6 Early Players to Avoid (2026 Fantasy Football)

The NFL Draft is just around the corner, and once the most exciting rookies are paired with their new teams, there will be a whole new crop of players we are excited to draft. In addition to the emerging and breakout players from last season, once draft season kicks off in May, there will be no shortage of players we are eager to select in fantasy football drafts.

But what about the players we shouldn’t draft, at least we shouldn’t draft them near what their average draft position (ADP) is heading into early summer? With new players, new teams, and new coaching schemes, what players should we avoid in drafts? This piece will look at six fantasy football assets who should likely not be drafted where they are going in early Underdog Best Ball drafts.

Fantasy Football Draft Picks to Avoid

Patrick Mahomes (QB – KC) | Underdog ADP: 90.4

Patrick Mahomes is coming off a torn ACL and LCL late in 2025, which already puts his early-season availability in question. There’s legitimate concern he could either start the year on the PUP list (forcing him to miss at least 4 games), or be eased in or take a while to ramp up to game-ready condition.

After Week 8 in 2025, Mahomes only scored above 14 fantasy points two times before suffering his injury. This was largely due to Travis Kelce falling off the age cliff and Xavier Worthy not yet living up to the expectations we had coming out of his draft. Rashee Rice should be around all season, but there are likely some rookie additions incoming as well, and it could be a while before this offense clicks.

Factor in that the rushing component of Mahomes’ game is likely now gone forever, and you are counting on a pocket passer with reduced weapons coming off a major injury.

Cam Skattebo (RB – NYG) | Underdog ADP: 57.3

Cam Skattebo was a favorite of the Brian Daboll regime, but will the new coaching staff feel the same way, especially after Skattebo and his destructive rushing style got him a serious ankle injury that ended his season? His explosiveness might be gone, and the threat of re-injury, especially considering the way Skattebo plays, is very high.

The competition is also fierce, and perhaps getting worse in New York. Tyrone Tracy Jr. has been very effective at times and is still on this team to take touches and snaps away from Skattebo. Lately, the Giants have also been connected to Jeremiyah Love in the upcoming draft. If that were to happen, fantasy football managers would hate it, and it would kill Skattebo’s value.

Being drafted in the top 60 of early drafts, you are counting on Skattebo to be at least a productive RB2 on your fantasy team. With so many unknowns before the draft, that just seems too risky at this point.

RJ Harvey (RB – DEN) | Underdog ADP: 67.0

The Denver Broncos bringing back oft-injured J.K Dobbins is certainly an indictment on how they feel about Harvey and his ability to be a first- and second-down rusher. Harvey did see more than 60 percent of the snaps when Dobbins was hurt last season, but that number was below 30 percent overall in most weeks when the pair were both healthy.

Harvey proved to be a capable pass-catcher last year, and did have some spike weeks on the ground and in the end zone, but that is no guarantee for 2026. In fact, there is no guarantee that in 2026 he will be the most productive running back on his own team. A pick in the top 70 is too steep for that risk.

Michael Pittman (WR – PIT) | Underdog ADP: 100.1

Last season, Michael Pittman finished with 9.6 half-PPR points per game, which earned him a spot as the WR34 on the season. And even for that level of production (barely a WR3 in fantasy football), things had to go perfectly with Daniel Jones when he was healthy. Pittman was often outplayed by Alec Pierce and Tyler Warren and has now been shipped off to Pittsburgh.

In Pittsburgh, he is likely to find a less efficient passing attack, and he immediately walks in as the WR2 behind D.K. Metcalf. What’s the best-case scenario for Pittman? Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback again, and Pittman struggles to score 10 points per game in a low-scoring, run-heavy offense? That’s not worth a top-100 pick for me unless Metcalf suffers some kind of injury.

A.J. Brown (WR – PHI) | Underdog ADP: 29.3

Somehow, with all of the turmoil from last season, and with the inconsistency and the complaints out of the Eagles locker room, A.J. Brown is still being drafted as a top-30 player and the WR15, dangerously close to a WR1 on your fantasy team. I just don’t understand it, especially after DeVonta Smith’s strong year and the fact that he has moved UP to WR22 in ADP.

Despite the up-and-down season, Brown was WR12 in fantasy points per game. But he had seven games under 10 fantasy points and three with more than 20. At this cost in drafts, I am looking for slightly more consistency in my picks. Plus, if Saquon Barkley or Dallas Goedert have bounce-back seasons, Brown’s work could diminish even further.

The Eagles are still one of the most run-heavy teams in the NFL, and their refusal to pass around the goal line will cut into the easy scores that could push Brown into the elite territory of wide receivers.

Jake Ferguson (TE – DAL) | Underdog ADP: 128.5

Both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are top-24 draft options heading into 2026, and with the reemergence of Javonte Williams, where exactly does that leave Jake Ferguson? Even in a pass-heavy offense, Ferguson saw his production decline after a wonderful first half of the season in 2025. He had over a 20 percent target share in the first eight weeks of the season, and that dropped down under 15 percent for the rest of the season.

Overall, Jake Ferguson was the TE12 in fantasy points per game in 2025. But if you look at just points from Weeks 9-18, he was TE27 at 5.8 half-PPR points per game. He is currently the TE12 in Underdog drafts, but I would rather have the upside of someone like Isaiah Likely or Brenton Strange even later in the draft.