Fantasy Football Draft Danger Zone: AFC East Picks That Could Doom Your Team

Every NFL squad always has a player (or six) that are bound to seduce you into drafting them too high and put you in some variety of Archer certified Danger Zone. These are the sort of fantasy options that could still pay off huge, but come with some serious questions before you make your official selection. We’ve wrangled together a tidy collection of 32 players (one for each team, including the dead mall of a football club that is the New York Jets) that we think are worth having a think about before joining your roster.

Today, we’re visiting the scenic AFC East. Tiger Beat pin-up Bill Belichick has comfortably held his boot on the throat of the rest of the division for a while, so you can understand why other AFC East fans get so sh*tfaced during the season. Whatever dude, it’s fantasy football. Every team could be storing a game-changer, a landmine or someone bound to be injured midway through this sentence.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills – WR Sammy Watkins

Reason To Salivate: Watkins is the star receiver Buffalo needs. Provided his skeleton remains mostly intact, Watkins is destined to get lots of work in a Bills attack that had opposing defenses reeling in 2016 with the highest per team rushing total out there. There’s also a chance Watkins could attempt further fence-mending with Bills fans by doing a tribute video for “Slide” in honor of Buffalo’s favorite musical export Goo Goo Dolls which could also do wonders. (That particular scenario does not equal points in PPR and non-PPR leagues, mind you.)

Reason To Worry: In the three years he’s been in Buffalo, Watkins has missed 11 games and has been banged up in far more. After a stellar rookie season (6 TDs, 982 receiving yards), he was beaten down by injuries in 2015 and 2016. Last year, Watkins was shelved for half of the season with a stress factor in his foot and his career’s already seen hip surgery. Even with Watkins entering the much frothed over contract year portion of his time with the Bills, are you confident that Watkins can stay healthy for a full season? Fantasy Pros has Watkins at #34 overall in their consensus ADP rankings and now’s a good time to have an extended think of you’re comfortable with the boom/bust electricity attached to the 24-year-old wideout.

Miami Dolphins – RB Jay Ajayi

Reason To Salivate: Jay Ayayi had such an incredible sophomore outing for the Fins in 2016, he managed to turn Arian Foster into a vague memory courtesy of a season that featured three outings with 200+ rushing yards. Ajayi is young, projected to potentially lead the league in carries, and is the sort of guy that can single-handedly give you 2-4 wins if he keeps the 200+ yard rushing games going. If.

Reason To Worry: Jay Ayayi getting more touches is good for his numbers, but it might not be good for his body or for Miami in general. For starters, his knee problems haven’t magically disappeared (not to mention his bonus training camp concussion) and he’s playing behind an offensive line that was weak in 2016 and has center Mike Pouncey rehabbing his hip. (Thrilling news for Jay Cutler’s bid to play rescue QB.) If last year is any indication, you might be spending a second round pick or keeper tag on a guy liable to rack up 40-60 yards and no TDs for three-quarters of the season.

New England Patriots – WR Brandin Cooks

Reason To Salivate: What’s not to fawn over when it comes to a 23-year-old receiver coming off back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons looking to make an impact in a bigger market? Brandin Cooks was shipped to New England where he provides a different brand of target than Julian Edelman. Maybe without LeGarrette Blount’s services in NE, more of that scoring production can come Cooks’ way. Regardless of what happens on the field, this will probably play out gangbusters for anyone playing as the Pats (YOU GHOULS!) in Madden this year.

Reason To Worry: For a club applauded for finding gems, castoffs and the overlooked, Bill Belichick isn’t incapable of screwing up with some of his personnel gambles every now and again. Adalius Thomas, Monty Beisel and Joseph Addai aren’t exactly getting a float in any Patriots parades soon, is what I’m getting at. New England’s offense has a versatile attack which certainly pays dividends overall even if it hasn’t produced an enormous age of top tier fantasy names. There’s Brady and whatever amount of meat the public still legally allowed to be called Gronk. If Brady and Cooks don’t gel, that whole “can he play in weather below 55°” talking point will be beside the point. Not to mention, what kind of targets will he get? There are so many mouths to feed.

New York Jets – RB Bilal Powell

Reason To Salivate: The New York Jets are fielding what apparently legally qualifies as a professional football club in 2017 and 28-year-old rusher Bilal Powell is who’s getting most of the fantasy shine. Last season, Powell had a strong 4 game stretch to close the year and the prospect of a heavier workload has Powell nestled in the #25 spot in the RB ADP consensus ranking from FantasyPros. Folks seem bullish on Powell’s prospects in 2017.

Reason To Worry: As nice as it would be snap up the version of Bilal Powell that’s been built up, he’s still rushing for the Jets who had the brilliant idea of cutting veteran Pro Bowl center Nick Mangold to replace him with an all-important “remember: get offensive line help” sticky note on new starting QB Josh McCown’s chest. The defense is still garbage water, so the Jets might not even have the luxury of giving Powell and Matt Forte (who are currently presented as a platoon option by NYJ coaches) the necessary touches to get you them sweet sweet fantasy points you crave.