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)

Last year, Jonathan Taylor racked up another RB1 season (RB7 in fantasy points per game) while dealing with a high-ankle sprain. While Taylor could post another top-12 season in 2025, I do have some huge concerns. First, it’s his ability (or inability) to stay healthy. He hasn’t played a full 17 games since 2021. As the mileage cranks up for running backs, injury issues aren’t something that usually goes away.

Second, the quarterback play for the Colts is a worry with how often they could be in the red zone this year, as well as his lack of passing game involvement. Last year, Taylor ranked sixth in red-zone touches. I don’t know if he comes close to that number this season, but I could easily be wrong. I don’t see more check-down opportunities for Taylor this season with Daniel Jones or Anthony Richardson under center. It’s not like he’s demanding those looks either, with his per-route performance in 2024, anyway.

Last year, among 45 qualifying backs, Taylor ranked 37th in target share (7.4%) and 43rd in yards per route run and first downs per route run, per Fantasy Points Data. Taylor has all of these red flags, and we haven’t even discussed his efficiency drop-off last year. Among 46 qualifying backs last season, he ranked 42nd in missed tackle rate and 44th in yards after contact per attempt. Taylor could get enough volume in 2025 to pay off his draft cost, but there is too much downside for me to invest.

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 lingers into the summer, 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

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