Fantasy Football 2015: 10 Risky Players You Need to Avoid

After a long summer sans football, the boys are finally in training camp and getting set for game action, which means it's officially fantasy draft season. 

If you're looking for a primer that can help you answer some tough questions and help shape your roster, look no further. This list assembles some players to be wary of heading into your fantasy draft.

Factors that have impacted this list are performance last season, projected performance in 2015, surrounding team and weapons, age and position on the depth chart. 

One name who has cracked the list is Cam Newton, and since that will likely be a controversial pick, feel free to head over to the comments section and be heard. 

In any event, here are 10 risky players in the world of fantasy football.

Daniel Ferrara is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter for any fantasy football questions and to stay in touch.

Todd Gurley, RB, St. Louis Rams

Todd Gurley was the first running back taken in the 2015 NFL Draft despite the fact that he is coming off of a torn ACL. 

Although he was taken with the No. 10 pick overall by the St. Louis Rams, teammate Tre Mason wants everyone to know that he's still on the roster and isn't going anywhere.

"Tre Mason is still here," Mason told Nick Wagoner of ESPN. "Give me the ball. I’m ready to rock. That’s how I feel about the situation."

Head coach Jeff Fisher had high praise of Mason's play as well.

“Once we felt comfortable with where he was, we cut him loose, and he was really productive for us," Jeff Fisher said, according to the same report.

The mere fact of the matter is that although Gurley may be an interesting player to stash and hope for the best, his injury history is concerning. His workload is also unclear, as Mason averaged 4.3 yards per carry as a rookie last season. 

If you're looking for a rookie running back to invest in, take Melvin Gordon of the San Diego Chargers. Gordon is a lock for a lot of touches and can be a fantasy contributor right away.

Dwyane Bowe, WR, Cleveland Browns

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

A move to Cleveland kills Dwayne Bowe's value.

Dwyane Bowe was part of the wide receiver group on the Kansas City Chiefs which remarkably failed to score a touchdown last season. 

In fact, Bowe has just 13 touchdowns in four seasons since his monster 15 TD campaign in 2010. 

As if he wasn't already trending down, Bowe now finds himself on what projects to be one of the league's worst passing offenses, the Cleveland Browns. 

It's incredibly difficult to invest anything in Bowe after three straight seasons with 801 receiving yards or less. It appears as if his best days are behind him, and he shouldn't be owned in fantasy leagues until he proves that he can produce as a top option in Cleveland.

Rashad Jennings, RB, New York Giants

Elsa/Getty Images

Rashad Jennings is in a crowded backfield in New York.

Rashad Jennings' first year with the Giants didn't necessarily go as planned.

Jennings averaged less than four yards per carry (3.8) and only had one game with over 100 yards, despite being the starter to begin the season.

Rookie Andre Williams bested Jennings in rushing yards (721) and touchdowns (7) and will likely seek an expanded role in his second season. Given his impressive rookie campaign, the Giants may be inclined to give it to him.

Given Jennings' injury history and long-time status as a backup, it would appear as if that is his best place right now. The Giants also added Shane Vereen in the offseason, who should be heavily utilized on third downs and in the passing game. Vereen caught 52 passes out of the backfield for the Patriots last season.

Any way you cut it, it’s a crowded backfield in New York, and Jennings shouldn’t be owned unless there’s an injury.

Giovani Bernard, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

Michael Conroy/Associated Press/Associated Press

Giovani Bernard will take a back seat to Jeremy Hill.

Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard make up what is one of the NFL's best rushing duos. For fantasy purposes, however, only the former should be owned. 

While Bernard was the starter at the beginning of the 2014 season, Hill had three straight 100-yard games at the end of last season and will claim the starting job out of the gate this year. He also added 27 catches for 215 yards.

"It's all in [offensive coordinator] Hue [Jackson’s] hands," Bernard told Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com. "Hue is going to put the guy out there at the opportunity. You just have to shine. We both know that. Whoever is doing a good job is going to be on that field and producing."

