Draft Landmines Experts Avoid (2025 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 Draft Landmines to Avoid

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

Fitz’s Players to Avoid

Tyreek Hill (WR – MIA)

We’ll probably get some sort of rebound from the Cheetah after his down year in 2024. After two consecutive 119-catch seasons with more than 1,700 yards, Hill had 81 catches for 959 yards last year, even though he played all 17 games. His six touchdowns were the fewest in a single season since his rookie year in 2016.

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa averaged a career-low 5.7 intended air yards per attempt last season, per Pro Football Reference. In 2023, Tagovailoa averaged 7.7 intended air yards per attempt. In 2022, he was at 9.5.

The loss of verticality in the Miami passing game undoubtedly had something to do with Tagovailoa missing time with a concussion early in the season. He has a worrisome concussion history, and Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel used shorter throws as part of his Tua preservation plan.

What if that’s still the plan? Or what if that plan needs to be resurrected after another Tua injury?

Also, Hill is 31, an age at which speed-merchant receivers such as DeSean Jackson and Mike Wallace started to become less productive.

Sure, a bounce-back season is possible, but I’m not interested in drafting Hill at his third-round ADP.

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

DBro’s Players to Avoid

D’Andre Swift (RB – CHI)

Well, the Bears didn’t add any threat to Swift’s workload before they selected Kyle Monangai in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. Monangai could be a thorn in Swift’s side this season if he can eat into his early down and red zone usage.

Last year, Swift was the RB21 in fantasy points per game as he soaked up volume. He ranked tenth in snap share, seventh in opportunity share, tenth in carries, and 15th in targets among backs. Swift was inefficient every step of the way, ranking outside the top 32 running backs in explosive run rate, yards after contact per attempt, missed tackles forced per attempt, and yards per touch.

Swift looks like the picture-perfect version of a classic dead zone back. People are investing in Ben Johnson steam and Swift’s projected volume. I won’t be falling on that fantasy football landmine in 2025.

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

Erickson’s Players to Avoid

Sam LaPorta (TE – DET)

I was against Sam LaPorta as the TE1 in 2024 and I felt justified by the results. The Lions tight end finished 17 weeks as the TE7 and the TE8 overall in points per game (9.3). His expected fantasy points per game ranked outside the top 12 TEs (9.5) as he wasn’t the focal point in the offense many of his backers projected him to be. The lesson to be learned here? Don’t draft a tight end as the TE1 overall if they aren’t even the No. 1 on target on their OWN team.

LaPorta did finish the season on a high note in the second half as he benefited from the absences of Jameson Williams and David Montgomery. From Week 8 through the divisional round, LaPorta’s production was back to his rookie year – north of 11 points per game.

But the third-year tight end’s fantasy ceiling remains capped in a crowded Lions offense while others stay healthy, and the loss of OC Ben Johnson is also a concern. Even though his draft price is much more palatable than in 2024, paying up for the most expensive tight end outside the “Big Three” hardly seems like a smart investing strategy. We always echo to stay out of the middle at tight end, and LaPorta feels too expensive inside the top-50 overall picks as the TE4 off the board. He’s even lower in the ECR overall ranks (64th) despite ranking as the TE4 by the expert consensus.

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

Joe’s Players to Avoid

Patrick Mahomes (KC – QB)

Patrick Mahomes is a superstar and already likely a Hall of Fame quarterback, but he’s been overrated in fantasy the last few years. I fell into the trap last season. The reality is he finished as the fantasy QB8 two years ago and the QB11 last season.

Travis Kelce is no longer the player he once was, and although Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy have had moments, neither offers the stability that makes me feel good about drafting Mahomes at his current average draft position (ADP).

Mahomes may indeed finish in the top 10 this season at his position, but so could Justin Herbert, Justin Fields or Drake Maye. None of whom cost near the draft capital that Mahomes does. Therefore, I’m out until the Chiefs bring Mahomes his Randy Moss the way the Patriots did for Tom Brady years ago to reinvigorate his fantasy value.

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