4 Players to Avoid in Fantasy Football in 2025

Throughout the whirlwind of taking part in fantasy football drafts, we tend to compile a list of players that we try to target in nearly every circumstance. When discussing each player's fantasy football outlook, there are certain metrics or factors that could make a case for taking a player, even if they aren't someone that we were originally interested in.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are also players we make a concerted effort to avoid in fantasy football drafts. Whether it be due to a less-than-ideal environment, decline in production, injury, or other factor, there are players that are tougher to make a case for when it comes to selecting them each year.

With weeks to go until the 2025 NFL season kicks off, here are four players to avoid in your fantasy football drafts.

Note: All ADPs (average draft position) come from FantasyPros' Consensus ADP for half-PPR leagues.

Players to Avoid in Fantasy Football

David Montgomery, RB, Lions

Overall ADP: 54.0 (RB20)

In his first two seasons with the Detroit Lions, David Montgomery has mainly operated as Detroit's preferred physical and short-yardage back, which has resulted in him scoring 12-plus rushing touchdowns in back-to-back years. Even though Montgomery has finished as the RB18 and RB13 in fantasy football over the past two seasons in half-PPR formats, it's tough to predict him getting a nearly split workload and a majority of red-zone touches alongside Jahmyr Gibbs again.

Despite sharing the backfield with Montgomery, Gibbs managed to conclude the 2025 campaign as the overall RB2 and RB2 in fantasy points per game. Gibbs also tallied the 3rd-most yards per attempt (5.7), 3rd-most rushing touchdowns (18), 17th-most yards after contact per attempt (3.29), and 3rd-most runs of 10-plus yards (46) among backs with 50-plus attempts in 2024, per PFF.

Meanwhile, Montgomery logged just the 33rd-most yards per attempt (4.2), 9th-most rushing touchdowns (12), 24th-most yards after contact per attempt (3.14), and 26th-most runs of 10-plus yards (18) in the same sample. Montgomery also dealt with a shoulder and knee injury that sidelined him for the final three weeks of the 2024 season and limited him to only 24.6% of the offensive snaps in Detroit's postseason loss to the Washington Commanders.

Not to mention, the Lions no longer have Ben Johnson calling plays, so there's a chance Detroit's entire offense takes a slight step back this season. With Gibbs emerging as one of the premier backs in the NFL and Montgomery being mostly reliant on finding the end zone -- especially with fewer touches likely coming his way -- he's probably being taken around his ceiling right now.

Joe Mixon, RB, Texans

Overall ADP: 55.3 (RB21)

Dating back to his days with the Cincinnati Bengals, Joe Mixon has been a popular player to talk about in fantasy football, and things were looking up for the veteran back in 2024 with the Houston Texans before he sputtered to the finish line. Entering Houston's bye week in Week 14, Mixon was the overall RB6 and RB2 in fantasy points per game in half-PPR leagues from Week 1 through Week 13.

However, from Week 15 to Week 18 of the 2024 campaign, Mixon was the overall RB29 and RB30 in fantasy points per game. Mixon dealt with an ankle injury that forced him to miss three games earlier in the regular season, so that could have been something that lingered down the stretch, but he's also been unable to take the practice field in training camp due to an undisclosed foot ailment.

At the moment, all we know is that the Texans placed Mixon on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list before training camp began and he reportedly has been dealing with the injury for several months. There hasn't been much of an update on Mixon besides the team saying he'll be evaluated closer to the start of the regular season, which isn't ideal with Houston set to kick off their season in just a few weeks against the Los Angeles Rams.

After Mixon ran behind an offensive line that was ranked 29th by PFF to finish the 2024 season, the Texans notably got worse in the trenches this offseason by parting ways with both Laremy Tunsil and Shaq Mason, which has PFF placing them at 32nd among offensive line units to begin 2025. Given the uncertainty surrounding Mixon's foot injury and Houston's questionable moves along the offensive line, I'd much rather take a chance on rookies like RJ Harvey (56.3 ADP) or TreVeyon Henderson (62.3 ADP) instead of taking Montgomery or Mixon.

Chris Godwin, WR, Buccaneers

Overall ADP: 79.3 (WR35)

Chris Godwin was another player that got off to a blazing start in 2024, earning the status of overall WR2 and WR5 in fantasy points per game from Week 1 through Week 7. Sadly, Godwin would sustain a season-ending ankle injury in a double-digit loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7, which required him to undergo surgery.

Despite the Tampa Bay Buccaneers handing Godwin a new three-year, $66 million deal in free agency, the Bucs also took wideout Emeka Egbuka with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Ahead of training camp, Tampa Bay placed Godwin on the PUP list and revealed that he underwent another procedure on his injured ankle, putting his chances of suiting up in Week 1 in doubt.

Recently, Bucs general manager Jason Licht shared that Godwin still has a "ways to go" in his rehab and ESPN's Dan Graziano reported that Tampa Bay believes there's a chance he misses multiple games to begin the season. Being that the Buccaneers are deeper at receiver now upon the addition of Egbuka and the emergence of Jalen McMillan down the stretch last season, they shouldn't be in any rush to get Godwin on the field until he's fully healthy.

With Godwin's ankle ailment being his second season-ending injury of his career, we also don't know what he'll look like once he returns. Although we could see Godwin be productive at some point in the 2025 season, I'd prefer to avoid him in fantasy football this year and let others find out if he can perform at a high level in a crowded receiver room -- and offense -- while coming off a serious injury.

Najee Harris, RB, Chargers

Overall ADP: 106.7 (RB36)

Whenever Najee Harris signed with the Los Angeles Chargers back in March, his fantasy football stock skyrocketed due to the assumption he'd be featured heavily in an offense that deploys Justin Herbert and an elite offensive line. But since Harris put pen to paper, his outlook has tumbled quite a bit.

For starters, the Chargers proceeded to use the No. 22 overall pick on Omarion Hampton, giving Harris immediate competition for touches in LA's new-look backfield. Additionally, Harris landed on the NFI (non-football injury) list to begin training camp after it was reported that he suffered an eye injury during a fireworks mishap on July 4.

Harris has yet to practice during training camp, and while head coach John Harbaugh gave a recent update on his status, it still remains to be seen when he'll return to practice. So with Harris sidelined and not taking snaps with the offense, Hampton has been earning more meaningful snaps and reps with the starters, which could lead to the rookie carving out a bigger role to begin the 2025 campaign.

Before joining Los Angeles, Harris never missed a game during his tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers and he posted 1,000-plus rushing yards in each of his four years in Pittsburgh. Volume was never an issue for Harris throughout his time with the Steelers, as he handled 284-plus touches in all four seasons he's been in the league, but the likeliness of him garnering a consistently fantasy-relevant role for the Chargers continues to dwindle.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.