Fantasy Football 2012: 10 Stars to Avoid on Draft Day

One bad pick on draft day could ruin your fantasy football season.

A poor choice in the first round or spending too much on one player in an auction will leave a void in your team that cannot be replaced throughout the year.

These players have been projected as top picks, but there is a good chance they fail to live up to expectations this season.

Unless you are getting tremendous value for these men, avoid them at all costs.

Frank Gore, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Frank Gore had one of the best years of his career last season, finishing with 1,211 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

He was leaned on to be the focal point of the offense for the San Francisco 49ers, but that will not be the case this year.

The team added plenty of weapons this offseason. Randy Moss, Mario Manningham and first-round pick A.J. Jenkins will help the passing game. Brandon Jacobs and LaMichael James will also get some snaps in the backfield.

Gore has a lot of mileage on his legs, and he will need plenty of rest. Finally, the 49ers have some other players to help take some of the pressure off. 

This is good for the team, but not good for the running back's fantasy prospects.

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Holdouts are sometimes good for the player, but they are rarely good for fantasy owners.

Before the 2007 season, Larry Johnson was one of the best running backs in the league. He had two-year totals of 3,539 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns.

Unfortunately, a holdout and injuries led to the downfall of his career. He only played eight games in 2007, but he did not perform well when healthy. He finished with 559 yards and only three touchdowns.

Last season, Chris Johnson's holdout led the running back to drop 317 yards and seven touchdowns from his previous year.

It is unknown how long Maurice Jones-Drew will continue his holdout, but it is unlikely he succeeds when he does see the field.

Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, New York Giants

Injuries did not help, but Ahmad Bradshaw had a big drop in production last season. In fact, his yards per carry has dropped in each of his five seasons in the league.

The New York Giants' offensive line is weaker than what it was in the past, but the team still needs more out of a starting running back. 

Brandon Jacobs is out of the picture, but first-round pick David Wilson will now compete for playing time and has plenty of potential. If Bradshaw does not pick up his play, he will lose his starting job by midseason.

Roy Helu, RB, Washington Redskins

Roy Helu has been going in the sixth round in average drafts, according to ESPN, but he has done little to warrant being selected this high.

As a rookie last season, he topped 100 yards three times, but only had one more game of more than 53 rushing yards. He totaled only three touchdowns from scrimmage and struggled to do anything in some games.

Robert Griffin III will allow the team to utilize the passing game more often, and with Mike Shanahan as a coach, fantasy owners cannot be confident that Helu will get consistent carries every week.

He has talent, but the youngster is too much of a risk.

Mike Wallace, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

When a player begins a holdout, it is uncertain if or when they will ever return to the team. TimesOnline reports the buzz from Steelers camp is that Wallace will return soon, but that is just speculation.

You never want to have a player on your team without any promises of him seeing the field in the near future.

Even if he does return at full strength, new offensive coordinator Todd Haley is planning to increase the run game. The passing attack will not be entirely removed, but the receivers should get fewer targets than usual.

Finally, Wallace is no longer the only man in town for the Steelers. Wallace faded down the stretch, only scoring in one of his final seven games and not producing much yardage. Antonio Brown became a solid secondary option and could easily steal some catches in 2012.

Santonio Holmes, WR, New York Jets

Coming into last season, Santonio Holmes was a solid sleeper who had ended the previous year strong. This year, fantasy owners should stay far away.

Holmes could not top 100 receiving yards in any game last season with Mark Sanchez throwing him the ball. It is unlikely Tim Tebow will help boost those numbers when he gets on the field.

The New York Jets have been a mess all offseason. It is a good idea to stay away from this circus in real life and in fantasy.

Robert Meachem, WR, San Diego Chargers

Robert Meachem will finally get his chance to show the world that he should be a starting wide receiver. With the San Diego Chargers, he will get the targets that would have gone to Vincent Jackson.

However, he will lose Drew Brees throwing to him and the dynamic offense that Sean Payton developed over the years. Meachem was not held back from the other receivers on the team, but in fact he benefited from the lack of attention from the defense.

He will still have a solid quarterback throwing to him, but he will need to work harder to get open.

In addition, most of the red-zone looks will go to Antonio Gates. Touchdowns will be scarce for the veteran receiver, and it will not lead to a great year.

Jason Witten, TE, Dallas Cowboys

Football injuries have become easy to predict, but Jason Witten is dealing with something more severe. According to ESPN, the tight end has a lacerated spleen, and it is unknown when he will be able to return to football.

However, Witten would have been a risky pick even when healthy. 

Although he has been a consistent target for Tony Romo over the past few years, the rest of the roster might start taking away his receiving totals. Miles Austin has been solid when healthy, but now Dez Bryant is stepping up as one of the more talented receivers in the league.

Witten only averaged four points per game in the last six weeks of the season. Surprisingly, Tony Romo was still productive during that time, which means he stopped looking at his tight end.

The Pro Bowl tight end will not completely disappear, but people should be expecting a decline starting this year.

Michael Vick, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

You can pretty much copy and paste the same thing about Michael Vick from every season and it still rings true.

He has incredible talent with his arm and his legs, but he cannot be trusted in real life or fantasy until he proves he can stay healthy. Vick has played a full season only once in his career, and he is not likely to replicate that feat as he gets older.

In addition, the breakout of LeSean McCoy last season could lead to increased carries for the running back. Based on the disappointing year in the standings, it might be time for the Eagles to try something new.

This could lead to fewer opportunities for the talented quarterback. 

Robert Griffin III, QB, Washington Redskins

After Cam Newton blew up last season, fans are trying to catch the same lightning in a bottle by drafting Robert Griffin III. While the Redskins starter will have an opportunity to shine right away, he will not have the same fantasy success as last year's Rookie of the Year.

Newton had impressive passing numbers, but it was his success on the ground that helped him move up the fantasy rankings. He finished with 706 rushing yards and an outstanding 14 touchdowns on the ground. This was the second-most touchdowns in the NFL and eight more than the next highest quarterback.

Griffin has the running ability, but he will not be the goal-line threat that Newton was last season. He is three inches shorter and almost 30 pounds lighter. It is unlikely that his team will call his number in short-yardage situations.

The Redskins quarterback has a lot of talent and could one day be among the best in the league, but he is unlikely to post more than typical rookie numbers as he gets accustomed to the NFL.

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