Bernard seems fine with sharing carries because he knows that the sum is greater than the parts. Splitting carries, though it will likely not be 50/50, will allow both running backs to stay fresh during the game and be more effective. 

For fantasy, however, this is less than ideal.

Based off Bernard's 680 rushing yards and five touchdowns from a year ago, he would be a risky play even if guaranteed the job as starter. With Hill in the fold, however, Bernard will be the No. 2 option moving forward. 

Jeremy Maclin, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Last year was the year to own Jeremy Maclin in fantasy leagues. He likely came cheap and put up huge production, making his return on investment incredible. 

Maclin had a career-high 1,318 receiving yards last season in the high-octane Eagles offense run by head coach Chip Kelly. He now heads to an ordinary Chiefs offense that saw no wide receivers catch a touchdown pass last season.

Thinking Maclin will fail to find the end zone this season is foolish, but you can't expect him to replicate his 2014 numbers either. 

As the video above noted, Maclin got paid like a top receiver in football, and that will be hard to live up to. Especially when his quarterback, Alex Smith, has trouble stretching the field and throwing the deep ball. 

Maclin is a talented receiver who will likely be limited by his surroundings this season. If it's late and you are grabbing him for your bench, that's fine. Picking him up to start every week for you would be a mistake. 

LeGarrette Blount, RB, New England Patriots

Elsa/Getty Images

LeGarrette Blount was impressive with the Patriots last season, but his workload is unclear.

In five regular season games with the Patriots last season, LeGarrette Blount totaled 281 yards—on pace for 899 yards over a full season.

While he played a key role for New England last season, Blount certainly comes with baggage. As it is, he is suspended for the season opener for violating the league's substance abuse policy. 

He was cut by the Steelers last year because he left a Monday Night Football game against the Tennessee Titans early when he only played two snaps.

“According to multiple reports, that prompted Blount to leave the field early, head to the locker room, dress and get out of there before his teammates went there after the victory,” Vinnie Iyer of SportingNews.com wrote. “That ended up costing him a roster spot.”

In case you didn't know, they're kind of a stickler about bad behavior in New England. Head coach Bill Belichick doesn't have a lot of patience for it, and his players have a short leash.

Expecting Blount to mess up behaviorally in New England would be unfair, but it should be noted that Belichick's decisions at running back vary from game to game. It often feels as if they're random since so many guys come and go from the rotation with ease. Stevan Ridley knows all about that.

With the suspension to quarterback Tom Brady, it could be possible that opposing defenses stack the box against Blount. If they do so and he struggles out of the gate, it's not out of the realm of possibility that he finds himself getting fewer carries as the season progresses.   

Jordan Matthews, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

How will Jordan Matthews adjust to being "the guy?"

With Jeremy Maclin out in Philadelphia, Jordan Matthews is now the No. 1 guy. It remains to be seen whether he can handle it. 

Matthews had a solid year in 2014 but had the luxury of opposing defenses keying on Maclin. Matthews also developed chemistry with quarterback Mark Sanchez, and it will be interesting to see how he and new quarterback Sam Bradford play together. 

Matthews' Season Breakdown:

Prior to Sanchez’s first game on Nov. 2: 7 G, 29 catches, 273 yards, 2 TD
After Nov. 2: 9 G, 38 rec, 599 yards, 6 TD

Perhaps he just got better as the year went on, but it's worth thinking about. 

Along with the troubles of being a No. 1 receiver in the NFL, new teammate Nelson Agholor might be a better option than Matthews in fantasy this season. 

“Make sure to nab him in point-per-reception leagues especially, where his value will be at its highest—85 receptions is an attainable figure,” wrote Cory Bonini of USA Today. “When other owners are investing a high pick in Matthews, target Agholor as a WR3 in the middle rounds and have the last laugh.”

Matthews' stock may be a bit high, boosted by his impressive last few games in 2014. With several question marks surrounding him, it may be wise to spend a high pick on someone else and just snag Agholor a little later. 

Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Carson Palmer is coming off his second torn ACL.

Carson Palmer was on pace for 4,336 yards last season, which would have been a career-high.

Unsurprisingly, injuries marred his season yet again.

Palmer tore his left ACL on Nov. 9 against the Rams—the second time he has torn that ACL.

After his first surgery in 2006, Palmer's surgeon called his injury "potentially career-ending" with "numerous ligament tears, a shredded ligament, damaged cartilage and a dislocated kneecap," according to the Associated Press. 

He will now attempt to return at age 35 following a second procedure, and it is unclear what kind of impact he will have. 

There's something to be said about owning a quarterback in fantasy who is guaranteed to be the starter, but there are some red flags with Palmer. 

On top of his injuries, Palmer also has an issue protecting the football.

In his last full season in 2013, Palmer turned the ball over 28 times. His penchant for tossing picks and losing fumbles makes him a risky play in fantasy from week to week.

The safe bet would be to pass on Palmer but pick him up if he's unowned in your league and you need a spot starter due to a bye week. 

Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Gore's new surroundings can allow him to succeed, but he has a lot of mileage on him.

A running back age 32 or older has only rushed for 1,000 yards 11 times in history, so Frank Gore will be facing a tall task this season.

That isn't to say that he can't do it.

Gore has hit the 1,000-yard plateau in eight of his last nine seasons but only has hit double-digit touchdowns once in his 10-year career.

The issue with Gore is that he doesn't contribute in the passing game, an important aspect of a fantasy running back, especially in a PPR league. Even if he does get to 1,000 yards, his lack of catches and touchdowns through the air will hinder his value.

Gore will benefit from playing in an offense with a feared passing game, which will prevent teams from stacking the box against him. He will have holes to run, but will the Colts give him a heavy workload?

He has had 200 or more rushing attempts in nine straight seasons, and with their backfield destroyed by Ahmad Bradshaw’s injury last season, the Colts might want to be conservative. It would likely be unwise of them to run him into the ground when their passing attack is so potent and their backfield also holds Daniel Herron. 

There's nothing to suggest that he can't play at a high level, but there are better options than Gore in fantasy this season. 

Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton is overrated. There, I said it. 

Although the video above wants to discredit his stats and focus on his talent, it's time to stop doing that with Newton. At some point we have to judge a player by his production, and Newton already has four seasons in the league, a decent sample size for evaluation.

Four seasons, by the way, which have been progressively worse.

After a great rookie season in which he had his lone 4,000-yard passing season, it has all been downhill for Newton. 

He had a career-low 3,127 yards and 18 TD last season, and his passing yards have decreased every season of his career. He ranked just No. 21 in the league in passing yards last season and tied for 19th in TDs. He also set career-lows in QBR (54.4) and Passer Rating (82.1).

Aside from fantasy purposes and statistics, he's just 30-31-1 in his career and won only one playoff game. He is averaging 237 passing yards in his three postseason games with just a 1:1 TD to INT ratio.

So why is he ranked the No. 8 QB on ESPN Top 300 ahead of Tony Romo, Tom Brady and Eli Manning? I'd rather take Jimmy Garoppolo late and stash Tom Brady until his suspension is over rather than taking Newton so early.

Newton's fantasy value comes from his legs, but he set career-lows with 539 rushing yards and five touchdowns last year.

In fact, it is becoming abundantly clear that Newton isn't the best rushing quarterback in football. He had fewer rushing attempts, rushing yards and yards per carry than quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick. 

It's time to start evaluating Newton on his production and not his talent. If you want to draft him high based on the fact that this "could be the year," that's your prerogative. I'll take my chances with a more proven quarterback who isn't coming off his worst season.

Newton wasn't worth $103.8 million, and he isn't worth your fantasy pick in the round he is projected to be taken, either. 

Daniel Ferrara is a featured columnist. You can follow him on Twitter to ask any fantasy football questions and to keep in touch.