Fantasy Football

2016 Fantasy Football: Biggest Free Agent Busts

In this article I will be analyzing who will be the biggest busts in free agency at each position. All things will be considered including a potential hefty price tag. These guys may seem like great pickups, however, they will be nothing more than a headache for the teams that sign them.

Quarterback
Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins
Cousins broke out in the second half of the season and will likely command a lot of money on the open market. A lot of money that he probably doesn’t deserve. The fact of the matter is, while Cousins put up nice numbers with 4,166 yards, 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, he struggled on the road and feasted upon subpar competition. Despite winning the woefully bad NFC East with a 9-7 record, they didn’t beat a single team with a winning record and the Buffalo Bills were the only team that was even at .500. They actually only played three teams all season with a winning record and lost by a combined score of 105 to 46. In those three games he threw for just 620 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions. In all likelihood, he’s going to end up back with the Redskins, possibly being slapped with the franchise tag. If that is the case, we’ll see what he’s really made of as he’ll face the AFC and NFC North as well as the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals.

Running Back
Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins
Sticking with potential former Redskins, Alf has been on a steady four-year decline. He has seen both his yardage and yards per carry decline in each of his NFL seasons. In 2015, he managed just 751 yards on 3.7 yards per carry and one touchdown. It’s not completely clear if his decreasing production is caused by a physical decline or an eroding offensive line. Still, it’s clear on film that he’s not the guy he once was. Big physical backs like Morris tend to break down quicker unless they are a rare elite talent. something that he is not. He’s done enough to earn a more than decent contract somewhere this offseason and the team may regret it. With that said, he’s still only 27 and a fresh start could rejuvenate his career. Nonetheless, it’s more likely he continues to toil in mediocrity on a team that signs him with high hopes. If we were going long term, Matt Forte could be a disaster a year or two down the road. Still, a team may get at least one or two big years out of him, which is why I opted for Morris instead.

Wide Receiver
Percy Harvin, Buffalo Bills
This may not matter because Harvin could very well retire. Still, it seems every year someone signs this guy and counts on him to be a big time contributor, as if he’s going to play more than three games and contribute. He’s good for one big game a year and a massive headache in your locker room. If I’m a general manager, he’s not even worth a roster spot. He’s been nothing but a problem since his days at Florida and he’s only played one 16-game season in his eight-year career. The last time he played double digit games was in 2011. He’s played for four different teams over the last four seasons and every team was happy to see him go. Since leaving the Minnesota Vikings after the 2012 season, his best stat line for a season has been 29-350-1. Now with a chronic hip issue as well as a myriad of other injuries as well, there is nothing to like about Harvin. Any money you pay him is too much money.

Tight End
Jermaine Gresham, Arizona Cardinals
Gresham is a career underachiever and perennial disappointment. Even while he would put up decent numbers when he was in Cincinnati, he was wildly inconsistent. His final numbers would be decent, but it was usually because he would post two monster games and virtually disappear for the majority of the season. He now has back issues and things aren’t going to get better from here. Somebody is going to give him a chance, nevertheless, his best days are well behind him and they weren’t even that great.

Previous post

2016 Fantasy Baseball: The Importance of Plate Discipline

Next post

Daily Fantasy Hockey Strategy: February 19, 2016