Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: Terrell Owens and 7 Players To Avoid

Everyone makes mistakes in their fantasy football draft, it's part of the unpredictable nature of the game.

However, there are some players you just must not touch, no matter how tempting, no matter how deep your league.

In the following slides, we will highlight a collection of seven players that should be off-limits when you conduct your fantasy draft.

Do Not Draft: WR Terrell Owens

Free-agent wide receiver Terrell Owens underwent ACL surgery this April, and his recovery is not going as planned.

While last month he said he would be ready by the second or third week of the regular season, that story has since changed, and he believes he is a few months out from being 100 percent healthy.

This means that he will likely not find a new team to call home before then, and even if he does, he won't be suited up and on the field until October or perhaps November.

I know that seeing Owens on the draft board, especially in later rounds or deeper leagues, might make some fantasy GMs see him as a steal, but don't be tempted to grab him.

If he even does end up signing with a team, it isn't likely he will contribute much to make a significant impact on your weekly roster or your scoring.

Forget Owens; there are far more receivers out there who could produce just as well for you and have a greater guarantee of health for the entire season.

Do Not Draft: RB Tiki Barber

Oh, Tiki Barber. The running back is currently in his version of Favre-Watch this season, coming out of retirement after being away from the game for four seasons, only no one finds his situation nearly as compelling as the quarterback's.

He spent his final season with the New York Giants developing a reputation as a locker room cancer, and believed the team would never win a Super Bowl without his services. They proved him wrong by doing so in his first year of retirement.

After trying his hand at television, Barber thinks he is prime for a return to his former glory as one of the league's toughest rushers.

But his best years are certainly behind him, and it is very telling that while teams have worked him out this offseason, none have extended an offer.

Yes, teams will thin out at running back this season due to injury, but it definitely does not follow that Barber will get a shot starting at any point in 2011.

Don't waste your draft pick on a running back who is likely to sit on your bench; find someone who can actively contribute to your fantasy team from Week 1.

Do Not Draft: WR Roy Williams

Yes, he's got a recognizable name, but chances are you know who Roy Williams is for all the wrong reasons.

The Chicago Bears wide receiver has built his reputation in the NFL as a player with bad hands who drops passes, and that's no mistake.

He leads the league in dropped passes for receivers targeted more than 200 times in his last three seasons—19 drops in 232 passes thrown to him—and this hasn't improved this preseason.

Combined with the troubles that his quarterback, Jay Cutler, has with both accuracy and being properly protected by his offensive line and Williams' season is already not looking very good.

There are so many other receivers with better skills, better statistics and better quarterbacks even in deeper leagues. There's no reason to punish yourself with Williams on your roster.

Do Not Draft: QB Tarvaris Jackson

When the Seattle Seahawks announced they were bringing in former Minnesota Viking quarterback Tarvaris Jackson to presumably hold the starting job in 2011, many people questioned just what head coach Pete Carroll was thinking.

Initially, everyone seemed to give Carroll and Jackson the benefit of the doubt; in his years in Minnesota, he appeared to not get a fair shot at the starting position, and perhaps there was a wealth of untapped talent in the quarterback that we had yet to see.

Not so much, not this preseason.

In three games, Jackson has thrown just 27 completions in 47 attempts for 181 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and was sacked seven times, five of which came in their Week 3 contest against the Denver Broncos.

He is supposed to be good on his feet, but has only rushed for 24 yards this preseason.

Indeed, no one should be drafting Jackson to be his or her starting quarterback, but he's a terrible backup option as well.

There are far more second and third-tier quarterbacks available to fantasy GMs this season than just Jackson, and you should take a pass on him if at all possible.

Do Not Draft: QB Tim Tebow

Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow is not one of those second or third-tier quarterbacks to add to your fantasy roster in Tarvaris Jackson's stead, however.

His development in the Broncos' system is not progressing as rapidly as expected, and there's a chance that he could dip below third on the quarterback depth chart, behind both Brady Quinn and rookie Adam Weber.

This does not bode well for Tebow to get much, if any, playing time during the 2011 regular season. Drafting him to your fantasy roster will likely gain you nothing but a wasted draft pick.

Support Tebow, be his fan, want him to do well if you must, but do not draft him to your fantasy team.

Do Not Draft: RB Ronnie Brown

Philadelphia Eagles running back Ronnie Brown seems like a strange addition to a do-not-draft list, but his history of injuries and inconsistent play makes him a major draft risk regardless of what team he is on.

Now that he is an Eagle, his carries should be greatly reduced. Veteran running back LeSean McCoy should be seeing most of the offensive hand-offs yet again, and Brown will likely be splitting third down and goal line carries with fullback Owen Schmitt.

Further, the Eagles are trying to keep the ball in the air as much as possible. And if they need to go to the ground, quarterback Michael Vick is more than capable of taking the ball and running with it himself.

Brown is guaranteed to be a fantasy football disappointment in 2011, and it's best to avoid drafting him.

Do Not Draft: QB Carson Palmer

I know it should go without saying that erstwhile Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer should not be in anyone's fantasy football draft plans, but there always seems to be that one GM who is willing to go there anyway.

For all intents and purposes, Palmer should be considered a retired player this season, and therefore not a contributor to your fantasy roster.

Don't hold out for Palmer to return to save a struggling Bengals offense, or to be released from his contract by owner Mike Brown and move to another team later in the season. Neither things are going to happen.

Palmer wants to move on; you should as well, if you are entertaining thoughts of using a fantasy draft pick on the quarterback.