It's been exciting to start talking Death Leagues this week. On Monday, I gave you some players to target in the Death League format. Today, we'll talk about players to fade in Death Leagues.
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Jordyn Tyson, WR, Saints
The New Orleans rookie has been the talk of camp, a quick study who looked poised to make an immediate impact. Unfortunately, the story hit a snag last week, when Tyson suffered a hamstring injury. He's expected to miss about two months.
Injured players are auto-avoids in a Death League. We need to worry about elimination immediately! And even when Tyson comes back, it might take a few weeks before he's asked to handle a full workload. Shrewd Death League managers don't dare dream about October and November things, we have more pressing concerns.
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TL/DR: Long-term injury players are auto-fades in the Death League format.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jaguars
It hurts to have Lawrence on this list, because he was a league-winner down the stretch in 2025. Once Lawrence finally got comfortable in the Liam Coen offense — helped by the Jakobi Meyers trade and the Parker Washington emergence — he was a monster, easily fantasy's best QB over the final seven weeks.
Alas, Jacksonville has a nightmare early-season schedule in 2026. Denver calls in Week 2, Philadelphia slots for Week 5 and Houston visits in Week 6. The Browns in Week 1 and Patriots in Week 3 also won't be easy. Jacksonville also has a Week 7 bye, not ideal for this format. Given how deep quarterback is for fantasy this season, Lawrence won't be my Death League selection.
Thomas will also be challenged by that schedule, but his role will also hurt him for Death League purposes. Thomas is a deep threat for the Jags, an X receiver who runs long routes primarily. This means he's likely to be more boom/bust than the average receiver, someone capable of giant spike weeks but also mixing in a bunch of dud weeks. We want more consistent options as we look to stay alive.
TL/DR: Early schedule is a grinder, Thomas also hurt by his deep-route role.
Alec Pierce, WR, Colts
The fade case for Pierce is a mix of themes we've already discussed. He's dealt with an ankle injury all summer and it's not clear if he'll be playing Week 1. Even if Pierce does dress for the opener, it's unlikely he'll be anything close to 100%. The Colts seem to be concerned about Pierce because they added Keenan Allen this week — a different type of receiver (Allen works the shorter routes), but an obvious warning sign. Pierce also is a deep threat primarily, which means he'll project to have an erratic scoring profile.
TL/DR: Be wary of a player already hurt, and receivers who mostly work deep.
Jameson Williams, WR, Lions
There were plenty of spike weeks for Williams last year, but he's also capable of toasting a bagel. He had zero catches in two starts, and four other games where he failed to top 40 yards. The Lions have never viewed Williams as a target hog, as he had 10 targets in just two games. And while Williams did play better in the second half last year, that did coincide with Sam LaPorta's injury — and LaPorta is healthy once again. A Week 6 bye is also a point against Williams in this format.
TL/DR: Too much boom-bust in his game, and not a target hog.
Jordan Mason, RB, Vikings
I've been gobbling up Mason shares in standard leagues, mindful that he's five years younger than Aaron Jones Sr. and the player with the bigger upside. But with both players currently healthy, I have to assume Jones will be the opening-day starter, and that makes Mason less appealing in the Death League world. We want fast starters and we want players who instantly add floor; Mason is more of a slow-developing Polaroid. I'm not dismissing Mason completely out of hand, but I'd want at least three backs with secure starting jobs before grabbing him in this format.
TL/DR: Players who need development time for their story are less valuable in this world.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs
Mahomes will be a fade for me in almost any format, but we'll also include him here. He's said he wants to run less proactively this year as he comes off knee problems, and the Chiefs have a hellish first two months on the schedule (Broncos twice, Chargers and Seahawks, plus a Week 8 bye). Throw in a middling set of downfield options and I'm skipping Mahomes, mindful that fantasy football is about the numbers, not the names.
TL/DR: Rushing likely to fall, targets less than exciting, early schedule a mess.
Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Chargers
Gadsden was a welcome surprise as a rookie and we're all excited about new OC Mike McDaniel coming to Los Angeles. Alas, Gadsden also has to share time with other tight ends on the roster (David Njoku downfield, and blocking ace Charlie Kolar), and his opening schedule has plenty of bad matchups (the Raiders and Bills erased tight ends last year, and Seattle had the NFC's best defense). Nobody is likely to draft Gadsden as an immediate fantasy starter in any format, but even as a TE2, I'd like to target players who have a cleaner path to targets and immediate production.
TL/DR: Crowded TE room, difficult early schedule.