ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Who is on your Do Not Draft list?

HOWARD BENDER

I've cooled off on DK Metcalf significantly since he signed with Pittsburgh. The thought of Mason Rudolph feeding him the rock was cringe in its own right, but I think there should be genuine concern with Aaron Rodgers under center. To connect with Rodgers, you need to be of the exact same mindset with regard to reading defenses for read-and-react routes and the timing must be impeccable. Metcalf doesn't always run the cleanest of routes and he likes to get physical with the defensive backs, both of which will affect the timing. When Rodgers throws to a spot on the field, Metcalf needs to be there. If not, the frustration will build to a point where Pittsburgh will be looking to acquire Allen Lazard or maybe they will try to lure Randall Cobb out of retirement.

Bender is a longtime veteran of the fantasy sports industry and the 2008 runner-up for People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive. He serves as the Head of Content for FantasyAlarm.com, a weekly columnist for the New York Post and is the host of the award-winning Fantasy Alarm Show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (M-F 6-8pm ET). You can find him on X, IG and Facebook as @rotobuzzguy and on TikTok as @therealrotobuzzguy.

TOM KESSENICH

Easy for me -- it's Christian McCaffrey. I want no part of CMC at his first-round ADP. He's 29, coming off an injury-riddled 2024 season on a team with massive offensive issues and questions and a quarterback who regressed a year ago. He's a hard pass for me this season.

Kessenich is the Director of High Stakes Contests for SportsHub Games. He runs the NFFC, NFBC and NFBKC and is a fantasy sports Hall of Fame inductee.

JODY SMITH

I find myself avoiding Aaron Jones. He was good last year, playing all 17 games and hitting new career-high marks in carries and rushing yards. However, Jones will be 31, and the Vikings traded for Jordan Mason, who is going to be heavily involved in the rushing attack. Also, Jones has seen his elusiveness and yards after contact metrics slip for three consecutive years. That's a telltale sign of an aging player who has lost a step. I wouldn't be surprised if Mason outscores Jones this season.

Smith is the editor-in-chief at FullTime Fantasy who is known for compiling some of fantasy football’s most accurate rankings. He has over 15 years of experience in the industry, which includes a stint on the sidelines covering the Houston Texans.

KEN HOLIZNA

It is dumbfounding to me when both Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry go in the top 15 of a PPR league. I do not have any shares of these two fantasy legends and will continue not drafting them at that price. That may come back to haunt me, but so be it. Maybe a last hoorah or stand can happen. That is very doubtful. Last year was the year of the veteran running backs in fantasy like the old days. I think a lot of those veteran players production will age out this year, and unless the younger running backs can pick up the slack we will be back to wide receivers being king in PPR. This year's NFL running back class was a pretty deep one. I see a changing of the guard sooner rather than later.

Holizna is a 29-year fantasy football enthusiast and founder of Faith-Family-Fantasy Football in 2019, a family-friendly, faith-based, G-rated fantasy football platform. Rankings contributor to the 2023 Fantasy Index magazine. Find him on Twitter @holihandicapper

JASON WOOD

While I have no qualms about Garrett Wilson's skill set, I think drafting him as your No. 1 this year is a fool's errand considering the Jets commitment to Justin Fields. The path to success for a Fields' led offense is a run-heavy approach with a passing volume that's at or near the league's lowest. Combine that with Fields' historic propensity for turnovers, and this is an offense I have next to no interest in, particularly the receiver that would need a 30 percent target share to live up to his ADP.

Wood is Senior Editor at Footballguys.com and has been with the company since its start in 2000. For more than 20 years, Footballguys has provided rankings, projections, and analysis to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.

IAN ALLAN

I like Garrett Wilson as a player. He’s probably one of the top dozen wide receivers in the game. (Think of that one-handed touchdown catch last year against the Texans.) But as the Jets are currently constructed, with Justin Fields operating a primitive, run-oriented scheme, I don’t think it’s possible for Wilson to get enough looks to finish with numbers anywhere close to what he’s capable of.

Allan co-founded Fantasy Football Index in 1987. He is a member of the FSGA Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.

MIKE NAZAREK

De'Von Achane. This is an easy call to make. Yes, he is talented, but he is likely to lose some goal line carries to Jaylen Wright. And the biggest issue is what happens if Tua Tagovailoa goes down again? Backup Zach Wilson is simply not good enough to sub for Tua and be productive. Bottom line: Achane will be neutered if Tua misses any significant amount of time. As a result, I'm just saying NO in 2025.

Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc, celebrating 30 years online! His company offers a preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, a multi-use fantasy drafting program including auction values, weekly in-season newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its website, www.ffmastermind.com. He has been playing fantasy football since 1988 and is a four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a former columnist for SI.com. He's also won $40K in recent seasons of the FFPC High Stakes Main Event. Nazarek can be reached via email at miken@ffmastermind.com.

LUKE WILSON

As much as I had a hard 'DND' label on noteworthy players this year, Jameson Williams and Xavier Worthy were the guys. Both of them are players where their current sticker prices (58th overall in 0.5 PPR for Worthy, 64th overall for Williams) sure look to me like we're buying the 40 time and the logo on the helmet. And they're both in premier offenses, making it even easier to justify betting on the upside. But to me, these are both guys that are maybe more valuable to their respective offenses as unholy speed merchants that captivate defensive resources than anything. Sure, they'll both be involved in their respective team's offenses. As more than the clear-cut third option? Not so sure. Honorable mention for Javonte Williams. No thanks.

Wilson is a frequent contributor on the Fantasy Index website, and is one of many knowledgeable voices in the Fantasy Index Discord server. He also co-hosts Drinkin' Dynasty, a new beer-themed fantasy podcast.

SCOTT SACHS

WR: Unless Tyreek Hill gets traded back to KC, hard pass on him. Also not going to touch Justin Jefferson, as hamstring pulls can often linger. QB: Oldest starter Aaron Rodgers and unproven starter J.J. McCarthy can be someone else's problems this season, along with Geno Smith. TE: T.J. Hockenson has knee, hip, and leg issues. That's 3 strikes for me. RB: Rookie Ashton Jeanty has the hype and the college pedigree, but I'm not convinced the Raiders are going to be any good.

With 2 perfect seasons and multiple league championships to his credit, Scott Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, featuring LIVE Talk & Text Advice. He is a 3-time winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Auction League, as well as a previous winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Poll. Follow on X: a href="https://x.com/ffbcoach" target=_new>https://x.com/ffbcoach

SCOTT ENGEL

Christian McCaffrey is not a player I want to use an early pick on. He's the ultimate risk/reward type but still must be targeted in the first round. The durability concerns are obvious but we might also see a significant dropoff from the 49ers offense this year.

Engel is an inaugural member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association's Hall of Fame. He is a 4-time FSWA award winner and a 13-time finalist. He is a sports betting writer at Advance Local and a fantasy writer at RotoBaller.com, Seahawks.com and The Athletic. He is also a host at SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio.

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

I'm not into Tyreek Hill this season. He didn't have a 30-yard catch after Week 1 last year, which was largely tied to a bad offensive line and the injury restrictions and concerns of Tua Tagovailoa. I'm not sure much has changed there. Hill is also a mercurial sort who isn't always fully engaged -- after last season he said he wanted out of Miami, later to walk it all back. Is Hill happy? Is he engaged? Is his infrastructure capable of supporting him? I'd rather be a year early than a year late on this type of player.

Pianowski has been with Yahoo Sports since 2008, covering a variety of sports. On the rare occasions when the computer is turned off, he enjoys word games, poker, music, film, game theory, and a variety of condiments. He lives in suburban Detroit. Pianowski was inducted into the FSWA Hall of Fame in 2021.

ANDY RICHARDSON

Where to start. Most notably, the Jets offense, as I allow Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson to soar on by me in the early rounds. I'm not sure Hall will be a workhorse and I know he'll be losing rushing touchdowns to his quarterback. Wilson, well, his quarterback is Justin Fields. Maybe he'll be fine but there are better, similar players where he's being drafted. Quinshon Judkins, I don't understand why he's being drafted at all. A lot of things have to happen (signing a contract, for one) before he even practices, and he's the first Cleveland running back being selected, which is nuts. I'm out on any and all San Francisco running backs and receivers. Injuries, contract squabbles, and more injuries. Just, why. McCaffrey being healthy now means very little to me. Finally, I'm wary of a few Kansas City veterans: Kelce, Mahomes, most notably. They're playing for Super Bowls, and have no need to flex their muscles with big performances early in the season from guys they mostly want to have available when the games are more important. What we saw last year -- winning with defense and lesser offensive production -- is what I expect from them in 2025. I’m not mentioning D’Andre Swift only because it’s a given.

Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He writes a weekly gambling newsletter, Index Bets, during the NFL season and also previews all the games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays.