2010 Fantasy Football Tips: Fantasy Busts

When the 2010 fantasy football draft rankings are released, there are many players people want to jump on as quickly as possible. Those players will make or break a fantasy football team. While it is important to understand the rankings of specific players, it is also important to avoid the players that will bust your team with a lackluster performance. Here are three former star players who you might think twice about in your fantasy football draft.

ANQUAN BOLDIN, WR, BALTIMORE RAVENS

Anquan Boldin has always been known as one of football's tough guys. Much like Hines Ward over in Pittsburgh, Boldin is someone who will take a hit and keep on trucking, a quality that fantasy football players love, making him a top pick in fantasy drafts every year. He averaged 86 receptions for 1107 yards and seven touchdowns over the last three years and finished 2009 averaging 13 ppg in fantasy leagues that award points-per-reception. When looking at the 2010 fantasy football projections, CBSSports.com ranks Boldin as the No. 10 fantasy wide receiver on draft day. Don't believe the hype. Boldin spent his career in the pass-happy Arizona Cardinals offense but always had Larry Fitzgerald on the other side of the field to take the pressure off him. In Baltimore, the Ravens rely on a power running game and only throw the ball when they need to. Boldin is the No. 2 receiver at Baltimore behind Derrick Mason. He will also compete for playing time with Donte Stallworth. There are not enough balls to go around that will help a fantasy football team win with Boldin in the starting lineup.

STEVE SMITH, WR, CAROLINA PANTHERS

Steve Smith has been one of the most explosive wide receivers in fantasy football for the last few years. However, his 2009 numbers took a dive as he failed to break the 1000-yard mark for the first time since his injury plagued 2004 season. He finished the season averaging just over 11-fantasy points a game and 2010 might be an even worse year for the football player. Don't draft him too highly for two reasons. First, his quarterback is Matt Moore, a player with only a few games experience under his belt. Moore is an interesting prospect but the explosive finish from 2009 is not indicative of what we can expect in the 2010 football season. Second, Smith broke his arm playing flag football recently and that does not bode well for his training camp. A young quarterback like Moore needs all the time with the starting receivers he can get. All said, drafting Steve Smith very high in a fantasy football draft is a risky move. Let someone else gamble their draft on the receiver.

GREG OLSON, TE, CHICAGO BEARS

Anyone who gambled on Greg Olsen in their 2008 fantasy football draft came away with the steal of the position. 500+ yards and five touchdowns is a great season from a tight end for a fantasy football team. In 2009 drafts, he became less of a sleeper and moved into the upper level of fantasy tight ends. Fantasy teams who grabbed him got more yards (612) and touchdowns (8) and he had eight weeks of double-digit fantasy points in leagues awarding points-per-reception. A savvy fantasy football drafter might believe things will only get better in 2010. Enter new offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Martz is a football guru and his offenses put up some amazing fantasy football points for quarterbacks and wide receivers. However, they usually ignore the tight end. Martz can't afford to ignore one of the best offensive threats on his football team, but fantasy players need to be wary of how much Olsen will get the ball. Expect a drop in stats with Martz calling the plays. Olsen just dropped in fantasy draft rankings despite his talent.

Other fantasy football articles to check out:

Quarterback Battles

Injured Players to beware of

Veteran Players to drop in keeper leagues

Top Rookie Quarterbacks

Top Rookie Wide Receivers

Top Rookie Running Backs