NFL Rankings: 10 NFL players who ruined fantasy football manager's season

There is no more optimistic time than an NFL fantasy draft. Whether you're picking first or last, you usually leave the draft with the hope that this is the season. Unfortunately, every year, there are a few players who get over-drafted and lose their managers the season. Let's take a look at the top-1o fantasy football flops this year! All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

Waddle comprises half of the dynamic Dolphins passing attack, which hasn't reached the high-flying ceiling it was supposed to. Tyreek Hill has also had a disappointing fantasy season, but touchdowns have somewhat redeemed his value. Waddle has had no such leg to stand on, scoring just two touchdowns through 16 weeks of the NFL season.

In November, Waddle told Yahoo Sports that he needed a break from his signature “waddle” penguin touchdown dance, but the reality is he hasn't scored enough to warrant this being called a reprieve. Waddle's stock was dramatically reduced during the stretch of games Tua Tagovailoa missed, and the production since he returned hasn't leapt off the page.

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The Seahawks entered the 2024 season with a plethora of weapons, which is usually great in real life, but can muddy the waters for fantasy football. With that said, Metcalf was still viewed as Seattle's top passing option, and was drafted and bid as such in fantasy. However, that has not materialized.

Simply put, it's Jaxon Smith-Njigba who has caught the eye of quarterback Geno Smith most, relegating Metcalf to supplementary duties. Smith even told Fox Sports, “But that's why he's JSN. He's one of the best receivers in the league. “He's really developing into his own right now.” Metcalf is a physical freak and unicorn, but the pecking order has been re-shifted.

It didn't take long at all for Andrews' fantasy managers to experience buyer's remorse. It was Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, and not Andrews, who put on a show catching the football in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. While Likely cooled off shortly thereafter, it didn't necessarily result in a boon for Andrews.

Granted, the second half of the season has gone much better for Andrews in fantasy, as he caught a touchdown in five straight games from Weeks 13-17. However, his lack of production before then put fantasy teams behind the eight-ball, making it likely that they were at the bottom of the standings before Andrews started to pick things up.

It's been one of the most puzzling developments of the year. Cooper started the 2024 NFL season as the Cleveland Browns' top wide receiver. In six games with the club, he caught 24 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. During the middle of the season, the Browns decided to ship Cooper to the Buffalo Bills.

Somehow, things have gotten even worse for Cooper in Buffalo, despite playing with the presumptive NFL MVP in Josh Allen. While it's difficult to adjust to a new team midseason, and while it's understood that Deshaun Watson wasn't playing well in Cleveland, Cooper's bottom line production has bordered on inexcusable for his name value. Gary Davenport of Sports Illustrated tagged him as an undervalued wide receiver in the summer of 2024, but that hasn't been born out.

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Opinions about Aiyuk and where he should be taken in fantasy drafts were all over the map. Aiyuk was seeking a new long-term extension from the 49ers or from another team, and held out from training camp in order to tilt leverage in his direction. Ultimately, he received the contract, but fantasy managers didn't reap the benefits of his return.

Even though Aiyuk played with San Francisco to start the year, he never seemed to be on the same page with quarterback Brock Purdy. He didn't score a single touchdown this year, before he went down with a torn ACL and MCL in October. Aiyuk might not be the same player moving forward, as Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated wrote about the arduous process required to come back from tearing both ligaments.

The Bears entered the 2024 NFL season with a Seattle Seahawks-like narrative. Chicago had plenty of playmakers for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, including Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze and tight end Cole Kmet. However, Moore was the superior talent in his prime, which gave him the highest ceiling of anyone in that group. At least, so we thought.

Moore told 670 The Score, “It comes down to us having that early bye week and then going to Washington and losing like we did. “It was just a trickle-down effect.” The Bears wide receiver highlighted the Commanders game as the instance the Bears season went off the rails, but to be fair, he wasn't having a tremendous season before Week 8 either.

The Jets hype train was in full steam ahead mode during the summer of 2024. Talk of Super Bowl potential was rampant, and everyone in New York felt like the team was destined for a deep playoff run. Fast-forward to the winter, and the Jets find themselves as hapless as they've ever been. He told ESPN after Week 16, “I'd like to be involved, love to make an impact on the game, but people see it differently. That's out of my control.”

Although Wilson set a career high in touchdowns this season, and has a chance to set career highs in catches and yards, it's not what fantasy managers signed up for. Given the massive expectations placed on Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, and the entire Jets organization, the idea was for Wilson to transform into one of the best playmakers in the NFL in year three. It hasn't unfolded that way.

As the unquestioned top pass catcher on the Saints, fantasy managers drafted Olave with the idea that he would have one of the highest floors in all fantasy football. In a points per reception league, Olave was set to dominate targets and keep the chains moving in New Orleans. However, a chilling reminder of his injury history makes him a volatile player to own in the future.

Olave suffered two concussions during the 2024 NFL season, and has a total of four documented brain injuries during his three years in the NFL. While Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins is the poster-player for this injury, Olave's rapid rate of concussions have elevated the level of concern surrounding his health. They torpedoed his 2024 campaign.

It felt like Etienne had the chance to be a cheat code in fantasy this season. Managers who targeted high-priced or high value wide receivers could snag Etienne at a discount a couple rounds later, and take comfort in his versatile skill set. That did not materialize, as the Jaguars running back had the worst season of his career.

Jacksonville was expected to be in the mix for a playoff spot this season, but their consistently mediocre play has left them down in games. Etienne has been a solid pass catcher out of the backfield, but a broken Jacksonville offense has not been able to maximize his ability. Whether it's been a shoulder or a hamstring or something else, Etienne also hasn't looked healthy for much of the year, despite playing in most games.

Without question, the biggest disappointment of the fantasy football season has been McCaffery. Players get injured and that's part of the deal, but McCaffery's nebulous status heading into 2024 really put fantasy owners in a bind. In August, McCaffery was told to be dealing with a calf/Achilles injury, and then he tricked out that he would miss Week 1. It only went downhill from there.

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It would later come out that McCaffery would not return to action until November, which left fantasy managers with a huge hole to fill in their lineup. McCaffery would come back to play in four games, but never quite looked like himself. McCaffery suffered a PCL injury on December 1, which officially ended his season. McCaffrey's injury hurt the 49ers, but it's arguable that his injuries were more impactful for fantasy managers!