FantasyPros Staff | Mon, Aug 11th 2025, 3:39am EDT

Do Not Draft List: 3 Players to Avoid (Fantasy Football)

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 Landmines to Avoid: Do Not Draft List

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

Fitz’s Players to Avoid

Baker Mayfield (QB – TB)

He’s become a quality NFL quarterback, but Mayfield is being overvalued after his career year in 2024.

Mayfield had 41 touchdown passes last year. He had never thrown even 30 TD passes in any other season. Mayfield also ran for a career-high 378 rushing yards last year. He’d never had even 200 rushing yards in any previous season.

It’s easy to understand Mayfield’s appeal. The Buccaneers are loaded at wide receiver with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, and Jalen McMillan. The Bucs also have one of the better offensive lines in the league.

But after a season in which Mayfield established new career highs in pretty much every statistical category across the board, regression is in order.

Also, Mayfield is getting another new offensive coordinator after losing Dave Canales following the 2023 season and Liam Coen following the 2024 season. The Buccaneers’ new playcaller is 34-year-old Josh Grizzard, who’s never been an NFL offensive coordinator.

Mayfield’s ADP as of mid-June was QB7, 59th overall. That’s too steep a price. Last year was the time to invest in Baker Mayfield. Don’t chase last year’s fantasy points.

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

DBro’s Players to Avoid

Zay Flowers (WR – BAL)

Zay Flowers is a WR2 in ADP right now. I just have one question: Why? I love Flowers’ talent, but what is vaulting him into this fantasy tier? It’s not his production. Over the last two seasons, he has finished as the WR32 and WR31 in fantasy points per game. Those finishes have occurred with Flowers outplaying his volume as the WR33 and WR38 in expected fantasy points per game. Do we think Baltimore will pass more in 2025? Doubtful with their offensive coordinator, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry all returning to Baltimore for this season.

Last season, Baltimore ranked third in rushing rate and ninth in neutral rushing rate. I don’t see that changing this season. So, could it be touchdown expectations fueling the Flowers’ hope? Nope. He has ranked 28th and 59th in red-zone targets over the last two seasons among wide receivers. With Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews still on the team and the addition of DeAndre Hopkins in the offseason, we should have more worries about Flowers’ red-zone role decreasing than hope that it surges in 2025.

Flowers will remain a solid WR3, but I can’t expect him to vault into WR2 production. I can’t see it for 2025, and I won’t be paying for it in drafts.

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

Erickson’s Players to Avoid

DJ Moore (WR – CHI)

DJ Moore wrapped up a strange 2024 campaign as the WR16 in total points but just WR32 in points per game (11.1). On the surface, his 98 receptions for 966 yards and 6 touchdowns look fine, especially within the confines of a dysfunctional Bears offense. Still, he posted a career-low 1.44 yards per route run and a 25% bust rate, tied for the third-highest among top-24 wide receivers. That’s especially troubling considering Moore was supposed to be the clear alpha in a broken Bears passing game. While Moore did show signs of life after Thomas Brown took over play-calling duties – topping 5.5 receptions in every game down the stretch – his role shifted to a low aDOT (5.3). He saw plenty of volume (27% target share), but the high-value looks were going elsewhere.

Rookie Rome Odunze dominated air yards and end-zone opportunities, while current street free agent Keenan Allen (before his Week 18 absence) was quietly leading the team in targets since Week 11. Looking ahead to 2025, Moore’s situation has changed yet again. Allen is gone, but the Bears added two high-upside rookies with first and second-round draft capital: WR Luther Burden and TE Colston Loveland. Both are dynamic after the catch and will challenge Moore for volume in a Ben Johnson-led offense that should be significantly more efficient with Caleb Williams entering Year 2. That said, Moore’s career production profile doesn’t scream alpha WR1. Outside of his WR6 finish in 2023 (a year heavily influenced by a few monster games), Moore has never finished inside the top-15 WRs across his career. He’s a classic boom-or-bust weekly WR2 – capable of game-breaking performances but just as likely to disappear depending on game script and usage. Moore should be drafted as a volatile WR2/WR3 with spike-week appeal, but expectations should be tempered. Moore is fine at ADP, especially if he slips. But there may be better value elsewhere in the Bears’ passing game, particularly if Rome Odunze continues to command high-value touches or Burden emerges as a YAC weapon in the slot.

Moore’s ceiling remains intact, but his path to consistency looks as murky as ever.

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