Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
At first, I was going to make this about the singular most disappointing player in 2013, but then I realized that was impossible; there were in fact three players who were each equally as disappointing and they all cost fantasy owners a first round pick on draft day. I’ll go through them one at a time.
Ray Rice, RB Baltimore Ravens
Rice was drafted as the fourth running back according to ESPN’s average draft position, but he finished the season just 30th among running backs in total fantasy points. Rice played in 15 games this season and he managed to score double-digit fantasy points in just four of those games and scored just 46 fantasy points in the other 11 games combined. In those 11 games, Rice didn’t have a single one in which he scored more than six fantasy points. Ray Rice was truly an enigma in 2013 and was responsible for the demise of plenty of fantasy teams.
C.J. Spiller, RB Buffalo Bills
Spiller was drafted as the seventh running back according to ESPN’s average draft position, but he finished the season 28th among running backs in total fantasy points. Spiller played in 15 games this season, but managed to score double-digit fantasy points in only five of those games, and he scored seven points or less nine times. Spiller had a game in Week 3 against the New York Jets where he received 10 carries, but somehow managed to not score even a single fantasy point. Spiller was drafted on average, four spots ahead of LeSean McCoy; if you were a Spiller owner, just imagine how different your season may have gone if you went with Shady instead.
Trent Richardson, RB Indianapolis Colts
People were already excited about Richardson’s season even before he was traded from the Cleveland Browns — he was the eighth running back selected on draft day according to ESPN’s ADP — and when he was traded to Indianapolis, most people were expecting gaudy numbers.
Needless to say, Richardson failed to meet those expectations and he failed spectacularly. Richardson finished 2013 34th among running backs in total fantasy points; he had just two games all season in which he scored double-digit fantasy points and one of them came in Week 15, well after most owners permanently relegated Richardson to the bench. He scored seven or fewer fantasy points 11 times this season and was a cancer on fantasy rosters all across the globe.
Billy Moy is a Fantasy Sports writer at www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @william_moy6, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
