All fantasy football owners who drafted Jordy Nelson probably let out a collective groan upon learning that the Green Bay Packers' Pro Bowl wide receiver will miss the entire 2015 NFL season with a torn ACL.
That's what they get for being overzealous, conducting their fantasy league drafts early and not waiting until after preseason. But in all seriousness, injuries are a part of football—there's no avoiding them. While a season-ending injury to a first- or second-round draft pick could spell early doom for a fantasy football season's prospects, there's something that could result in a slow, torturous demise of your fantasy campaign, too ... knowingly drafting inconsistent players.
We're talking players who are more than capable of putting up big numbers but, as history has shown, produce unwanted inconsistent play that can cost fantasy owners their season.
"The biggest problem with inconsistent players is at the end of the day when you get to your fantasy, you need to win three straight [playoff] games and so if you have a roster of inconsistent players, you need them to step up to the playoffs," Paul Charchian, the president of both LeagueSafe.com, which serves as the PayPal for fantasy football owners, and the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, tells Tech Times. "The reason I don't gravitate to those guys is I worry that two of them go belly up in the same week and I've got a real problem trying to get into the playoffs and asking them all to perform well for three straight weeks in the playoffs is not reasonable. That's why I don't choose those kind of players for my team as a general rule."
Tech Times isn't saying to avoid these players at all costs, but drafting them could prompt a severe case of agita, one which stretches from mid-September through late December. In other words, these are the players who will drive you crazy. You've been warned!
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers, QB
ESPN ranked Cam Newton as the eighth-best fantasy quarterback this season on its top 300 players' list. The problem with the ranking is Newton's wildly inconsistent play.
"To me, the figurehead player for that type of style is Cam Newton. If Cam Newton doesn't run in a touchdown, you get very little help from him because he's an 18- to 20-touchdown passer, which is terrible," Charchian says. "That's [Josh] McCown territory. To me, [Newton's] the poster boy for inconsistent production. In the six games in which he has a rushing touchdown, he's great, and then in the other 10, he's got a real problem because he doesn't pass enough. He may look like he performed as a top-eight quarterback because those big games are big, but those down games can cost you."
Charchian is spot on, considering Newton tends to live and die with his legs and play-making ability to scramble out of the pocket. His 3,127 passing yards and 18 thrown touchdowns each mark career-lows and put him amongst the bottom tier of NFL quarterbacks in passing stats last season.
Although he added five more TDs on the ground running, his 539 rushing yards also marked a career low. The fact that the Carolina Panthers will be without their top wide receiver in Kelvin Benjamin (torn ACL) could spell Newton trying to rush even more. He coughed up the ball rushing three times last season and fumbled six more times while in the pocket passing to go along with 12 interceptions ... all of this adding up to a giant headache of a 2015 season. Sorry, Panthers' fans.
Eli Manning, New York Giants, QB
Eli Manning ranked within the top 10 of all NFL quarterbacks last season in passing yards (4,410) and touchdowns (30). The New York Giants' two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback even cut down on his 27 interceptions, which marked a career worst and led the league in shame in 2013, to 14 last season.
On one side of the field, he has Odell Beckham Jr., the phenomenal wide receiver who hauled in 91 catches for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games last season en route to being named Offensive Rookie of the Year. On the other side of the field, Manning has a healthy Victor Cruz returning as the Giants' other wideout.
All this adds up to a huge statistical year for Eli, right? Not so fast there. The Giants' offensive line remains questionable and although Manning was able to cut down on his interceptions, the 14 he threw still put him amongst the top of the league's heap for QBs turning the ball over. While there's probably more good in taking the good with the bad with Manning this season, if Big Blue's O-line is shaky, watch out, because Eli is prone to rack up some INTs ... and drive you crazy in the process.
Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears, QB
The knock on Jay Cutler has never been his ability to pass or his arm, because the Chicago Bears QB easily can make nearly any throw on the football field and touts a cannon for an arm. The knock on Cutler has always been his desire ... or lack thereof.
