Reflecting on your fantasy football season is a valuable exercise, whether you emerged victorious or ended up at the bottom of the league standings. It’s important to analyze why certain picks didn’t work out and what lessons can be learned from those decisions.
This season saw its fair share of disappointments, with injuries playing a significant role in the underperformance of players like Christian McCaffrey and others who failed to meet expectations. Let’s take a closer look at some of the worst picks in fantasy football, round by round, based on their average draft position and final points per game:
In the first round, Breece Hall of the New York Jets stands out as a major letdown. Despite high expectations as a top-five pick, Hall’s production fell short of what was anticipated, with declining performance in key metrics over the past two seasons. Perhaps putting faith in the Jets’ offense was a mistake to begin with.
Honorary mentions for disappointing first-round picks include Christian McCaffrey and Tyreek Hill.
Moving on to the second round, Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Arizona Cardinals failed to live up to the hype surrounding him as a highly touted rookie. Despite flashes of potential, Harrison’s overall output was far below what was expected, resulting in a disappointing finish for fantasy managers who invested in him.
Honorary mention for a disappointing second-round pick goes to Travis Etienne Jr.
In the third round, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs underperformed relative to his draft position as the second quarterback off the board. While the drop from QB2 to QB11 may not seem drastic, the missed opportunities in selecting other impactful players in that round make Mahomes’ season a cause for concern.
These examples serve as reminders of the unpredictability of fantasy football and the importance of hindsight in evaluating draft decisions.
With 200+ dropbacks, PFF recorded 6.8 YPA (25th), 26 pass TD (7th), 11 INT (11th-most), 2.9% Big Time Throw rate (32nd), and a 93.5 NFL passer rating (16th). This past season was deemed average, especially considering the high cost. Stay updated by subscribing to Yahoo Fantasy Forecast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your preferred platform.
Round 4 saw DK Metcalf, WR for the Seattle Seahawks, drafted at an ADP of 38.6 (WR18) but finishing as WR35 in PPG. The surprise standout in the Seahawks’ receiving corps this year was Jaxon Smith-Njigba, not Metcalf. Metcalf had a disappointing season with his lowest YPRR average and a career-low in various stats.
In Round 5, Michael Pittman Jr. of the Indianapolis Colts was drafted at an ADP of 49.7 (WR22) but finished as WR53 in PPG. Pittman faced challenges with injuries and poor quarterback performance from the Colts, resulting in a subpar season.
Round 6 featured Dalton Kincaid, TE for the Buffalo Bills, drafted at an ADP of 58.6 (TE6) but finishing as TE21 in PPG. Despite hopes that Kincaid would step up after a key player trade, the Bills spread targets among multiple players, limiting Kincaid’s performance.
Lastly, in Round 7, Raheem Mostert, RB for the Miami Dolphins, was drafted at an ADP of 66.7 (RB22) but finished as RB54 in PPG. The Dolphins’ overall regression in the 2024 season affected Mostert’s performance due to poor offensive efficiency.
It was hailed as a potential late-round value given the expected firepower of the offense and the fact that it seemed unlikely second-year RB De’Von Achane would eclipse 200+ carries. While Achane didn’t exceed that mark, he did total 270 touches thanks to a significant role in the receiving game (78-592-6), and Mostert was incredibly inefficient. Mostert averaged a career-low 3.3 yards per attempt on 85 total carries, including two touchdowns and two costly fumbles. 2023’s overall RB2 failed to log a single top-12 finish all season.
Round 8: Justin Tucker, K, Baltimore Ravens
ADP: 78.9, K1
PPG finish: K17
Did you pay up for the G.O.A.T. this fantasy football season? Justin Tucker sends his regards.
In all fairness, he appears quite frustrated with his season, too. After years of consistency as one of the best kickers in the league, Tucker finally looked human this year, making a career-low 73.3% of field-goal attempts and securing fewer than 26 field goals for the first time in his 13-year career.
The kicker position remains a volatile one (and was even more volatile with several significant injuries) — proving once again that early investment at kicker often isn’t a pot of gold worth chasing.
Honorary mention: TE Jake Ferguson
Round 9: Diontae Johnson, WR, Houston Texans
ADP: 83.2, WR36
PPG finish:
Diontae Johnson did a lot of traveling in the 2024 calendar year, starting out the year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, followed by a trade to the Carolina Panthers and another trade to the Baltimore Ravens before eventually being released and subsequently claimed on waivers by the Houston Texans.
Whew. Talk about well-traveled.
There was some hope that Johnson could emerge as a top target for Bryce Young. After all, we know he’s perfectly capable of handling a WR1 workload with three seasons of 140+ targets over his career. However, his potential never came to fruition, amassing just 363 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games played, including a single catch for six yards in his stint with the Ravens.
Round 10: Cleveland Browns D/ST
ADP: 93.4, DEF5
PPG finish: DEF24
There’s debate every year about whether it’s worth paying up for a team defense versus streaming over the course of the season. The Cleveland Browns D/ST was a perfect example of the downside. After being selected as the consensus fifth defense off the board based on ADP, Cleveland’s defense finished as the D/ST24 in fantasy scoring. The team allowed 20+ points in all but two games this season and forced the third-fewest turnovers (11).
Meanwhile, three of fantasy’s five highest-scoring defenses this season (
