5 Fantasy Football Draft Picks to Avoid (2025)

When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into a few notable fantasy football players I’m avoiding at their current draft cost.

Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Players to Avoid

Let’s dive into the players I’m avoiding at ADP.

Jonathan Taylor (IND)

Taylor posted another RB1 season (RB7 in fantasy points per game) while dealing with a high ankle sprain. He racked up 321 touches and 1,567 total yards with 12 scores. While I think Taylor should post another top 12 season in 2025, I do have some concerns. The quarterback play for Indy is a worry with how often they could be in the red zone this year, as well as his lack of pass-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. Taylor is a solid pick again this year, but I struggle to see a ceiling outcome for him in 2025.

Aaron Jones (MIN)

Jones is coming off a season where he played 17 games for only the second time in his career. He amassed a career-high 306 touches with 1,546 total yards and an RB20 finish in fantasy points per game. Minnesota added Jordan Mason this offseason to take some of the load off Jones as Ty Chandler wasn’t up to the task as Jones’ running mate. Jones wasn’t nearly as efficient as previous seasons, but he was still effective, ranking 17th in yards after contact per attempt, 11th in receiving yards per game, and 18th in first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). Jones should retain his lead-back status in Minnesota for 2025 and be a low-end RB2 again.

D’Andre Swift (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 is more of a worry for Roschon Johnson and his standing as RB2 on the depth chart than Swift’s. 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 primed for another volume RB2 season in 2025 behind a reworked offensive line and with Ben Johnson at the helm.

Travis Etienne (JAC)

Etienne had an incredibly disappointing season last year as the RB37 in fantasy points per game. He dealt with a shoulder issue (Week 4) and hamstring problems (Week 6). In Weeks 1-3, he averaged 15 touches and 67.4 total yards. In Weeks 10-18, after he was over the hamstring woes, he averaged 14 touches and 57.6 total yards. His per-touch efficiency in the 11 games that he was at his healthiest last year was putrid. Etienne had an 8% missed tackle rate and only 2.30 yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Those are backup-level worthy tackle-breaking numbers. Etienne now finds himself in a battle for playing time in 2025 with Tank Bigsby and Bhayshul Tuten, with a new regime calling the shots. Etienne is a shaky RB3/flex.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. (NYG)

Tracy Jr. took over as the Giants’ starting back in Week 5 last season and never looked back. Well, he did have some bumps in the road with fumbles. Tracy Jr. finished with the 23rd-most touches among running backs last year, but he was tied for the third-most fumbles at the position. New York decided to address their backfield in the draft with the addition of Cam Skattebo. Skattebo could push Tracy Jr. aside if he’s not careful. Skattebo had four fumbles last year in college. Still, four fumbles scattered across 338 collegiate touches is a different conversation than five with 230 touches last year, which is what happened with Tracy Jr. Tracy Jr. was explosive with his touches last year, ranking 16th in explosive run rate and 20th in missed tackles forced per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). The Giants may roll out a frustrating thunder and lightning committee in 2025, which would be the best-case scenario for Tracy Jr. because I don’t see Skattebo going away.