7 Players to Avoid in Fantasy Football Drafts

Carlos Hyde, RB, San Francisco 49ers

By Tyler Buecher

One player I'm actively avoiding in fantasy drafts this year is San Francisco 49ers' running back Carlos Hyde.

Despite the sudden opportunity with Frank Gore leaving to Indianapolis, the Niners had one of the most tumultuous offseasons with the amount of turnover on their roster.

The 49ers lost two former first-round offensive linemen in Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis this offseason. With recent news of Dan Kilgore now questionable to start the season as he's still recovering from a fractured leg, Hyde will be running behind a new offensive line lacking both quality and depth behind Joe Staley in new offensive coordinator Geep Chryst's offense.

In Hyde's limited sample size in 2014 where he had more than seven carries in a game, he had a tough time getting yardage, as he averaged 3.2 yards per carry. Considering Gore averaged 4.4 yards per tote under the same circumstances, it's more of an indictment of Hyde's rushing ability while subsequently showcasing his sluggish 4.66 40-time.

Looking through the lens of numberFire metrics, Hyde ranked 62nd out of the 73 running backs last year with at least 50 carries in Total Net Expected Points (NEP) -- which factors in both rushing and receiving -- as both facets of his game were horribly inefficient.

The mass exodus on defense could leave the 49ers trailing often in games playing catch up. Given Hyde's limited receiving skills -- he's never had more than 16 receptions in college or the pros -- Reggie Bush could see a majority of the snaps in the second half of games as San Francisco tries to climb back into the game leaving Hyde on the sidelines in the process.

Facing a tough schedule in 2015, the outlook for Hyde is bleak at best as fantasy owners have taken notice with his current average draft position dropping over a full round the past few months. I agree wholeheartedly with the masses, and Hyde will be a running back I won't be drafting in 2015.