10 Players I Hate More Than You

Hate is a relative term. For some, it’s a word that means absolutely loathing of a person or thing. Others use it superfluously, stating they hate things that cause the most minor of inconveniences. Certainly, we shouldn’t feel hate often – it’s reserved for extreme situations. For me, my lesson of hate came from a baseball player – Derek Jeter.

For years, Jeter was praised as one of the best players in baseball, despite the fact he wasn’t even the best shortstop on his team for many of those seasons. He was a good hitter, with suspect defense, and had the knack for clutch hits. There’s no question he was one of the most beloved Yankees of all time. And boy did I hate the guy.

It was likely the Mets fan in me. I didn’t understand how people thought Jeter was  this otherworldly player. I told anybody who’d listen that Jose Reyes was the better player. Jeter was the poster child for being a clutch player who was elevated because his team won. I thought it was absurd, especially with the numbers players around him were putting up. And the whole “yeah Jeets!” thing when he got a hit? Who does that?

Let’s not even talk about his womanizing either. Remember when Minka Kelly was a thing? Well, Derek Jeter doesn’t for sure.

Of course, in recent years, analytics haven’t been kind to Jeter. They talk all about his poor range and how overrated he is. Some make it out that he wasn’t a good player at all. At first, I reveled in it. It was hilarious. But then, I began to disagree with the levels of disrespect old Jeets was getting. I mean, sure, he wasn’t one of the 10, 20, hell maybe even 50 best players of his era, but he was really really good.

That’s when it hit me. I didn’t actually hate Derek Jeter. Sometimes it just takes a massive underrating of a player to stop hating and recognize the talent.

Of course then he traded Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees for a glass of spoiled milk and a player to be named later. He also wore Yankee Pinstripes while he made the announcement. So, its Fair to say I, at least strongly dislike him

Oh, and I definitely hate Jose Reyes today. Funny how roles can flip quickly.

The same is true with fantasy drafts. This list isn’t hating the player as much as it hates the draft price or team situation. I’m not really against having any of these players on my team, but they are definitely going too early for me to feel good about adding them. With a discount, I could absolutely see drafting them, but it’s doubtful they will last where I think a profit could be turned.

You likely won’t agree with this list in its entirety, but none of the players should really come as a surprise if you’ve been reading along. In drafts, you’ll want to note these players and if using default rankings avoid them when they appear at the top of the draft board.

However, never say never. Players do fall. Some who you wouldn’t expect. Perhaps your league subscribes to the Bloggin Hood quarterly, like everyone should. You might see a player on this list falling well below their adp. At that point, it could be a great time to pounce. Sometimes it’s only a slight change that would make you reconsider your opinion on a player, like if Jeter had played in Queens.

Or if 2018 Jose Reyes played literally on any other roster in the world. One can dream.

The following are players I will not draft at their current price. Oh, and there’s 11 this time because, again, Math is pretty tough for me .

Leonard Fournette – I really don’t hate Forunette, though I feel like I bash him all the time. He’s a very good player, but for fantasy, he’s talked about as a sure thing. His 3.9 yards per carry is excused because defenses stacked the box. What exactly changed to stop that? Donte frigging Moncrief? No, those stacked boxes will remain a fixture. Fournette isn’t a nothjng in the passing game, but it’s not his strength. Finally, his legs scare me. It I knew I was getting 16 games, I’d accept the first round price tag. But that injury risk scares me. It stems back from college. He’s a top 20 pick and comfortably an RB1, but I don’t feel great with him as my first pick. You’d have to be quite fortunate to get value on Fournette. Get it? Get it?!

I don’t think you got it. Ah well, let’s more on.

Doug Baldwin – Wait, what? Look I know, he was on the love list but hear me out. Let’s say you take Baldwin, and then it’s determined he needs knee surgery. You could be talking 4-6 at a minimum. Or perhaps he ends up losing his season right there. Throwing a pick away is no fun. There’s also the chance he plays at 75%, gives mediocre numbers but never leaves your lineup because he’s Doug Baldwin. Not a lot of fun there. I’m still in on Baldwin, though as you’re soon see he’s about 15 picks lower than I would have him with good health. Please, please keep track of his health before the draft. You might be pulling your hair out drafting him otherwise.

Tyreek Hill – Even without the increase options, I don’t think I’d have been in on Hill. He’s a dynamic talent with game changing speed, but nobody can keep up his ridiculous long range TD strikes. It’s not possible. Now, factor in Sammy Watkins, who granted could be a decoy, and you’ll likely losing targets. Hill didn’t have targets to spare and has to score on minimal looks to hold value. Maybe Andy Reid finds a way to keep his four elite options happy, but I think Hill is the one who suffers the most. I could be wrong, but this is the Hill I’m choosing to die on.

