Fantasy Football 2025: Top Players to Avoid in Early Drafts
Avoid These Players In Early 2025 Fantasy Football Drafts
Draft season always brings tough decisions, and perhaps the hardest is deciding who not to take—especially in the early rounds. While many players carry upside, your early picks are not where you swing for the fences. These rounds are about building a reliable foundation, not chasing potential. Here are five high-profile names fantasy managers should seriously consider passing on in 2025 drafts.
Christian McCaffrey (RB, San Francisco 49ers)
Christian McCaffrey is the ultimate high-upside, low-floor gamble in 2025 fantasy football drafts. There’s no denying what he’s capable of—when healthy. In 2022 and 2023, McCaffrey was a fantasy monster, finishing as RB2 and RB1 in fantasy points per game. Over those two seasons, he racked up more than 3,900 total yards, 152 receptions, and 34 touchdowns.
But a lot has changed. He’s now 29 years old and coming off a brutal, injury-riddled 2024 campaign where he played just four games. Achilles tendinitis in both legs sidelined him to start the year, and when he did return, he looked nothing like the CMC we’ve come to know. He averaged just 12 fantasy points per game—by far the worst of his career. His explosiveness was gone, his efficiency tanked, and a Week 13 PCL injury ended his season entirely.
Yes, Kyle Shanahan says McCaffrey is back to full health, but drafting him in the first round this year is pure hope—not strategy. He’s had more than 1,800 career touches and has played fewer than eight games in three of the last five seasons. Eventually, the wear and tear adds up. Even if he stays healthy, don’t be surprised if the 49ers limit his touches to preserve him for the playoffs.
There’s a real possibility we’ve seen the last of elite CMC. You don’t win your league in the first round, but you can certainly lose it. Let someone else take the risk.
Rather Draft: Ashton Jeanty, Brian Thomas Jr., Nico Collins, Derrick Henry
Travis Hunter (WR/CB, Jacksonville Jaguars)
Travis Hunter is one of the most exciting prospects in years—a true two-way player with incredible skills on both sides of the ball. But that excitement is exactly why he’s being overdrafted in 2025.
Yes, the Jaguars said Hunter will focus “primarily on offense,” which is great for fantasy purposes. But let’s be honest—Hunter isn’t even the top wide receiver on his own team. That title belongs to Brian Thomas Jr., who’s the clear alpha in the Jacksonville offense.
Hunter is still a rookie, and not just any rookie. He’s attempting to play both offense and defense in the NFL—a modern first. How many snaps will he realistically play on offense? Sixty percent? Seventy? It’s nearly impossible to project him for a full-time role when he’s also practicing, meeting, and game-planning with the defense.
He’s smooth, athletic, and has top-tier ball skills—there’s no denying his talent. But you can’t expect high-end fantasy production from a rookie splitting responsibilities. Add in the fact that he’s tied to a good-but-not-great quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, and the risk is too high at his current ADP.
Hunter is all flash and name value. His two-way versatility helped make him the No. 2 overall pick, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to deliver reliable fantasy production—especially not in Year 1.
Rather Draft: Devonta Smith, DJ Moore, George Pickens, Calvin Ridley, Courtland Sutton, Jayden Daniels, Jaylen Hurts
Chris Godwin & Mike Evans (WRs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Let’s start with Chris Godwin. Before suffering a dislocated ankle in 2024, Godwin was on pace for a career-best season. But now at 29—and a very old 29 at that—he’s returning from a major injury with a murky role. The Buccaneers re-signed him to a discounted deal, but that doesn’t scream confidence.
To complicate matters further, Tampa Bay drafted Emeka Egbuka in the first round. Egbuka has a similar skill set to Godwin and will likely command a lot of work out of the slot—where Godwin thrived last year. If Egbuka pushes Godwin back to the perimeter, we could see a major drop in efficiency and production.
Then there’s the target competition: Jalen McMillan, Cade Otton, two pass-catching backs, and of course, Mike Evans. That’s a crowded offense.
As for Evans, he’s defying the aging curve—until he isn’t. He barely hit 1,000 yards in 2024, only doing so after being force-fed in a meaningless kneel-down situation. His yards per reception dropped to a career-low 13.6, and his average target depth fell to 11.6. He’s 31 years old and showing signs of decline.
Even if the Bucs offense stays above average, it’s unlikely Baker Mayfield can repeat his 41-touchdown, 4,500-yard miracle season from 2024. Regression is coming.
Rather Draft (Godwin): George Pickens, Chris Olave, Calvin Ridley, Courtland Sutton
Rather Draft (Evans): Tetairoa McMillan, Terry McLaurin, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Early QBs
Marvin Mims (WR, Denver Broncos)
Marvin Mims has become a trendy breakout pick heading into his third season. He finished strong in 2024, averaging 62 receiving yards per game from Week 11 on and leading all WRs in yards per route run during that span. Mims was certainly used when he was on the field as evidenced by his 28% targets per route rate which ranked top-15 among all NFL wide receivers.
But a deeper look reveals that Mims was being used in a highly gadgety role. Nearly 70 percent of his receptions came on screen passes. According to Josh Norris on Twitter, Mims caught just 11 passes beyond the line of scrimmage in 2024.
That’s not the profile of a breakout star—it’s the profile of a schemed-up role player. And the Broncos have since added more weapons. They upgraded their backfield, signed target hog tight end Evan Engram, and drafted wideout Pat Bryant. Courtland Sutton remains the alpha, and quarterback Bo Nix has a tendency to scramble which only takes pass attempts out of the offense.
Mims will have his moments, but unless his role evolves drastically, he’s not a reliable fantasy option. At his 10th-round ADP, there are far better bets.
Rather Draft: Drake Maye, Hollywood Brown, David Njoku, Jaydon Blue, Kyle Williams
Final Thoughts
There’s nothing wrong with chasing upside—but there’s a time and place for it. The early rounds of your fantasy draft should be about security and stability. Players like Christian McCaffrey and Travis Hunter may be exciting, but their risk outweighs the reward at their current draft price. The same goes for aging receivers like Mike Evans and injury-question marks like Chris Godwin.
Build your core with confidence. Leave the gambles for later.
Your season could depend on it.
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