Niner Noise
FanSided

Fantasy football: 5 players you’ll want to avoid in 2018

By Jeremy Wohlfart

SANTA CLARA, CA - SEPTEMBER 10: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers carries the ball while pursued by Solomon Thomas #94 of the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter of their NFL football game at Levi's Stadium on September 10, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - SEPTEMBER 10: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers carries the ball while pursued by Solomon Thomas #94 of the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter of their NFL football game at Levi's Stadium on September 10, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next

No. 1: Mark Ingram, Running Back, New Orleans Saints (ADP: 4.07)

I actually said “What?” out loud during my research for this. I am absolutely flabbergasted running back Mark Ingram is being drafted so high.

First off, Ingram is suspended for four games due to PEDs. Now add in that the bye for the New Orleans Saints is Week 6, and you have a player you can only use once for the first six games of your league.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

Secondly, did people forget Alvin Kamara exists? According to this ADP calculator, someone actually used a 3.04 pick on Ingram, even if he weren’t suspended that is so high for someone who is sharing a backfield with the most talented young runner in football (except maybe Saquon Barkley, but that remains to be seen).

Ingram actually was second for touches to close the season for the Saints, as ESPN pointed out:

"Both Ingram and Kamara were top-six fantasy RBs in 2017, but history suggests that is far from repeatable. Kamara was nothing short of elite as a rookie (6.1 yards per carry, 10.2 yards per reception) and saw his playing time increase as the season progressed. Kamara was out-snapped by Ingram 321 to 234 during Weeks 1-10, but, excluding the Week 14 game in which he left early due to injury, Kamara enjoyed a 284-to-241 edge during the remaining eight games. That said, it was always fair to assume Kamara would lead the unit in touches in 2018."

Ingram is a player I will not be touching in any of my leagues this season unless he takes a monster dive in the fantasy draft.

He’s missing a good chunk of the season, he’s the second best running back on his roster (albeit arguably the most talented one in the league who would start for most teams), and a fourth-round choice is absolutely ridiculous.

Next: San Francisco 49ers: 3 biggest concerns at OTAs in 2018 so far

Let someone else make that mistake.