Players Experts Avoid: Kyren Williams, James Cook, Jaylen Warren (Fantasy Football)

Drafting the right players is key to winning your fantasy football league, but avoiding the wrong ones is just as important. Every year, certain players get overhyped, over-drafted or simply don’t live up to expectations.

To help you steer clear of potential landmines in your 2025 fantasy football draft, we asked our collection of Featured Pros to weigh in on which running backs they’re avoiding at their current average draft position (ADP). Whether it’s due to workload concerns, injury risk or inflated cost, these are the running backs our experts believe carry more risk than reward. Before you make your next pick, make sure these names aren’t on your draft board.

Players Fantasy Football Experts Avoid

What one RB inside the top 100 in our consensus ADP do you plan on avoiding in all your drafts relative to their price and why?

Kyren Williams (RB – LAR)

“I’ll be bypassing Kyren Williams at RB12 this season. Williams, at this point, is a bet on volume, and he remains the Rams’ do-everything back. Jarquez Hunter will cut into his volume stranglehold this season. Last year, Williams was one of the most inefficient per-touch backs in the NFL. Among 46 qualifying backs, he ranked 44th in explosive run rate, 37th in missed tackle rate and 40th in yards after contact per attempt, per Fantasy Points Data. If Hunter eats into his early-down and red-zone work, Williams doesn’t have the passing game usage and prowess to save his fantasy value. Last season, among 45 qualifying backs, he ranked 38th in target share, 41st in receiving yards per game and 45th in yards per route run. I can’t pay an RB1 price tag with this profile.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)

“It feels like Groundhog Day all over again — another offseason, another round of analysts fading Kyren Williams after he finished as the RB7 overall and RB8 in half-PPR points per game (PPG) in 2024. But this year, the concerns are more justified, as it’s not just about Blake Corum joining the Rams’ backfield. Despite a monster workload in 2024 (nearly 400 touches and an 87% snap share, both second to only Saquon Barkley), Williams was wildly inefficient — ranking near the bottom in explosive run rate, missed tackles and yards after carry (YAC) per attempt (akin to Najee Harris‘ numbers in 2024) with fumbles to boot. The Rams spent more draft capital on another rookie back in the form of Jarquez Hunter (who the Rams traded up for) while publicly embracing the NFL trends of a more committee-driven backfield approach this offseason. Williams could still deliver RB1 numbers on sheer volume alone, but if that volume even slightly dips, it will be tough for him to live up to his ADP without a substantial role in the passing game. The Rams have ranked dead last in RB targets over the last two seasons.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)

“Fading Kyren Williams is a tricky one, because he could very well just turn around and put up another great season. But at this point, he seems closer to a dead-zone projection than a league winner in my opinion — a running back whose ADP is only being supported by the elite volume drafters are expecting. As his efficiency waned towards the end of last season and Jarquez Hunter was brought in to join Blake Corum behind Williams, a scenario where Williams’ role becomes heavily diminished seems very possible. This extreme downside risk isn’t being priced into his ADP currently.”
– Benjamin Klotz (Touchdown Squad)

James Cook (RB – BUF)

“Fantasy players should avoid drafting James Cook anywhere near his RB14 ADP (42.5 overall) capital. Last year, the former Georgia star finished as the RB8, averaging 15.7 half-PPR fantasy points per game, totaling 16 rushing touchdowns and 18 offensive scores. However, he had only four rushing touchdowns and nine offensive scores over his first two seasons in the NFL. Furthermore, Cook saw a decline in rushing attempts (13.9 vs. 12.9) and yards (66 vs. 63.1) per game from 2023 to 2024, as the Bills gave Ray Davis a meaningful workload. More importantly, the veteran and the team are in the middle of contract talks, which could lead to a training camp hold-in. Kenneth Walker III, Alvin Kamara and Joe Mixon have a later ADP than Cook. Yet, I will draft all three before the former Georgia star.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)

“James Cook is one running back inside the top 100 I’m avoiding in all drafts this season relative to his ADP of 41. He’s in the final year of his contract, skipped voluntary (organized team activities) OTAs, and has recently been mentioned in trade rumors, raising questions about his long-term role in Buffalo. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady has praised second-year back Ray Davis, hinting at a possible shift in workload that could eat into Cook’s touches. Josh Allen‘s significant involvement as a rusher in the red zone continues to limit James Cook‘s touchdown upside, even if Cook remains the lead back. He was productive in 2024, but the combination of contract uncertainty, backfield competition and situational usage makes his 2025 outlook far too risky at his current price.”
– Lawrence Iacona (Gridiron Experts)

“James Cook finished 10th among running backs in half-PPR points per game last season. But he checked in just tied for 24th in expected points per game. He trailed legends such as Kareem Hunt, Tony Pollard, Najee Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson, among others. What does that mean? Cook got the usage of a low-end RB2 and wore extreme touchdown luck like a costume to sneak into the RB1 party. Just ask the Bills if their lead back is worth what he thinks he is. I’ll gladly target running backs such as Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker III and Joe Mixon — or look to other positions — while leaving Cook for other drafters.”
– Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks)

Jaylen Warren (RB – PIT)

“Jaylen Warren has been an efficient and productive player on a per-touch basis, but his fantasy ceiling appears capped due to usage limitations. Despite Najee Harris‘s inefficiency in recent years, Pittsburgh’s coaching staff never fully committed to Warren as a workhorse, and the addition of Kaleb Johnson — a strong scheme fit and potential volume back — further clouds Warren’s path to a consistent role. While Warren may open the season as the nominal lead back, Johnson is expected to earn significant touches in Arthur Smith’s offense, potentially pushing Warren into a secondary role. Add in Warren’s curious lack of receiving touchdowns and a history of limited red-zone work, and it becomes clear he’s more of a Flex option than a breakout candidate.”
– Andrew Mott (Big Dogs Gotta Eat)