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Fantasy Football season is creeping up on us. We’re 10 weeks away from the start of the NFL regular season, which means over the next 10 weeks, everyone will be hosting their annual fantasy football draft.

While your draft could still be over a month away, it’s never too early to start doing some research. We’ve given our positional rankings, we’ve hit on some sleepers to watch for, so now we’re going to identify one player you should absolutely avoid in every round.

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I went into a Sleeper Fantasy mock draft and based who is going in each round based on their average draft position. If they were in the top-12, they’re in round one. If they’re 13-24, they’re in round two and so on.

Note: This is based on a 12-team, full-point PPR league.

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Round 1: Justin Jefferson

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As much as I hate to say it, because I still think Justin Jefferson is a top-four wide receiver in the NFL, I’m not sure that he should be going in the first round of fantasy drafts. Of all the players in round one, he’s easily in the worst situation. We don’t know who his quarterback is going to be, and last year when he had J.J. McCarthy and Co. under center, he wasn’t a great fantasy option. Mid-round two would be the ideal spot for him, in my opinion.

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Round 2: Jeremiyah Love

We saw this exact scenario play out last year with Ashton Jeanty. A team picking in the top-10, that was not prepared to draft a running back that high, did it anyways, and that running back struggled as a rookie. The same thing is likely going to happen to Jeremiyah Love. I know he’s extremely talented, but in the NFL, if you don’t have an offensive line (which Arizona doesn’t), you’re not going to be efficient. Let your league-mates draft the exciting rookie. I’d wait until next year to take him.

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Round 3: Tee Higgins

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When’s the last time drafting Tee Higgins this high has paid off? Right now, he’s going as the WR13 in Sleeper drafts, but he has never once in his career finished as a top-15 fantasy receiver. Again, this is nothing against the player, he’s a great receiver. But why would you draft a WR2 in the third round? His ceiling is WR15, and it’s not worth taking someone with that low of a ceiling this high.

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Round 4: TreVeyon Henderson

This was a tough one too, because I am extremely high on TreVeyon Henderson, and who wouldn’t be? He was fantastic when he was given RB1 status last year, scoring 12, 28 and 32 points in the three games Rhamondre Stevenson missed, but once Stevenson returned, he only scored 12+ in two of his final six games. He’ll be more involved this year, I’m sure, but he’s still splitting carries with Stevenson, so round four seems a bit high for me.

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Round 5: Bhayshul Tuten

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Bhayshul Tuten Travis Etienne

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Round 6: Christian Watson

This was an easy pick. Christian Watson just signed a massive contract and is in line to be the Green Bay Packers’ WR1, but the guy cannot stay healthy. In four years in the league, the most games he’s played in a single season is 15, but he’s played nine or fewer in two of the last three seasons. For a player with such injury risk, his upside isn’t high enough to justify being picked this high. Heck, I wouldn’t touch him in round seven or eight, either.

Round 7: Rhamondre Stevenson

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Another New England running back lands on this list, but I’ll tell you, round seven wasn’t easy. There are a lot of players I like, but don’t love in this round, but I landed on Stevenson because of his competition in the backfield. I think he and Henderson will split touches pretty evenly, so I don’t think either of them have an incredibly high ceiling this year.

Round 8: Blake Corum

Unless you’re counting on Kyren Williams getting hurt, why would you take Blake Corum this high? For the past two years, Corum has been getting a lot of offseason hype, just for Williams to dominate the touches in the backfield. Corum has finished as the RB 70 and RB49 in his two seasons in the league, and I don’t see him being even a top-30 back this year, unless Williams gets hurt. And I’m not banking on injuries when I’m drafting.

Round 9: Brian Robinson

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This is another one I don’t understand. Why is Brian Robinson, who is backing up Bijan Robinson, going in the ninth round? One, he’s never finished higher than the RB21 in fantasy. Two, Tyler Allgeier, who was Bijan’s backup, hasn’t finished higher than the RB36 during Bijan’s time in the league. Bijan is going to dominate that backfield, so again, unless you’re banking on an injury, picking him this high makes no sense to me.

Round 10: Aaron Jones

Aaron Jones isn’t the running back he used to be. He’s 31 years old, has missed significant time in two of the last three seasons and is in an offense that probably won’t be all that great this year because of their quarterback situation. There are a lot of good players in this round, such as Kenyon Sadiq, Makai Lemon, Bo Nix and Brenton Strange that get me a lot more excited than Aaron Jones.

Round 11: James Conner

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James Conner was my go-to late-round running back pick for the past few years, and he never disappointed. He always put up points, but he suffered a gruesome ankle injury last season, and he’s still rehabbing it. Plus, when he’s back, he enters a backfield with Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier, Trey Benson and others. That is far from ideal for a 31-year-old.

Round 12: Malik Willis

I understand that Malik Willis had an exciting few weeks with the Packers at the end of last year, but that was with a great offensive coach and a really solid roster around him. In Miami, he has a defensive-minded head coach and basically no one to throw the ball to. The offensive line will be improved, but overall, I don’t like the situation. I’d much rather take Tyler Shough, Sam Darnold or even Kyler Murray at this point.

Round 13: Trey Benson

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As someone who has Trey Benson in dynasty, no one is more upset about what happened this offseason than me. I thought he was going to be great, but now he’s buried in a depth chart that includes Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier and James Conner. There’s no point in taking Benson in fantasy this year, because he’s RB3 at best.

Round 14: Tyreek Hill

Tyreek Hill is currently going in round 14 on Sleeper, but there’s no guarantee he even plays this season. He hasn’t signed with a team yet, and that’s because he’s still rehabbing a significant knee injury, and there’s a real chance he isn’t ready to suit up this year. This is a situation I’d avoid at all costs.

Round 15: Travis Hunter

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Don’t waste your time drafting Travis Hunter this year. Is he incredibly talented? Yes. Is he trying to do too much by playing both sides of the ball? Yes. Is he in a crowded wide receiver room that has three other guys getting drafted above him? Yes. There are just too many things working against him right now. Unless he transitions to full-time receiver, he isn’t worth taking.

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Luke Hubbard

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Luke Hubbard is a NFL Analyst at EssentiallySports, recognized for his comprehensive coverage across the NCAA and NFL landscapes. An LSU graduate, Luke brings deep reporting experience as a writer for On SI, where he covers the Tennessee Titans, Michigan Wolverines, Baylor Bears, and Virginia Tech Hokies. Previously, he served as a contributing writer for Canal Street Chronicles at SB Nation, focusing on the New Orleans Saints since 2023. Luke has also provided in-depth LSU athletics reporting for Rivals and Athlon Sports, spanning football, basketball, baseball, and gymnastics. Luke’s journey in sports journalism began as a student intern in the LSU Athletic Communications Department, where he covered diverse sports including women’s volleyball. His bylines appear in major outlets such as Athlon Sports, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated, earning him recognition for insightful analysis and versatile game coverage. In addition to his print and digital work, Luke has contributed content to publications like Death Valley Insider, BVM Sports, and Yardbarker. Luke loves sports and the stories behind them. From NFL clashes and college rivalries to the roar of Formula 1, he chases the action with both a reporter’s tenacity and a storyteller’s heart. Based in Louisiana, he brings hometown insight with a wider perspective, giving fans sharp analysis, inside scoops, and just enough personality to keep it fun.

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