Fantasy Football 2014: Five Regression Candidates

Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

An integral aspect of fantasy football is keeping your eye on the young talents that are about to step up and shine in the NFL. Whether it’s a talented rookie, that third year wide receiver or the opportune running back you saw coming from a mile away, it’s key to catch those sleepers before they ever break out.

It’s even more important, however, to identify players that are set to regress. Guys that have been dealing with injuries, already were trending downward the year prior, are about to see reduced roles or will face major competition are all threats to make you look bad come mid-season.

For the sake of pointing out players that not everyone will consider, let’s only stick to guys that were quality fantasy options in 2013. We’ll rule out guys who were already hurt too, so while Arian Foster and Doug Martin might carry some risk, they won’t be on this list.

All the guys here are still talented and could still do quite well. But there’s good reason to avoid them in fantasy football drafts, and plenty of logic suggesting they won’t be as good as they were a year ago. While their fall may not necessarily be long term, the following five guys can be expected to have a drop-off in fantasy production in 2014.