The Most Hated Men in Fantasy Football: 2012 Edition

Every year, in the world of fantasy football, there are a few guys that just don’t live up to expectations. No matter how good your team is, you’ll always have at least one guy on your team that you hate. Every so often, there will be a guy SO BAD that you swear you’ll never draft him ever again. NO MATTER WHAT. You hate him for destroying your dream of fantasy football glory and you’ll never forgive him.

The 2012 season is no different. Below you will find a list of players who are currently the most hated men in fantasy football.

This year, I’m especially bitter because my fantasy team has had a rough go of it. There are numerous people on this list that I have on one of my two struggling teams.  I should have just put my entry fee on black at the roulette table at Party Casino instead and I could have saved myself some aggravation.

Note: stats are accurate through week 10 of 2012 season

Vernon Davis- Tight End, San Francisco 49ers

After Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham went off the board in the first couple rounds, Vernon Davis was likely the next TE taken in most leagues.  After three monster years in a row, he seemed like as safe as a TE pick as you could get, and perhaps would give you equal production to Gronk and Graham, without such a high price tag.  Things looked promising to start the season, as he caught four TD passes in the first three games.  But since then, his production has fallen off a cliff.  He hasn’t topped 53 yards in a game since week 3 and that includes one week where he put up a big fat ZERO.  You could have gotten better production with waiver wire fodder and used your fifth or sixth round pick on someone with a pulse.

Darren McFadden- RB, Oakland Raiders

Darren McFadden has always had the potential to be a superstar in the NFL.  But injuries have plagued him throughout this career.  Many people, including myself, predicted this would be the year he would stay healthy and put up monster numbers.  I invested my #6 pick on him in one league.  He managed to stay healthy for nine weeks but his numbers were putrid. He averaged just 3.3 yards per carry and then suffered a high ankle sprain early in a game in week 9.  If only he could have just got hurt earlier, he could have saved me a lot of headaches.

Chan Gailey- Head Coach, Buffalo Bills

Last year, the hated head coaches on this list were Bill Belichick and Mike Shanahan because they both used so many different RBs.  But for a change, those two coaches have actually found a feature back this season.  This year’s most hated coach goes to Chan Gailey for his insistence on splitting carries between Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller, even though Spiller looks like the most explosive player in football.

After Fred Jackson suffered an injury in week 1, Spiller came in the next two weeks and put up absolutely absurd numbers.  But then Jackson came back and the two have split carries ever since, even though Spiller has averaged a completely ridiculous, 7.3 yards per carry through nine games. If Spiller could get 20+ touches per game, he would be, by far, the #1 rated fantasy player.  Instead he’s just a decent flex play.

Michael Vick, Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles

Mike Vick has always been prone to turnovers throughout his career, but fantasy owners were willing to put up with it, because of the rushing yards/ rushing TDs he puts up in addition to solid passing numbers.  But this year, he already has 19 turnovers (including ten fumbles, which are more costly in standard leagues) through nine games and hasn’t done enough with his legs to cancel those turnovers out. He disappointed in 2011 after projecting as a first round pick, and although he wasn’t taken as high this year, his numbers are just as frustrating for fantasy owners.

Chris Johnson, Runningback, Tennesee Titans

Chris Johnson is the only guy on this list to make it two years in a row.  If you look at Johnson’s total stats for the year through week 10, (5.1 ypg, 862 yards), he might not look like a bust.  But it’s the inconsistency that drives owners mad. In week 1, he rushed 4 times for 11 yards. Week 2, he had 8 carries for 17 yards.  In weeks 3 and 5, he had 24 yards each time.  Then just when fantasy owners gave up on him and put him on the bench, he busted off 195 yards and two TDs in week 7.  Sure, Johnson has really picked it up since then, but he might have put fantasy owners in a hole that is too big to climb out of.

Cam Newton, Quarterback, Carolina Panthers

After an incredible 2011 season where Cam Newton threw for 4,051 yards, passed for 21 TDs and ran for 14 more, Newton was expected to be one of top players in fantasy again in 2012.  Some may have drafted him in the first round.  But he’s been a complete bust this season.  Through nine games, he has just 2,143 yards, 12 total TDs and 10 interceptions. Plus, he’s kind of hard to root for. He just seems like giant douche.  He wears ugly sweaters and I want to punch him when he does his Superman TD celebration in a game he’s losing 31-7.

Who is the most hated man on your fantasy team?  Write about it in the comment section.