Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me!  In fact, shame on me so much I should be kicked out of my fantasy league. Just like any human being, fantasy football owners do not like getting fooled twice. If a player burns them, and costs them the chance of winning their league championship - and the prize money and trophy that goes with it - the chances of that same owner drafting the player two years in a row are lower than the chances Drew Brees has of winning the rushing title in 2016.

This column is part one of a four-part series about which second-year players are bound to be busts again for the poor fantasy owners that draft them.  Here are three sophomore running backs set to disappoint fantasy owners again in 2016

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Three Sophomore RBs To Avoid

T.J. Yeldon, Jacksonville Jaguars

Alabama running backs have not had it easy the past couple years in the NFL.  Trent Richardson has been a colossal bust, Eddie Lacy has had more trouble staying in shape than avoiding tacklers, and now Yeldon is the latest Nick Saban product whose fantasy value is spiraling downward.

Yeldon had it good in 2015.  More than 50 percent of Jacksonville’s running plays went to him, he had nobody behind him on the depth chart worthy of taking too many touches let alone his job, and he rarely faced eight-man fronts due to Jacksonville’s potent passing attack led by quarterback Blake Bortles.  Yet even though he was the top tailback in one of the more explosive offenses in the AFC, Yeldon managed a mere three touchdowns and only rushed for 740 yards.  He was a fantasy oddity --- a workhorse running back with average weekly outputs.

Once Jacksonville signed bulldozer Chris Ivory in the offseason, the writing was on the wall that Yeldon was not going to have it as good in 2016.  Ivory and Yeldon will probably divide the playing time and split the carries, which means neither will have great fantasy value unless one of them gets hurt.  Yeldon should be a better runner with a year of experience under his belt, but he will likely have to settle with 10 touches per game with Ivory sharing the backfield with him.

 

Matt Jones, Washington Redskins

Not many starting running backs entering the 2016 season have the lack of depth behind them that Jones has.  All he has to contend with is third-down back Chris Thompson and seventh-round draft pick Keith Marshall.  Jones appears to be entrenched as the starting tailback even though he only averaged 3.4 yards per carry and never proved he could stay healthy or hold onto the football during his rookie campaign.

So here is Jones lining up in an offense with the ever-improving Kirk Cousins at quarterback, tight end terror Jordan Reed and a nice mix of veterans and youngsters at wide receiver keeping defenses distracted, and Washington head coach Jay Gruden fully aware of how to utilize his skills, AND Jones has no highly-touted speedster or well-known veteran hanging around to steal his spot.  This sounds like a running back a fantasy owner would want to draft in the first couple rounds, right?

Jones lost four fumbles during his limited action last season, and his action was limited because he would usually get benched after turning the ball over, not to mention he suffered a season-ending hip injury.  And now Jones failed to make it through the preseason unscathed after spraining his shoulder this past weekend.  The man has raised more flags than an official does during a violent soccer match.  Even with the lack of dependable runners behind him on the depth chart, Jones has the makings of being one of the bigger busts of 2016.  He is one of the poster boys for the moniker high-risk/high-reward, and I am not ready to take that risk.

 

Tevin Coleman, Atlanta Falcons

Coleman was supposed to make fantasy owners and Falcons fans forget all about Michael Turner, Steven Jackson and other running backs that had ruled the roost in Atlanta over the past several seasons.  He opened his rookie season as the starter, but the combination of cracked ribs and the electrifying Devonta Freeman made Coleman an afterthought by the time he returned.  Freeman racked up 1,600 combined yards and 14 touchdowns, so he enters 2016 as a top-10 fantasy running back, while Coleman is just his handcuff.

Coleman did not show the pass-catching skills, durability or ball security that Freeman did in 2015, hence why he is the second-stringer.  Coleman is going to have to improve in those areas to prove he deserves to be on the field for more snaps in 2016.  He will be an above-average handcuff because he has starter skills and because he runs on a fast track at the Georgia Dome, but it is difficult to see him as much more with Freeman in his way.

Atlanta’s starting tailback job is Freeman’s to lose.  There is no doubt Atlanta will try to get Coleman a fair amount of touches, if for no other reason than to keep Freeman fresh, but the only way he will be a fantasy factor is if Freeman gets nicked up.  Draft Coleman to be an insurance policy if you already drafted or protected Freeman, but do not bank on Coleman being a fantasy force.

 

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