As the month of June approaches, it’s time to start taking a look at that piñata of fun that we know as fantasy football.
Each year, people try to figure out the top sleepers and steals that will give them a leg up to win their league.
Today, we’re going to take a look at those players who could possibly ruin your fantasy season before it gets started.
Without furtherado, let’s examine five players to avoid for the 2013 NFL season:
1. Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans:
Counting the postseason, Foster touched the football 460 times during the 2012 season. That’s no big deal, right? Well, consider this bit of recent history. Kansas City’s Larry Johnson compiled 475 touches during 2006 while leading the Chiefs to the playoffs.
How did Johnson respond after that season? He scored eight touchdowns total…over the next five seasons. Interestingly enough, that was only Johnson’s fourth season in the NFL.
As for Foster, he just completed his fourth season as well and there are some signs for concern. Foster’s numbers declined over the last two seasons, including his rushing yards per game which fell from 101 in 2010 to 89 in 2012.
During Houston’s OTAs in May, Foster strained his right calf muscle. As a result, he is out until training camp.
BEWARE.
2. Robert Griffin III, QB, Washington Redskins:
Check out this video:
Now, look at this photo:
Oh boy.
Will RGIII be back to his old self after re-injuring his knee during the NFC playoffs against Seattle?
The Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles returns following torn ACLs are the exception and not the rule. Plus, Griffin finished fifth among quarterbacks in standard fantasy scoring last season.
There appears to be plenty of hand-wringing going on in Washington related to Griffin’s return to action and rightfully so.
Upon his return, he’ll likely have to depend a bit more on his arm until his legs are fully back into form. It may take him a while to get back into 2012 form.
Oh, one last thing on RG3. Check out this quote from a former unnamed quarterback in a recent Jason LaCanfora piece for CBSSports.com on Griffin:
“You can see he’s still not really trusting his back leg, he’s not really pushing off. Why the hell would the Redskins have him out there while they’re filming that? You can’t keep him on the sidelines until they stop rolling?”
Yup, this is going to get awkward.
3. Wes Welker, WR, Denver Broncos:
Wow. The Denver Broncos signed Wes Welker. Can you imagine what that Denver offense is going to look like with Peyton Manning throwing him the football?
IT’S GOING TO LOOK LIKE FLAG FOOTBALL!!!!!
Ok, maybe it will not look like that but Welker’s New England numbers were absurd. He averaged 112 catches, 1,244 yards, and six touchdowns per season in New England.
So, surely he will fit like a glove in Denver, right?
Not so fast.
Believe it or not, Welker finished in the top 10 for fantasy receivers just once – in 2011. Plus, Welker is 32 years old and is not likely to be the primary focus of the offense in Denver.
Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker combined to catch 179 passes last season. Between that duo and Welker, someone’s numbers are likely to take a sharp dip. Since he is still learning a new offense, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Welker.
4. Stevan Ridley, RB, New England Patriots:
The last time we saw Ridley, he got freight-trained by renowned Patriots killer Bernard Karmell Pollard in the AFC title game.
Ridley’s 2012 season featuring 1,235 yards was the most by a Patriots running back since Corey Dillon amassed 1,635 yards for New England’s last Super Bowl winner in 2004.
While Ridley played well last season, his case of the fumbles didn’t go away. His four fumbles led the Patriots and continues to be an issue at times.
Also, Brandon Bolden and Shane Vereen threaten to take time away from Ridley if he can’t control his fumbling problems.
Undeterred, Ridley put on weight during the offseason to withstand a pounding this year. He better hold on to that football along the way. He has plenty of competition.
