10 Players You Should Be Avoiding in Fantasy Football Drafts

LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills

Volume drives fantasy football. So when I say that I'm avoiding LeSean McCoy this year, there's a feeling of uneasiness because, well, Shady should see loads and loads of touches in Buffalo this season.

But the Bills probably won't be scoring loads and loads of touchdowns, which is a huge concern.

Over the last five seasons, NFL offenses have averaged 36.90 touchdowns per year. Of the top-50 running back seasons in fantasy football during this time, though, the average number of touchdowns scored in those runners' respective offenses has been 42.12. Only 19 of the 50 (38%) backs played in an offense that tallied fewer than 40 touchdowns, 11 (22%) were in offenses with fewer than the league-wide average of roughly 37, and just 2 (4%) were in an O with fewer than 30 scores.

Granted, one of those two instances was 2017's LeSean McCoy, so let's not bury him just yet. It's just not a good look when numberFire's model has the Bills projected as one of the league's worst offenses this year. That should limit McCoy's scoring opportunities, or at least limit McCoy's ceiling.

As should McCoy's offensive line situation. According to our offensive line guru, Jim Sannes, the Bills are entering the year with the second-worst offensive line in football after losing a lot of key pieces this offseason. McCoy hasn't seen close to this poor of a line since becoming a Buffalo Bill.

There are also schedule concerns. The Bills open up their season against the Ravens, Chargers, and Vikings, three of the better defensive units in the league. And then after Week 3, they'll face Green Bay, Tennessee, and Houston, defenses that aren't cakewalks in games that could see Buffalo in negative game flow situations.

You may be frustrated through the front half of the season if you draft LeSean McCoy. And if he underperforms, you'll not only doubt his ability in fantasy football, but you'll also own an asset that's not nearly as valuable as it was at the start of the year. And that's no fun.

Oh, and I suppose another red flag is McCoy's off-the-field issues. If those were the only concerns, that'd be one thing. But with all of the other worries surrounding Shady, he's an easy fade at his cost this year.