Every year, name value tricks fantasy football managers into chasing past production and ignoring the trap doors planted throughout the ADP minefield. Want to win your league? You’d better learn to spot the hidden duds and fade them aggressively.
This isn’t a column for the cautious or the consensus-followers. It’s for those determined to torch mistakes before the season even fires up.
Below, I’m calling out three running backs you should avoid at all costs. The data is brutal, and so is my verdict. If you want more watered-down advice, check out any generic fantasy football article. If you’re going to build a roster that wins, keep reading.
Joe Mixon, RB, Houston Texans
Let’s rip the Band-Aid off — the Joe Mixon model is on life support. Last year screamed empty volume: 1,016 yards, 11 touchdowns, but a closer look exposes ugliness.
From Week 12 on, Mixon posted just 3.6 yards per carry, logged fewer than 60 rushing yards in five of his last six games, and caught a handful of dump-offs while his explosive runs vanished. In fact, over 23% of his carries resulted in zero or negative yards, and he finished outside the top 40 in explosive runs and missed tackles forced.
Houston’s playoff ride was a blip, not a trend. Both those big games came against bottom-tier run defenses. Now, at 29, dealing with a “mysterious” foot injury, Mixon is being handed nothing. He’s missed all of camp and faces volume threats in Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks.
From Back Together Weekend: #Texans Pro Bowl RB Joe Mixon is out for an extended period of time with a foot injury. pic.twitter.com/ZDnmXO4MAJ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 26, 2025
Touches propped up Mixon’s RB2 floor. Those days are numbered with less juice and more competition. Mixon’s 17.2 fantasy points per game feels like it was farther in the past than just last year.
Don’t chase the production. Mixon is limping toward irrelevance and dragging your team down if you reach even a round too early.
Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants
Cam Skattebo is the classic rookie mirage. He’s outside, hype swamping harsh reality. Coming out of Arizona State with a 4.65 forty, he’s hands-down the slowest relevant rookie back to crack a depth chart this year.
The Giants drafted him on Day 3 and were seemingly excited about it. Yet, he’s been firmly behind Tyrone Tracy Jr., who’s dominated first-team reps and appears locked in as the starter.
Devin Singletary, a longtime NFL grinder, still lurks with more experience and is currently ahead of Skattebo on the depth chart. Meanwhile, Skattebo already missed the early critical stretch of camp with a hamstring injury, putting him behind the proverbial 8-ball to start his career.
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Production profiles are bleak: the Giants’ offense couldn’t run block in 2024, and red-zone trips were rare. Skattebo doesn’t have the burst, opportunity, or scheme fit to push past Tracy or even Singletary.
If you draft him at RB33, you’re not gambling for upside. You’re chasing noise and ignoring a flooded backfield. Outside of preseason puff pieces, there is nothing here but wasted picks for desperate teams.
Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It’s not enough for a player to be cheap. They have to offer an actual path to usefulness. Rachaad White, despite the RB43 ADP, is just a ghost behind Bucky Irving.
Last season’s second half? Irving out-carried him 82 to 11, out-targeted him in every passing-down situation, and never gave a hint the Bucs would lean back on White even if disaster struck.
Gene Deckerhoff calls highlights from the Rachaad White touchdown drive, including Mike Evans hurdling a defender on a big gainer pic.twitter.com/VsFOHDhJZP
— Bucs Rays Bolts (@BucsRaysBoltsYT) December 8, 2024
Over the final four games, White recorded just 10 carries, six of which came during garbage time in Week 17. Tampa’s staff signaled Sean Tucker would step straight into the lead runner role if Irving missed time, leaving White as nothing but a two-minute drill specialist.
Fantasy managers referencing contingent value are wasting their time and a roster slot. White’s volume cratered, his snap share collapsed, and his fantasy value was only possible early in the year when Irving hadn’t yet emerged. This is pure handcuff vapor. Ignore the price. There’s no legitimate upside here, only a low-ceiling backup.
