2014 Fantasy Football: 5 Veteran Backs To Give Up On

McFadden is hands down the most injury-prone back in fantasy. He has never played more than 13 games in his six-year career and continuously misses time with knee/hamstring/ankle injuries. The Raiders brought in Maurice Jones-Drew this offseason, which moves McFadden down to number two on the depth chart. McFadden’s fantasy value will take another hit, which considering his injury history, doesn’t bode well for his value in 2014.

Williams was an elite fantasy option back in 2009, but since then he has been pretty worthless. Williams has played in 31 games over the past two seasons, but he has only scored eight rushing touchdowns, as Williams continues to lose goal line carries to Mike Tolbert and his QB Cam Newton. D-Will is no longer a starting fantasy back and won’t be worth gambling on this season.

Same story, different chapter. Much like McFadden, MJD is a former fantasy star that has plummeted in recent years. Jones-Drew at least has the inside job on the starting job, but his durability issues are simply too much to ignore. MJD is another back to simply steer clear of this summer.

Jackson was brought in to be the Atlanta’s primary back last season, but he dealt with injuries all season long and never looked like a reliable fantasy option. The veteran has been sidelined all preseason with a hamstring injury and he is currently questionable for the season-opener. It is finally time to let this aging back ride into the sunset.

Gore has been a fantasy workhorse in recent seasons, as he has racked up at least 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns in each of the past three seasons. However, age is finally catching up with the veteran back, as he just turned 31 this offseason. Gore also has a ton of competition, as the team has Kendall Hunter, Carlos Hyde, Lamichael James, and Marcus Lattimore all on the roster. This will be the year that Gore starts to slow down.