4 Draft Landmines Experts Avoid (2025 Fantasy Football)

While it’s important to know who to target as you prepare for your fantasy football drafts, it’s equally as important to know which fantasy football draft landmines you’re avoiding. Our analysts provide players they are avoiding in their fantasy football drafts. Here are a few players they consider overvalued or are otherwise avoiding this fantasy football draft season.

You can find all of their players to avoid here: Fitz | DBro | Erickson | Joe

Fantasy Football Draft Landmines to Avoid

Here are a few fantasy football draft landmines our analysts avoid.

Fitz’s Players to Avoid

Breece Hall (RB – NYJ)

Hall is a talented back, and I generally don’t like fading talented players because of seemingly worrisome situations.

But Hall’s situation is pretty worrisome.

New Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has repeatedly talked about wanting to use all three of his running backs — Hall, Braelon Allen, and Isaiah Davis. It’s been a recurring theme in Glenn’s offseason media sessions. For instance …

“I would say that we have three running backs on this team that we’re gonna utilize as much as possible.”

“It could be a 1-2-3 punch with the guys we have.”

“If we can get them all on the field at one time, we’ll do that.”

(Hat tip to Greg Brainos of the Coachspeak Index for the Glenn quotes.)

Passing-game usage is the other concern with Hall.

Hall has been a productive pass catcher. He’s averaged 66.5 catches a season and 4.0 catches a game over the last two years. But the Jets’ new quarterback is Justin Fields, a prolific rusher. Running QBs tend to check down to their RBs less often, because they’ll often just run themselves when pass protection breaks down. When Fields was the Bears’ full-time quarterback in 2022, Chicago running backs combined for just 46 catches that season.

Check out all of Fitz’s fantasy football picks to avoid

DBro’s Players to Avoid

Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)

Last year, Jonathan Taylor racked up another RB1 season (RB7 in fantasy points per game) while dealing with a high-ankle sprain. While Taylor could post another top-12 season in 2025, I do have some huge concerns. First, it’s his ability (or inability) to stay healthy. He hasn’t played a full 17 games since 2021. As the mileage cranks up for running backs, injury issues aren’t something that usually goes away.

Second, the quarterback play for the Colts is a worry with how often they could be in the red zone this year, as well as his lack of passing 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, per Fantasy Points Data. Taylor has all of these red flags, and we haven’t even discussed his efficiency drop-off last year. Among 46 qualifying backs last season, he ranked 42nd in missed tackle rate and 44th in yards after contact per attempt. Taylor could get enough volume in 2025 to pay off his draft cost, but there is too much downside for me to invest.

Check out all of DBro’s fantasy football picks to avoid

Erickson’s Players to Avoid

Terry McLaurin (WR – WAS)

Terry McLaurin had a career year in 2024 with 82 catches for nearly 1,110 yards and 13 TDs (2nd among all WRs and 16 TDs including the postseason), finishing the 2024 season as the WR6 overall and WR15 in points per game. According to FantasyPros’ boom or bust report, McLaurin finished as a top 24 weekly option in 69% of his games, tied for the 3rd-highest among all WRs. TMC took off with Jayden Daniels as his QB, and the duo will be looking to repeat their efforts in their second season together in 2025.

However, McLaurin commanded just a 21% target share in 2024 (37th) while finishing with the 12th-highest air yards share (38%). The Commanders’ wideout ranked 23rd in expected fantasy points per game because he performed well above expectations for scoring TDs (nearly double per PFF). Looking ahead to 2025, the only true threat to the target competition for McLaurin is Deebo Samuel (who has struggled to stay healthy), 90-year-old Zach Ertz, and questionable WR depth pieces. That being said, chasing McLaurin’s TDs from last season might make him overvalued in 2025 fantasy football drafts. TMC caught 16 TDs combined through his first four seasons played in the NFL.

Keep in mind that he had no target competition last season and still ranked outside the top-30 WRs in targets per game.

Before Noah Brown‘s injury (7-game stretch from Weeks 6-12), Brown and Zach Ertz led the Commanders in targets, suggesting McLaurin isn’t an elite target earner in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, and will need to repeat top-end efficiency to pay off his increased ADP in 2025. Considering a lot of his efficiency metrics – yards per route run, average depth of target – were not too far off from his career numbers, fading McLaurin is just a bet on his TD production coming back down to Earth. McLaurin’s 25% bust rate tied for the highest among any WRs inside the top-15 last season (Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jerry Jeudy). Not to mention, McLaurin is also looking for a new contract entering the final year of his deal. A potential holdout could further complicate selecting him in fantasy drafts.

Check out all of Erickson’s fantasy football picks to avoid

Joe’s Players to Avoid

Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI)

Before you lose your mind, let me present to you the facts.

Last season, Saquon Barkley had 436 carries (including the postseason). Here’s a list of recent (since 2000) 400+ carry seasons by a running back and their performance the following season:

The defense rests.

Check out all of Joe’s fantasy football picks to avoid

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