Allen Robinson – Are we sure Allen Robinson is good? I know, I know, the skills are immense, but we’ve only seen him succeed one time. He had a couple of meh seasons, and then an acl year. Now, with a recovery and a team transition, we’re to accept him as a top 40 player? Sure, I can buy the narrative. He’ll be in a positive offense system and the focal point of the offense. Oh, but what’s that? It’s the first year of the system and we don’t know if the QB is good. Theres a real possibility this offense stinks. That’s not a fun thing to think about, but it’s in play. Hmm. I think I’ll pass. I couldn’t bear all the stress of drafting him without a discount.

Jay Ajayi – There’s a world where Ajayi is a top 10 back and he gets the majority of the touches on his team. The only problem is Philly is not that world. Ajayi has no shot at being the pass catcher. He also likely won’t get the goal line work, as the team deployed Corey Clement there last season AFTER Ajayi was settled in. That sounds like between the 20s ground work. Smells like a lot of 16 carry, 75 yard games. Yay? I get it, Ajayi averaged 5.8 yards a carry when he joined the Eagles. But there’s a reason he didn’t get more work. The team sees him as a committee back, and he’s being drafted far too high. Things may be sunny in Philly these days, but the sun isn’t shining Ajayi’s way.

Jarvis Landry – Yes, he looked good in the first preseason game. I know he’s the star of hard knocks so far. But come on, where does Landry find the targets to return value? He runs RB routes as a safety value, which the team already has (don’t worry; he’s on the list too). He’s not the alpha dog in this WR core. And if Dez actually did sign, it’ll be extremely crowded in this Offense. Who ever said that about the Browns? Landry is certainly draft able, but nowhere near where he’s going. Unless Josh Gordon does not return to the team, Landry’s numbers are going to look like his jersey colors.

Yes, that was a poop joke.

Mark Ingram – This is crazy to me. Did you know Ingram is going in the 5th round? Come on people. He’s missing 5 of the first six weeks (counting a bye). That’s half the season. You don’t have enough players drafted in the fifth round to determine if you can afford such a risk. Ingram has proven his merit the past 3 seasons, but the price is wrong here. There’s no guarantee he even gets his job back, although I’ll admit that’s a bit of a long shot. The suspension confirms to me this is Kamara’s backfield. Drafting Ingram in the fifth is really missing the mark.

Devin Funchess – I was in on Funchess early in the preseason, but I don’t like how things are developing for him currently. Right now, he’s behind Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffrey in the passing game. It’s a matter if time before he’s supplanted by DJ Moore. The fourth option is rarely valuable in fantasy, but never on a run first team. Even if I was sold on Funchess as a player, I’d be nervous. I’m not sure if his talent is worthy of being more than the third option on the team. I’m not completely out on him, it’s it’s clear the catches will not come in bunches for Funchess.

Jimmy Graham – I’m so tired of dissing Graham I feel bad for the guy already. But fine, let’s make this one quick. Graham cannot move very well anymore. The athleticism that made him a star, is gone. He’s strictly a red zone option. With Aaron Rodgers, this wouldn’t be that bad, except the team has a red zone option in Devante Adams already. Graham is no longer on Adams’  level these days. Couple this with the fact that Rodgers rarely uses the TE and you have a recipe for disaster. Perhaps Graham should pack it in.

That one was a stretch but it’s all I had.

Will Fuller V – Working for Fuller is he’s clearly the number two option. I don’t have much issue with the player, but he’s going insanely high. There’s proven players and players with upside that don’t have extremely regression coming. I think people are drafting him based on his insane TD totals and the prospects of Deshaun Watson. There’s no chance he scores at the same feverish pace as 2017 and he could actually improve as a player and become a worse fantasy option. I like Fuller in real life, but for his draft price, I’d need Will Fuller I-IV to consider it.

Duke Johnson – We touched on this with Landry, but he runs the same routes as the WR and David Njoku. That’s three players fighting for touches, two of which ironically where just paid. How in the world did that happen? Without the high reception totals, Johnson isn’t fantasy relevant. They rarely let him carry the ball so he can’t even make up for it with carries. Maybe his talent forces him on the field a lot but I think fans are in for a disappointing season. The former king of RB people, Duke is more of a jester this season.

I’m now going to shower off my shame for all of these puns.