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Fantasy football: 10 players you’ll want to avoid drafting early in 2019

By Peter Panacy

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 12: Todd Gurley #30 of the Los Angeles Rams scores a 35 yard touchdown in the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 12, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 12: Todd Gurley #30 of the Los Angeles Rams scores a 35 yard touchdown in the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 12, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 25: Antonio Brown #84 of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up prior to the preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on August 25, 2018 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 25: Antonio Brown #84 of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up prior to the preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on August 25, 2018 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Fantasy football is all about making the splash picks and finding the mid- or late-round gems. Sometimes, the players you don’t take make the difference, and here are 10 players you’ll want to avoid drafting early in 2019.

For the most part, fantasy football championships aren’t won in the early rounds. No, they’re won by making those key late-round additions, grabbing sleepers and effectively managing waiver-wire acquisitions throughout the season.

But they’re also won by not reaching on players and, at times, avoiding some of those players altogether.

Case in point, fantasy football owners who decided to use an early pick on then-Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell were burned by his decision to sit out the entire year while on the franchise tag, therefore bypassing the opportunity to grab another would-be impact player early on draft day.

If you won your fantasy championship despite making this mistake, kudos to you. But many of us would guess you probably didn’t enjoy such prospects.

Bell’s case was extreme, of course, but it illustrates a point. There are players you’d be wise to avoid each year, and the upcoming 2019 season is no exception.

Let’s take a look at 10 players for this year’s fantasy football season you should probably avoid. Or, at least, withhold yourself from dishing out that early pick.

28. . Wide Receiver. Oakland Raiders. Antonio Brown. 10. player

On one hand, the Oakland Raiders vastly improved their receiving corps by grabbing the Steelers’ former standout, Antonio Brown, during the offseason.

Browns’ average draft position in a 12-team format is 2.08 — the eighth pick of Round 2 — according to Fantasy Football Calculator (we’ll use this format and tool for each player on this list), which would seem to indicate a bargain. After all, Brown should get a lot of the prime targets for head coach Jon Gruden’s offense, which translates into points for points-per-reception (PPR) leagues.

That said, it wouldn’t be shocking at all to see Brown come nowhere close to the All-Pro-level numbers he enjoyed back in Pittsburgh. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has been on the decline the past two years, and Gruden’s offense has more question marks than givens at this point.

Brown might put up some big numbers early on, as the Raiders look to force him the ball. But it wouldn’t be a shock to see those stats slough off as the year draws along.

Someone is going to reach for Brown early. Don’t let it be you.