Finding players to avoid in Fantasy can be more productive than trying to find players to target, as depending on where you draft, you will not have the opportunity to draft a good chunk of the available players. These “landmines,” however, are not affected by this; if one of the “landmines” is at the top of the draft board when you are on the clock, you will be able to move down the list on your draft board and select your next targeted player. These players have made this DO NOT DRAFT list because they are ranked too high in rankings, have too high of an ADP relative to value, or simply a “gut call” using the eye test. These overrated players could become toxic to your 2024 Fantasy Football roster building and should be avoided entirely. While it’s possible that a few of these ‘landmines’ may not detonate and could have successful fantasy seasons, I am confident that at least 66% of these ‘landmines’ will be avoided. By steering clear of these ‘landmines ‘, you can significantly increase your chances of having a successful fantasy year.

*Using top 150 PPR Players

ECR=Expert Composite Ranking (Full PPR)

ADP=Average Draft Position (Composite)

1. Davante Adams: (ECR: 10 ADP: 19)

Davante Adams ended the 2023 NFL season as the WR15 in fantasy. Despite facing one of the most challenging and frustrating quarterback situations in the NFL, which significantly affected his fantasy ceiling and floor, Adams still managed to secure the 2nd overall spot in targets and target share (33%) among NFL Wide Receivers. This high target share indicates a player’s involvement in the offense and usually leads to consistent fantasy production. According to data from PFF, Adams also ranked in the top 25 among NFL wide receivers in yards per route run and first downs per route run. Adams is still considered a top-tier wide receiver; however, there are visible signs that he may have lost a half-step.

Additionally, although he previously finished as a WR1 every season since 2015, those years were with Aaron Rodgers and one with Derek Carr. As aging is inevitable in the NFL, Adams, like Aaron Jones, still possesses elite talent (at about 80-90% of his former peak) but is not getting any younger. As a Green Bay Packers fan and someone fortunate enough to have Adams on my roster in 2018 (21.8 ppg WR1) and 202 (25.6 ppg #1), including Adams on this list was a tough decision. He is the player on this list I wouldn’t mind being wrong about. Nevertheless, considering his current average draft position, Adams does not offer good fantasy value, and I will not be selecting him in 2024. and I will not be drafting him in 2024.

2. Stefon Diggs: (ECR: 24 ADP: 39)

Stefon Diggs finished as the WR9 in 2023 and was traded to the Houston Texans for a change of scenery from Buffalo during the offseason. Despite finishing as the WR4 in 2022, there’s a worrying trend with Diggs’ production dropping significantly in the second half of the past two seasons. In 2022, he only had one 100-yard receiving game in his last eight games and averaged a below-average of 1.95 yards per route run. Moving to 2023, during weeks 10-18, Diggs managed just one 80+ yard receiving game, only two weekly finishes better than WR45, and finished WR52 in fantasy points per game. Whether you prefer former President Bush’s version, “There’s an old saying in Tennessee – I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee – that says, fool me once, shame on – shame on you. Fool me – you can’t get fooled again”, or the original version of the quote, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice; shame on me.” Diggs has indeed given enough evidence to be concerned about his fantasy value.


His quarterback situational change is the slightest downgrade, as CJ Stroud may have a slightly lower ceiling than Josh Allen. However, both are surefire franchise quarterbacks. The part of the trade that will hurt Diggs is his new increased competition for targets. Houston employs newly extended stud Wideout Nico Collins, talented slot receiver Tank Dell, and signed veteran running back Joe Mixon to stabilize the running back room. I prefer to draft teammate Nico Collins at a similar ADP because he is already established in Houston and has a good relationship with quarterback CJ Stroud. Moreover, there are many other options at all positions at a similar late 2nd or early 3rd round ADP. Therefore, I have decided to steer clear of Stefon Diggs for the 2024 season.

3. Tee Higgins: (ECR: 28 ADP: 56)

Tee Higgins finished the 2023 NFL season as the WR42 in fantasy ppg and was franchise-tagged this offseason by the Bengals. While his role as the #2 WR in the Bengals offense is a great spot for a wide receiver to call home, there are various concerns. According to Player Profiler, going back to the 2021 Season Higgins ranked #10 in the NFL in yards per route run at 2.43 yprr and finished as WR12 in fantasy (15.7 ppg). Fast forward a year to 2022, and Higgins ranked #25 with 2.09 yprr, dropping to a finish as WR26 (13.1 ppg). Finally, in 2023, these marks dropped to #42 in yppr with a 1.73 average and also finished as the WR42 in fantasy football (11.5 ppg). If Higgins had one season of declining play, we could write it off as Higgins struggling to adjust after Burrow’s season-ending injury and the subsequent drop-off in quarterback play to Jake Browning; however, Higgins’s decline started before this.

In 2023, Higgins ranked 32nd in first downs per route run and 38th in yards per route run while receiving the 16th-ranked catchable target rate and ranking outside the top 75 in average yards of separation. These stats paint a picture of a receiver who struggles to separate at times and, in turn, makes the quarterback’s job harder, making them have to be much more precise on their ball placement. While Joe Burrow could be one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL, when throwing to Higgins, the margin for error is much smaller. These statistics also show that while Higgins had a very high peak in 2021, he has severely declined in three subsequent years. While the majority of fantasy “experts” view him as a WR2 who is safe to take in the late third round/fourth round of fantasy drafts, his numbers, and eye test point towards him being closer to a boom or bust WR3 that is best wholly avoided in 2024 fantasy drafts at his current ADP.