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10 Players You Can’t Reach For In Fantasy Football

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By @BrianKalchik

Fantasy Football: 10 Players You Can't Reach For

Tom Brady Patriots
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Big names dominate fantasy football drafts, but often don't pay off when it matters most. Some players are projected to be high draft picks, yet don't fulfill those expectations when the season ends. Here are 10 players who you can't reach for in your drafts.

10. Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots

Rob Gronkowski Patriots
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10. Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots

Rob Gronkowski Patriots
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After missing 11 games over the past two seasons, Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski can't be trusted as a top fantasy tight end. When healthy, he is definitely a top-five fantasy tight end, but a hidden part of fantasy football is to suit up for each and every game.

9. Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Cordarelle Patterson Vikings
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9. Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Cordarelle Patterson Vikings
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Cordarrelle Patterson has the talent to perform like a No. 2 fantasy receiver, but as long as he is surrounded by mediocre quarterbacks like Matt Cassel, Christian Ponder and Teddy Bridgewater, Patterson will stay in the discussion as just a No. 3 receiver.

8. Chris Johnson, RB, New York Jets

Chris Johnson Titans
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8. Chris Johnson, RB, New York Jets

Chris Johnson Titans
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Once Chris Johnson got paid handsomely in 2011, he has seemingly lost a step and seemingly lost some motivation. With Chris Ivory still on board as a power runner, Johnson will have some of his carries taken away. Also, with the struggles of second-year quarterback Geno Smith, Johnson will continue to see more eight and nine-man boxes, limiting his effectiveness.

7. Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Roddy White Falcons
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7. Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Roddy White Falcons
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Coming off an injury-plagued season and now at age 32, Roddy White's performance is starting to decline. In 2013, White recorded lows in receptions (63), receiving yards (711) and touchdowns (three) not seen since his first two seasons in the NFL. With Julio Jones coming back as the main deep threat and with Tony Gonzalez now retired, White will see more coverage heading back his way.

6. Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore Ravens

Ray Rice Ravens
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6. Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore Ravens

Ray Rice Ravens
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After recording four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons from 2009-12, Ray Rice had just 660 yards and four touchdowns, his worst year since his rookie season back in 2008. This season, Rice is facing a two-game suspension for off-field behavior and is still running behind a questionable offensive line.

5. Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

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5. Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Nick Foles Eagles
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Nick Foles had an insane 27 touchdown and two interception campaign in 2013, but those numbers will not be duplicated again in 2014. Foles lost his top offensive threat in DeSean Jackson, and the Eagles are not going to sneak up on anybody this year like they did last year. Foles will still be a good fantasy quarterback, but he's not going to produce like a top-five passer.

4. Zac Stacy, RB, St. Louis Rams

Zac Stacy Rams
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4. Zac Stacy, RB, St. Louis Rams

Zac Stacy Rams
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Zac Stacy is projected in some mock drafts as a late second-round pick, but i'm not buying it. Stacy doesn't have the breakaway speed to get long runs and with the drafting of Tre Mason in the third round of this year's draft, Stacy is still apparently not the main guy in St. Louis. Stacy had only one multi-touchdown game in 2013 and didn't contribute much as a receiver out of the backfield (26 receptions).

3. Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans

Arian Foster Texans
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3. Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans

Arian Foster Texans
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Arian Foster is in line for a heavy workload once again in 2014, this time in Bill O'Brien's offense. With no true backup behind him, Foster will have to be the feature back after recovering from a serious injury. In his career, Foster has already piled up three seasons of 330+ touches. It remains to be seen if Foster can stay healthy all season.

2. Percy Harvin, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Percy Harvin Seahawks
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2. Percy Harvin, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Percy Harvin Seahawks
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Percy Harvin is the biggest risk/reward player in this year's fantasy season. He's missed the majority of the last two seasons due to injury but is capable of producing like a top-10 player at his position. Harvin not only has health concerns to deal with, but he plays in a run-first offense with a balanced passing attack and had just one regular season reception last year.

1. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

Tom Brady Patriots
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1. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

Tom Brady Patriots
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Tom Brady is still a top quarterback in the NFL, but in fantasy, he is not what he used to be. With a new group of receivers and playing without Gronkowski for most of the year, Brady still threw for 4,000 yards, but didn't look as crisp as he did in previous years. Brady will be a reach because of his name recognition, but there are better options than Brady as a No. 1 fantasy quarterback.

Brian Kalchik is a Fantasy writer for www.rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, and connect with him on Google.

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