It’s never too early to familiarize yourself with player values across fantasy football platforms. Average draft position (ADP) can vary significantly from site to site, and not every price is worth paying.
Studying the PPR ADP for CBS, I found six players who are currently being drafted higher than I am comfortable taking them.
Overvalued Fantasy Football Players to Avoid on CBS
Bucky Irving (RB – TB) | ADP: 44 (RB21)
You can’t deny the value Bucky Irving gave us in 2024. He played all 17 games and finished as the RB13 in PPR scoring after entering the season as the RB52 in expert consensus rankings (ECR).
Irving was electric, averaging 5.4 yards per carry while ranking fifth in explosive yards and fifth in missed tackles forced. He was also 14th among running backs in first-down runs, according to the Fantasy Points Data Suite.
Fast forward to last season. Even before the injury that sidelined him, Irving averaged just 3.3 yards per carry while ranking 32nd in explosive yards, 45th in missed tackles forced per attempt and 33rd in runs for first downs at his position.
While his first down runs improved post-injury, Irving’s explosiveness and tackle-breaking ability remained well below his rookie season levels. Health is obviously a concern, and the Buccaneers made Kenneth Gainwell a priority in free agency while retaining Sean Tucker, who scored six red-zone touchdowns last season.
At RB21, Irving needs to repeat his rookie season to pay off. With Tampa Bay deploying a full rotation of backs, that feels extremely hard to replicate.
Luther Burden III (WR – CHI) | ADP: 49 (WR22)
Let me start by saying I love the opportunity Luther Burden III has now that DJ Moore is in Buffalo. However, the Burden hype has gone too far. He is ranked ahead of more proven veterans like Terry McLaurin, Moore and Mike Evans.
I understand the excitement. Burden flashed down the stretch and was on fire over his final six games.
From Week 13 on, among receivers with at least 100 routes run, Burden ranked third in yards per route run (YPRR), fifth in targets per route run (TPRR) and fourth in first downs per route run, according to Fantasy Points Data Suite.
The efficiency is impressive, but it came in a small sample size in the grand scheme of things. During this same span, Parker Washington and Christian Watson ranked close to Burden in those same categories. All three receivers finished inside the top four in YPRR.
Burden is priced at his ceiling as the WR22. I would rather take Colston Loveland in this range and wait two rounds for Christian Watson or Parker Washington.
Jayden Daniels (QB – WSH) | ADP: 69 (QB5)
My issue with drafting Jayden Daniels as a top-five quarterback is that there should be a discount, which there isn’t. Finishing as the QB5 overall and in fantasy points per game in 2024 was his ceiling. Last season, he played in only seven games, finishing as the QB18 in fantasy points per game.
With Terry McLaurin limited to 10 games last season, Deebo Samuel and Zach Ertz were the top two target options in the offense. Neither has been re-signed, and both remain free agents.
The Commanders did add Chig Okonkwo, whom I do like. The fact is, he is unproven as he’s failed to eclipse 600 receiving yards in a single season.
The rest of the pass-catching group has major question marks as well. Luke McCaffrey has a combined 29 catches in two seasons, and Treylon Burks has been a first-round disappointment as he enters his fifth season.
Daniels obviously gives you a solid rushing floor, but at QB5, you’re paying for everything to go right again. After last year’s injuries and less proven talent around him, the risk far outweighs the reward.
TreVeyon Henderson (RB – NE) | ADP: 56 (RB24)
TreVeyon Henderson fits well in the Patriots’ backfield as the explosive piece alongside Rhamondre Stevenson.
Many expected Henderson to push Stevenson aside after the latter’s fumbling issues in 2024. However, he cleaned that up, coughing it up only three times after fumbling seven times a year prior.
Head coach Mike Vrabel had success with a power running game in Tennessee, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels also has a history of using bigger backs.
According to the Fantasy Points Data Suite, Stevenson averaged more yards after contact per attempt and missed tackles forced per attempt than Henderson. He was also given more carries inside the 5-yard line.
Henderson is exciting, but I would prefer to target other running backs ranked below him in this range, such as Jadarian Price and Tony Pollard, who both project for larger roles.
Isaiah Likely (TE – NYG) | ADP: 92 (TE10)
The tight end pool as a whole has significantly improved, in large part due to the 2025 rookie draft class.
Taking Likely as the TE10 looks like a trap. Yes, he’s out of Baltimore and finally out of Mark Andrews‘ shadow, but you’re paying for a sustained breakout that we haven’t seen yet.
Likely has yet to eclipse 500 receiving yards in a single season and joins an offense featuring Malik Nabers. After Andrews suffered a season-ending injury in Week 11 of 2023, Likely had big weeks.
From Week 12 on, he ranked eighth in receiving yards per game and eighth in YPRR, per the Fantasy Points Data Suite (minimum 100 routes run). However, he also finished just 16th in receptions, 23rd in TPRR, 18th in target share and 17th in first-read share during that span.
I’m not saying Likely won’t have his weeks, but I question the consistency because he never demanded a high target share in Baltimore, even without Andrews in the lineup.
Michael Wilson (WR – ARI) | ADP: 70 (WR32)
I’m fading Michael Wilson because what looks like a breakout might be closer to a mirage. He finished the season with career highs in targets, receptions, yards and touchdowns.
Let’s not forget the final five games where only one wide receiver outscored him in PPR points per game, and that was Puka Nacua. The late-season spike is hard to ignore.
However, a closer look at Wilson’s production shows that much of the breakout came while Marvin Harrison Jr. was missing time:
| Wilson Split | PPR PPG | Targets/G | Rec. Yards/G |
| Marvin Harrison Active | 7.6 | 4.8 | 34.0 |
| Marvin Harrison Inactive | 25.9 | 13.6 | 119.6 |
More than half of his total receiving yardage came in games Harrison missed. Fantasy managers are drafting Wilson as the WR32 based on the production that came without Arizona’s top wideout.
The spike weeks are still possible. But with Harrison expected to be back healthy, Trey McBride still commanding his targets and Jeremiyah Love added to the backfield, I will let someone else fall for this mirage.
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