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Fantasy football: 5 players you should avoid on draft day in 2018

By Aaron Tan

CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 13: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers runs the ball against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter during their game at Bank of America Stadium on November 13, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 13: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers runs the ball against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter during their game at Bank of America Stadium on November 13, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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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) /

No. 2: Running Back Christian McCaffrey

I had sky-high expectations for Christian McCaffrey, arguably Stanford’s best-ever running back, coming out of the 2017 NFL Draft. The Carolina Panthers took him really early with the eighth overall pick, but I did not feel like it was a reach for a player with such talent.

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However, McCaffrey had a disappointing rookie season, fantasy-wise, earning 435 rushing yards, 651 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. These statistics aren’t bad at all, but I was expecting McCaffrey to become a lot more involved in the Carolina offense. Jonathan Stewart, a big bruising back, still ran the ball on most first and second downs.

The truth is that McCaffrey isn’t built to sustain 20-plus touches a game. He is the opposite of a workhorse running back and more of a gadget player, which obviously hurts his fantasy value a lot.

The Panthers signed C.J. Anderson, a better version of Jonathan Stewart. He, along with dual-threat quarterback Cam Newton, should vulture most of the goal-line touchdowns away from McCaffrey.

The ex-Cardinal is currently being drafted in the third and fourth rounds. Skip out on him (unless you’re in a PPR league) and get yourself an Alex Collins or Amari Cooper instead. McCaffrey has a safe floor but limited ceiling. You just don’t draft players with low upside in the early rounds.