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Week 1 of the 2022-23 NFL season is less than a month away, which means it’s time to start preparing for your fantasy football drafts. I already went over a few sleepers you should be targeting this season, but that’s only part of the equation. What about the players you might want to avoid in drafts?

Here are four potential busts you should stay far away from in fantasy this season.

Ezekiel Elliott — RB, Dallas Cowboys

Ezekiel Elliott catches a pass during training camp.
Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys catches a ball during training camp | Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images

PPR ADP: 30.2

Ezekiel Elliott used to be a bona fide top-five pick in fantasy football, but that isn’t the case any more. At 27 years of age, it’s clear the running back has lost a step. Elliott recorded career-lows in carries (237) and rushing yards per game (58.9) despite playing in all 17 games last season. His longest run in the past two years is just 21 yards.

Elliott simply isn’t the same player who used to be a league-winner as a top pick. I want no part of him as a third-round pick, especially considering Tony Pollard should steal even more of his snaps away in 2022-23.

David Montgomery — RB, Chicago Bears

PPR ADP: 33.3

David Montgomery is a fantastic player, don’t get me wrong, but I want no part of this Chicago Bears offense this season. Justin Fields still has some learning to do, the offense line is one of the worst in the NFL, and no pass-catcher scares you outside of Darnell Mooney.

I expect defenses to stack the box and make Fields beat them with his arm all season long. That’s bad news for Montgomery. Khalil Herbert is also in for a bigger workload this year, so I wouldn’t touch Montgomery at his third-round ADP.

Antonio Gibson — RB, Washington Commanders

PPR ADP: 41.5

I really like Antonio Gibson as a player, but he makes the bust list mostly because of the talent around him. Not only do the Washington Commanders have J.D. McKissic to steal third-down snaps, but they also drafted Brian Robinson out of Alabama. The rookie is impressing in training camp, so I can see this backfield turning into a committee sooner than later.

Gibson led the NFL in non-QB fumbles last season, and he coughed one up in his second carry of the preseason. If he continues to be loose with the ball, Gibson won’t last much longer as the clear-cut starter.

DK Metcalf — WR, Seattle Seahawks

PPR ADP: 44.5

Here’s another pick that’s more about the situation around him than it is about the player himself. We all know how high D.K. Metcalf’s ceiling is as a fantasy wide receiver, but his floor is dangerously low because of the quarterback change in Seattle.

The Seahawks will be going from Russell Wilson to Drew Lock or Geno Smith this season. Metcalf finished with the 14th-most fantasy points among WRs last year, so it’s possible he doesn’t even finish as a WR2 in 2022-23.

All ADP figures courtesy of Fantasy Pros.

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Jack Dougherty

Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies.

When Jack isn’t writing about sports, he’s watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He’s also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.