Although he threw for a respectable 3,812 yards and 28 touchdowns last season, Cutler also tossed 18 interceptions, which tied him for the most in the NFL. That, and the Bears finished a dismal 5-11, rock bottom in the NFC North division.
Although the Bears lost wide receiver Brandon Marshall, they still count running back Matt Forte, wideout Alshon Jeffery and tight end Martellus Bennett amongst Cutler's big targets. With weapons like that, Cutler is bound to put up big numbers during points of the 2015 season under new coach John Fox. However, drafting him comes with the other inevitably ... that as history as shown, he'll also have his Sundays where he simply loses interest, resulting in erratic fantasy play.
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints, QB
No quarterback passed more than Drew Brees last season, leading the NFL with 659 attempts. But with the New Orleans Saints trading star tight end Jimmy Graham for hulking center Max Unger and pairing C.J. Spiller in the backfield with Mark Ingram, this could be the year where the Saints run more and pass less with Brees' passing production slightly dipping.
Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints, RB
ESPN has Mark Ingram ranked as the 11th-overall fantasy running back and tabs him as high as the 24th overall pick as far as fantasy value. The 25-year-old New Orleans Saints rusher is also coming off a 2014 season in which he ran for 964 yards and nine touchdowns. So, what's the problem? Well, sometimes numbers can be misleading on paper, as Charchian points out.
"Four of five games last year when he had at least 23 carries, [running back] Pierre Thomas wasn't playing," Charchian says. "Lazy fantasy owners aren't looking at when he was putting up bigger fantasy numbers than when he wasn't."
Add that to the addition of veteran rusher C.J. Spiller in the Saints' backfield and New Orleans' running-by-committee system could cost Ingram in terms of production. Tabbing him as an early draft pick could potentially throw off your whole season.
Joique Bell, Detroit Lions, RB
There isn't much to nitpick about Joique Bell after the Detroit Lions running back rushed for 860 yards and seven touchdowns last season. However, a knee injury could spell a slow start for Bell to toll. That and the presence of hungry and capable rookie running back Ameer Abdullah could bite into Bell's numbers this season. If Bell is 100 percent and Abdullah shines as a rookie, it could also present the situation of fantasy owners irked over the former racking up yardage, only to lose TDs to the latter. Win some, lose some. Just don't lose your fantasy league because of this.
Frank Gore, Indianapolis Colts, RB
Frank Gore has rushed for at least 1,000 yards in eight of his 10 NFL seasons, exemplifying what it means to carry the load as a workhorse of a running back. However, proceed with caution with the 32-year-old veteran rusher this season because he's joining an Indianapolis Colts team that's pass-heavy, considering quarterback Andrew Luck led the league in touchdown passes with 40 and only Drew Brees and Matt Ryan attempted more throws than him. This means Gore's numbers could suffer quite a bit.
DeSean Jackson, Washington Redskins, WR
One-on-one, DeSean Jackson is about as unstoppable as any top wide receiver in football with the ability to go vertical and deliver on a long-bomb reception time after time. However, even a superstar wideout like Jackson is only as good as his quarterback sometimes ... and there's not a QB in the NFL who has seen a worse free fall than Robert Griffin III. Jackson will put up numbers, just not as often as one would like.
Brandon Marshall, New York Jets, WR
Like DeSean Jackson's situation in Washington, veteran Brandon Marshall could be as good as his quarterback this season with the New York Jets. Ryan Fitzpatrick, in for an already-underwhelming Geno Smith at quarterback, doesn't strike fear in many secondaries. Last season marked the first time since his rookie year in 2006 that Marshall didn't receive for at least 1,000 yards, falling short of the mark with 721. Shaky quarterback play could see that total hover around the same number or, worse, slide even further.
Be sure to follow T-Lounge on Twitter and visit our Facebook page.
