We are nearly halfway through the NFL season, and you know what that means — wondering how in the world your fantasy football team is on life support. You thought you took the best players on the board, outsmarted your opponents, had the best value picks, and even had a great Yahoo Sports draft grade. However, it all blew up in your face.
How did we get here? We look at the ten worst fantasy football draft picks of 2024.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey
Send thoughts and prayers to everyone who drafted Christian McCaffrey first overall. The All-Pro running back of the San Francisco 49ers has yet to play in a game this season due to calf and Achilles tendon injuries. He was placed on injured reserve earlier this year and he’s not expected to practice heading into Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys. There’s a chance he might return to the 49ers after the bye week for Week 10, but that’s up in the air. Hopefully you were able to scoop up Jordan Mason, as San Fran’s backup running back has over 96 fantasy points on the season. If not, good luck the rest of the way.
Related: Week 8 fantasy waiver wire targets: Top waiver wire pickups this week at every position
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel
Christian McCaffrey isn’t the only San Francisco 49er to make the list. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel has had a disappointing season overall, ranking 31st among wide receivers in fantasy points with 60.60. Samuel only has two touchdowns total in 2024, and had to be hospitalized following Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with pneumonia. It’s unknown if Samuel will play in Week 8.
Related: San Francisco 49ers star receiver Deebo Samuel shockingly hospitalized with serious health ailment
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua had one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history in 2023. He set records for most receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) by a rookie. Many fantasy owners were expecting him to put up similar numbers for 2024, but a knee injury in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions derailed that. He’s missed the last five games and only has 6.20 fantasy points on the season. The Rams have opened Nacua’s 21-day practice window to come off injured reserve. If he does come back, it remains to be seen how he will perform.
Related: Week 8 fantasy rankings: Best QB, RB, WR and TEs to start, sit this week
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is a four-time Super Bowl champion and has led the Kansas City Chiefs to a 6-0 record going into Week 8. However, that doesn’t mean a damn thing for your fantasy team. Mahomes ranks 22nd in fantasy points for quarterbacks in Yahoo Sports, behind luminaries like Daniel Jones, Bo Nix, and Kirk Cousins. Mahomes is also tied for the league-lead in interceptions with eight, and has only thrown six touchdowns on the season. No one was expecting that performance from Mahomes in 2024.
Related: NFL defensive coordinator compares Patrick Mahomes to Tom Brady for this reason
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce
Patrick Mahomes isn’t the only underperforming fantasy player from the Kansas City Chiefs. Tight end Travis Kelce has just 245 receiving yards, no touchdowns, and ranks 16th in fantasy points among tight ends with 38.60. Last year, he was 16 yards shy of 1,000 receiving yards, and had five scores. Fantasy owners are still hoping there is time for Kelce to turn it around and start playing like the All-Pro tight end we all know he is.
Related: Patrick Mahomes unveils reason for Travis Kelce’s slow start to 2024 season
Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco
The third Kansas City Chiefs player to make the list is running back Isiah Pacheco. He was a second- or third-round pick in many fantasy drafts, and a Week 2 injury sidelined his season. Pacheco suffered a broken right fibula against the Cincinnati Bengals and was placed on injured reserve. There’s some optimism he might return this season, but for fantasy purposes, it would be too little, too late.
Related: 5 Kansas City Chiefs RB replacements after Isiah Pacheco’s injury
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPort burst onto the scene his rookie season in 2023. The second-round pick out of Iowa finished the year with 86 catches for 889 receiving yards and ten touchdowns. He also had 21 receptions during the Lions’ run to the NFC Championship game for 176 yards and one score. Fantasy owners thought we would see that type of production in his second year in the league as he was high on many draft boards. However, it hasn’t yet come to fruition in 2024 as he only has 14 receptions for 224 yards and one score. LaPorta is the 20th-ranked tight end among fantasy points.
Related: Lions’ Sam LaPorta sets TE rookie record for catches
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor
Many fantasy owners drafted Jonathan Taylor in the first two rounds, but the Indianapolis Colts running back has yet to pay off. Taylor has missed the last three games with a high ankle sprain and it’s still up-in-the air if he will return for Week 8. Because of his injury, Taylor now ranks 25th among running backs in fantasy points with 69.60. Fantasy owners are hoping Taylor returns to the field and gets back to his scoring ways as the playoffs will be here in a blink of an eye.
Related: How the Indianapolis Colts inexplicably have a shot at the AFC’s No. 1 seed
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts was one of the top five quarterbacks taken in fantasy drafts before the season, but he ranks tenth in fantasy points among QBs. He was a turnover machine the first four games of 2024, throwing four picks and fumbling the ball away three times. Hurts was missing top wide receivers A.J. Brown for three games and DeVonta Smith for one game during that time. He hasn’t turned the ball over the last two weeks and still has time to get back on track for fantasy purposes.
Related: Is Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts morphing into Carson Wentz?
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill
Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill was a top-three pick in most fantasy drafts, but it’s been a nightmare season for the wide receiver. Because of a severe concussion to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins have cycled through four quarterbacks on the season, and that has caused Hill’s production to plummet. He has 24 catches for 294 yards and one touchdown, as Hill is the 43rd-ranked wide receiver in fantasy points. In Week 7, he only had one reception for eight yards in Miami’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Tagovailoa is coming back for Week 8 as fantasy owners are hoping Hill will start to go on a hot streak.
Related: Tyreek Hill detained by police ahead of Miami Dolphins opener
