Do Not Draft List: 3 Players to Avoid in Fantasy Football: Brock Purdy, Rashid Shaheed and More

This is the season when we're hearing so much about players to target and breakouts, we almost forget to call out the players we're avoiding. The ones we don't want anywhere near our squads for a variety of reasons beyond they play for your favorite team's mortal enemy. 

Matthew Freedman got in the spirit with Freedman's Fades and 5 Players Who Won't Break Out. That's really leaning into that "Wet Blanket" nickname he's earned. And not to be outdone, cooterdoodle has her three players she's not drafting. Beyond fantasy football rankings and ADP, there are plenty reasons to avoid these players. Though the last one is a shocker.

Do Not Draft These 3 Players in Fantasy Football

Brock Purdy | QB 49ers

I won't get into the 'electric' conspiracies surrounding the 49ers' practice facility. But I will comment on Brock Purdy's weaponry amid an influx of new injuries compounding on top of a slew of pre-existing traumas.

• Ricky Pearsall (out for the season)
• George Kittle (PUP list)
• Mike Evans (quad strain)
• Christian Kirk: (calf strain)
• De'Zhaun Stribling (hamstring tightness)
• Jordan James: (fractured rib)
• Kaelon Black: (abductor injury)
• Brandon Aiyuk: (Left-Team list)

While it is still early enough and most of these injuries could become non-factors by Week 1, the sheer volume of them is alarming. I mean, Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel can't save the day 18 weeks in a row, can they?

If Purdy is forced to rely on a reduced amount of weapons, I worry about what that might do to his ceiling. And right now, there are several QBs being drafted behind Purdy in Round 9 that I'd much rather roster.

Matthew Stafford

• 2025: 1st yards, 1st TDs
• 2026 ADP: Round 9

Jared Goff

• 2025: 2nd yards, 2nd TDs
• 2026 ADP: Round 10

Baker Mayfield

• 2025: 10th yards, T-7th TDs
• 2026 ADP: Round 11

Given all the health question marks, I'd much rather draft QBs with lower ADPs and completely intact receiving corps.

Matthew Berry's Draft Day Manifesto

Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR ARI

This one's simple. Just like a male Cardinal, the flags are solid red and flying high in Arizona.

The Red Flags:

• Marvin Harrison Jr.'s QB: FL consensus rankings QB29
• Harrison's team: The Cardinals' projected win total (3.5) is the lowest in the NFL
• Harrison himself: FL consensus rankings WR39
• Harrison's WR1 status: Michael Wilson is encroaching (FL consensus rankings WR 42), putting a dent in Harrison's projected target share.

There is only one player I'm willing to draft on the Cardinals right now. Because despite all the red flags, Trey McBride persists.

Rashid Shaheed | WR SEA

According to most reports, the Sam Darnold and Rashid Shaheed connection "seems to be growing." And it would make sense that Seattle would want to utilize him for his speed, after the electric plays he brought to the team since arriving in November of 2025.

Most probably remember Shaheed's 95-yard kickoff return TD scored within the first few seconds of the game against the 49ers. Not only was it an insane start to the matchup, but being a Division Round game, all eyes were locked in. But more than his special teams work, Shaheed's speed is what makes him a disaster for opposing defenses.

Shaheed's longest receptions:

• 2022: 68
• 2023: 58
• 2024: 70
• 2025 NO: 87
• 2025 SEA: 33

"So why is he on your Do Not Draft list, Cooter??"

I have three main concerns, and none of them have to do with his talent:

1. Despite Shaheed's move to a Super Bowl-caliber team last season, his usage was limited. And while he has had the entire offseason to learn Seattle's playbook, Shaheed still has to share the field with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, AJ Barner, and your favorite sicko's favorite sleeper: Tory Horton. I worry that his production won't be consistent enough to start him confidently each week.
2. By the time the true redraft season kicks off, I fear Shaheed's ADP will no longer be mismatched to the potential of his ceiling. As of right now, he's being drafted around pick 130 on Underdog, with a consensus ADP of 141. This is a great place to take him, given his boom-or-bust potential usage as you hope for a 60-yard breakaway TD each week. But as more clips surface, the 'Darnold-Shaheed' connection gets touted, and highlights of his longest plays resurface over the next few weeks, it's possible his ADP prices me out entirely.
3. But most importantly: As a diehard Shaheed fan, I never mix pleasure with business.

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