Fantasy Football 2018: Russell Wilson and Bust Candidates to Avoid

One awful mistake can destroy a fantasy football lineup.

You can have two or three great players on your roster that you can depend on every week. However, if you have one black hole in the lineup that you put out, it can force you to come from behind in every game.

That's a losing proposition.

There are players who look brilliant in the offseason and even better during the preseason, but that often means nothing in terms of regular-season production. In this piece, we tell you why Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is one of those players to avoid.

He is joined by Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins, Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard as players to stay away from in your fantasy draft.

QB Russell Wilson, Seattle

The selection of Wilson as a potential bust and a player to avoid has probably gotten your attention.

Wilson has been one of the most consistent and productive quarterbacks in the NFL since he earned the starting job in Seattle as a rookie in 2012. He threw for 3,983 yards last year and 34 touchdown passes, and he is one of the best running QBs in recent memory.

He also stays in the lineup and has never suffered a serious injury for head coach Pete Carroll. However, these are not the Seahawks that used to dominate, and they were just a 9-7 team a year ago. They are not going to be a winning team this year.

Not only has the defense suffered, the offense does not have any dependable weapons outside of wideout Doug Baldwin.

Defensive coordinators have two things to worry about when they face the Seahawks, and if they can come up with a cogent plan to slow down Baldwin's pass catching and keep Wilson's running game in check, the Seahawks don't have any convincing offensive threats. 

Wilson has been fighting the good fight for years, and he will continue to do so this year, but he just does not have enough help, and the Seahawks will struggle badly on both sides of the ball.

Wilson's numbers will go way down this season.

RB Jordan Howard, Chicago

There has been little to cheer in Chicago for years, and the final two years of the John Fox era offered Bears fans little to be hopeful about.

The one bright spot was running back Jordan Howard, who provided a credible threat from the running back position with 1,313 yards and six touchdowns in 2016 and 1,122 yards and nine touchdowns last year.

New head coach Matt Nagy is a modern NFL leader who wants his quarterback to serve as the offense's triggerman on nearly all plays.

Nagy wants to get the ball to his wideouts and to strong receivers out of the backfield. Howard does not qualify in that area, as he simply does not have the hands to be a dependable receiver.

Howard caught 23 passes for 125 yards last year, and it's difficult to see him as a key figure in the passing game. If the Bears have any kind of offensive success with Mitchell Trubisky throwing to an improved group of receivers, the 23-year-old could become something of a forgotten man.

WR Sammy Watkins, Kansas City

Watkins had a productive offseason, as the Chiefs made him a priority by signing him to a three-year, $48 million deal, but Kansas City may not have been the best landing spot for him.

The wide receiver was underused by the Los Angeles Rams in 2017 as he finished the season with 39 receptions for 593 yards and eight touchdowns. 

The Chiefs have paid dearly for him, but they have a new quarterback in Pat Mahomes, along with two priority pass-catchers in tight end Travis Kelce and wideout Tyreek Hill. Additionally, running back Kareem Hunt will get his touches as a runner and a receiver.

Watkins may need some time to get used to the Kansas City system, and we don't see him becoming a productive player for head coach Andy Reid until the second half of the season at the earliest.

TE O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay

Howard was the first tight end selected in the 2017 draft, and while he never displayed explosive production as a college player at Alabama, he did have superstar talent.

He still has that ability, but the Bucs won't have quarterback Jameis Winston under center for the first three games of the season after violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. When the signal-caller returns, he will face maximum pressure to perform at a peak level.

It is doubtful Winston will be able to overcome the pressure, and that will hurt Howard's chances of putting productive numbers on the board.

Howard does have excellent talent and could be a productive player with the right team, but the Bucs are not that team, and his fantasy owners will regret this selection.

Other fantasy players to avoid this season

QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

QB Alex Smith, Washington Redskins

RB Kenyan Drake, Miami Dolphins

RB Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks

RB Chris Thompson, Washington Redskins

WR Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos

WR Michael Crabtree, Baltimore Ravens

WR Devin Funchess, Carolina Panthers

TE Jared Cook, Oakland Raiders

TE Eric Ebron, Indianapolis Colts