Don't Overlook Age When Drafting
If you scour the interwebs, surely you will find articles about how running backs decline at a certain age, and wide receivers as well. You should rely on your analyst of choice to determine when that “age cliff” occurs, but for me, I tend to avoid running backs who are 30 or older, and wide receivers 31 and older. Last year, we suggested that you avoid running backs like Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones, and Nick Chubb, and wide receivers like Cooper Kupp, Tyreek Hill, and Calvin Ridley. Avoiding those players - especially due to their opportunity cost - likely paid huge dividends for you, allowing you to focus on younger, more productive players to help your fantasy squads.
While skill position players at advanced ages *can* have good seasons, typically it’s not worth the ADP risk. Below you will find some big-name running backs and wideouts who are above our age thresholds this season (ages are listed as of the end of the season):
Running Backs
Derrick Henry, Ravens, 32. Given what he did last season, you fade Henry at your peril. But I’m fading him nonetheless. Father Time is undefeated. The wheels have to fall off sometime. I’m sorry, but I’m not spending a top-20 selection on a 32-year-old running back. I’m just not doing it.
Aaron Jones, Vikings, 32. He’s still going as a top-30 RB, even coming off a “down” season and approaching his 32nd birthday in December. He’s no longer a fantasy stud. I see a guy who is a pass catching specialist at this point in his career, one who is going to cede between-the-tackles work to Jordan Mason.
Christian McCaffrey, 49ers, 30. McCaffrey’s pass-catching chops may help him age more gracefully than some of his peers, but he’s also had a huge workload last season that may catch up to him (400+ touches in 2025). At a top 5 ADP, I’m unlikely to roster him anywhere this year.
Wide Receivers
1. Davante Adams, Rams, 34. Adams finished as a top-10 WR last year, but mostly on the strength of 14 touchdowns. His yardage was down considerably from previous seasons (it was his first sub-800 yard campaign since 2015), as were his catches (his 60 catches were his lowest since his second year in the league). Also, the Rams were in on the AJ Brown sweepstakes this offseason, which tells me that they were ready to move on from Adams. At age 34, his best days are probably behind him. If he doesn’t hit another double-digit TD season, he’s probably not returning value at his ADP.
2. Mike Evans, 49ers, 33. I have some trepidation about this, as Kyle Shanahan is a talent-maximizer, Evans still commands targets in the red zone, and a 7th round ADP isn’t all that steep. But as a general proposition, it’s a bad idea to invest in aging wide receivers like this. Let’s not forget that last season was the first year in Evans’ illustrious career that he failed to record 1,000 yards receiving, and he battled injuries most of the year. Sometimes, injuries will impede production at the end of a star’s career more than the erosion of his skillset.
3. Terry McLaurin, Commanders, 31. McLaurin is a decent player, but the hype has almost always exceeded the production. Despite 7 years in the league, he has only one - ONE! - top 12 season. If you’re an optimist, you’ll note that occurred in 2024, with rookie QB Jayden Daniels. You’ll convince yourself to draft McLaurin this year because both McLaurin and Daniels were hurt last year and both are (ostensibly) healthy this year. But… what if last year’s injuries to McLaurin were a sign of things to come? What if his 13 touchdowns with Daniels in 2024 were an aberration? He’s only got 2 seasons in his career with more than 5 touchdowns. Statistically, last season was the worst season of his career. He could bounce back… or he could continue to decline. You’ve got to decide if you’re comfortable with the early 5th round ADP given his age and his “down” 2025.
4. Courtland Sutton, Broncos, 31. He’s coming off the best fantasy season of his career, but he’s headed into his age-31 season and the Broncos have brought in a new WR1 this offseason in Jaylen Waddle. If I’m being honest, I do think Sutton has a chance of returning WR2/3 value this season, but the historical data on players his age tells us to be cautious with him. His Round 8 price tag isn’t horrible given his age, though, so he’s not that strong of a fade for us.