I’ll be honest here. I really don’t have a problem with Kendall Wright per se, but the idea of drafting him and players like him makes me sick to my stomach. I have been writing a variation of this article every year since 2005 using a different player as the subject of my wrath. Last season I used Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin as the example and he responded by doing exactly what we knew he would do. Not much.

I originally titled this piece “Don’t Draft Eddie Kennison” back in his Kansas City Chiefs days. Over the years I have used such players as Warrick Dunn, Alex Smith, Golden Tate and, of course, Doug Baldwin. To be clear, I still don’t think anybody should draft Doug Baldwin. His situation is exactly the same as it was last year except with a much more impactful red zone threat present in Jimmy Graham to take away even more opportunities from Baldwin.

It’s not that these are bad players that will ruin your entire fantasy football life. Absolutely not. Kendall Wright is actually an above average route runner with sure hands and a willingness to catch the ball in traffic. These are all great attributes for a wide receiver. But his production is severely limited by several factors including his quarterback, offensive line and offensive scheme. If he was on the Patriots, Packers or Eagles I would recommend selecting Wright in your drafts instead of devoting an entire article to explain why you should not draft him.

The idea here is simple: do not spend time on players who are, at best, average fantasy producers. You want your roster to be made up of either complete haves or have-nots. Those of you who play fantasy baseball, basketball or hockey usually seek the opposite. In those sports it is great to have steady production from below average players. This is mostly because you are starting the majority of your roster in those other fantasy sports. One of the most difficult parts of fantasy football is selecting your lineup week in and week out. That is where the “Kendall Wrights” of the world can absolutely kill you.

How would you describe Kendall Wright as a fantasy player? Does the word “startable” enter into your mind or come out of your mouth? That word is the absolute kiss of death to fantasy owners. The more players on your roster that are “startable,” the more times you are going to screw up your lineup. Trust me on this because for the better part of a decade I have made a living answering fantasy football lineup questions all season long.

While these “startable” players are great for my business, I absolutely HATE to be wrong. Unfortunately when it comes to players like Kendall Wright, Doug Baldwin, Greg Jennings and Kenny Britt there really is no right answer.

It isn’t just wide receivers that fit into this category either. I would put quarterbacks such as Nick Foles and Derek Carr into that mix as well. At the running back position, there really is no use for guys like Jonathan Stewart (yes, I said it!), Stevan Ridley or Denard Robinson.

These players do not have specific skills that make them any more or less attractive as fantasy options. They don’t play on high octane offenses that are going to put up massive yardage or point totals. They don’t excel in any specific type of matchup either. Starting players like this is nothing more than guessing, and I don’t like guessing.

I would rather have clear-cut backups and players who aren’t even active on game days instead of “startable” players. For example, give me Patriots’ backup Jimmy Garappolo over Chiefs starter Alex Smith. I’d take Giants backup running back Andre Williams over Bishop Sankey of the Titans. At wide receiver, I would take ANY Broncos wide receiver (seriously…ANY of them) over any receiver on the Cleveland Browns.

This mentality reduces my risk for lineup mistakes while also maximizing my team’s upside. The fewer mistakes you make in fantasy football the better. By keeping away from the “startable” and average players around the NFL. you are putting yourself and your fantasy team in the best possible situation to succeed.