Buyer’s Remorse: Fantasy Football Disappointments You Probably Regret Drafting - Outlooks for Mark Andrews, D'Andre Swift, Brandon Aiyuk, Travis Kelce

Three weeks of the 2024 fantasy football season is in the books, and everyone has handled it well. Actually, it’s full-on panic mode for many fantasy football players. Several big-name players have been massive busts to start the year.

Some are dealing with significant injuries, others are off to a slow start, and a few might be washed. There are probably two dozen or more eight players that fantasy players regret drafting.

However, let’s look at eight guys fantasy football players have buyer’s remorse and regret drafting, including what we should do with them moving forward.

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Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

Fantasy players saw the upside of Richardson in Week 1. Despite having only nine completions on 19 attempts, the second-year player had two passing touchdowns and 26.1 fantasy points. Unfortunately, the ugly has shown its face over the past two weeks. Richardson has 14.9 fantasy points over the past two weeks, totaling one touchdown and five interceptions, including an awful end zone pick last week.

Bears pick it off in the end zone!

📺: #CHIvsIND on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/Ya6gUPOYnG

— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024

While the young star has hit a rough patch, making several awful throws, fantasy players should hold onto him. Richardson isn’t a top-12 quarterback in Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he has easier matchups after that, including against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins. Fantasy players should hold onto Richardson while adding a streaming option like Geno Smith off the waiver wire. Better days are ahead for the second-year quarterback.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

Everyone is wishing nothing but the best for Tagovailoa after he suffered a scary concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills. The star quarterback is on injured reserve, meaning he can’t play again until Week 8, at the soonest. While Tagovailoa struggled against the Bills before getting hurt, the veteran played well in Week 1. The former Alabama star had 338 passing yards and 18.6 fantasy points despite having only one passing touchdown.

Tagovailoa isn’t worth holding onto in single-quarterback redraft leagues unless fantasy players have multiple injured reserve spots available. Meanwhile, Miami’s offense is a disaster without their franchise quarterback. De'Von Achane had his worst performance this season in Week 3, totaling only 7.3 half-point PPR fantasy points. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have struggled in almost every game with Tagovailoa in their careers. It’s time to explore the trade market for those two receivers.

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

The Madden curse and the 1.01 overall pick curse are back and in full effect. McCaffrey was supposed to be ready to play in Week 1 after suffering a calf injury in training camp. Instead, the superstar was a last-minute inactive opening weekend. More importantly, the 49ers placed him on injured reserve before Week 2, with media reports suggesting McCaffrey won’t return into late October, at the soonest, because of Achilles tendinitis.

Christian McCaffrey is likely to be out 6 weeks or more, per @RapSheet. pic.twitter.com/jBXxyKpQ1l

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) September 15, 2024

Hopefully, fantasy players wisely drafted Jordan Mason in the double-digit rounds after selecting McCaffrey with a top draft pick. The third-year star has averaged 16.1 half-point PPR fantasy points per game, totaling 100 or more rushing yards in two games. Fantasy players with Mason and McCaffrey should hold tight and wait out the storm with the superstar. However, those without Mason need to explore the trade market, especially if their team is 1-2 or 0-3.

D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears

Many were shocked when the Bears signed Swift 20 minutes into the free agency period into the offseason. Unfortunately, the veteran running back has been a massive bust over the first three weeks, averaging 5.5 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Emanuel Wilson (7.4) has averaged more fantasy points per game this season. More importantly, Chicago is starting to move away from him being the featured guy and turning to a committee approach.

Swift played 70% of the snaps in Week 1. However, he has seen his snaps share decline in every game, going from 70% to 66% to 53%. Meanwhile, Roschon Johnson might be the best running back on the team, posting a 25% missed tackle forced per attempt rate in Week 3 (per Fantasy Points Data). Fantasy players should take the best offer on the table for Swift and move on.

Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

After sitting out most of training camp with contract negotiations, Aiyuk was expected to get off to a slow start. He is the WR62 over the first three weeks, averaging 5.8 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. However, the star was prime to break out of the slow start in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams, with Deebo Samuel Sr. and George Kittle missing the game because of injuries. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

Instead of Aiyuk having the top-five performance any fantasy analysts predicted, Jauan Jennings stole the show. He matched Aiyuk for the team lead in routes run (34). Jennings had only two more targets than Aiyuk (12 vs. 10) but finished with significantly more receptions (11 vs. 5) and receiving yards (175 vs. 48). Unfortunately, Aiyuk has some challenging matchups over the next few weeks. While he isn’t a must-sell, fantasy players should explore Aiyuk’s trade market.

Jauan Jennings really just had the best fantasy performance by any player so far this season 🤯 pic.twitter.com/HaacPAD4b0

— ESPN Fantasy Sports (@ESPNFantasy) September 23, 2024

Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams

It seems like injuries are at an all-time high across the NFL this season. However, no team has had more back luck with injuries than the Rams. Nacua suffered a sprained PCL in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions after dealing with a knee injury during training camp. The second-year star dealt with multiple minor injuries as a rookie but didn’t miss any game action.

Unfortunately, Nacua likely won’t play until late October because of the injury, as media reports suggest the star receiver could miss seven weeks. Hopefully, the second-year player returns at 100% because he is an elite fantasy star when healthy. Fantasy players with a 1-2 or 0-3 record should explore trade options for Nacua, sending him away for a less talented receiver that can help them win over the next few weeks.

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Many had Kelce on their do-not-draft list this year after the superstar struggled to end last season. While he was outstanding during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl run, fantasy players had to worry about his workload at 34 years old. While Kansas City lacks proven pass catchers outside of Rashee Rice, Kelce has had a limited role on offense this season, totaling eight receptions on 12 targets for 69 receiving yards.

The veteran ranks outside the top-20 tight ends over the first three weeks, averaging 3.7 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Kelce has scored five or fewer fantasy points in every game, failing to see more than five targets in every contest. The Chiefs are 3-0 despite having issues on offense. Yet, there is no sign of Kelce becoming a larger part of the offense. It’s time to move on from the future Hall of Famer.

the face of everyone who drafted Travis Kelce in fantasy pic.twitter.com/Ebl9FwMZhN

— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) September 23, 2024

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

What the Hell is going on in Baltimore? Many expected the team to have a run-heavy offense after adding Derrick Henry in the backfield with Lamar Jackson in the offseason. However, Andrews has fallen off a cliff. He has averaged 3.2 half-point PPR fantasy points per game this year, including zero in Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys. More importantly, the veteran has two or fewer targets in two of three games in 2024.

Yet, fantasy players can’t blame Isaiah Likely for Andrews’ struggles. Likely had a monster performance in Week 1, totaling 12 targets and 21.6 fantasy points. However, he has only four targets and 4.5 fantasy points in the other two games. Andrews’ yards per route run average has declined by 53.6% from 2023 to this season (per Fantasy Points Data). It might be premature, but it looks like Andrews is washed, making him a must-sell candidate.

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