A.J. Green mentioned as one of five fantasy football 'busts' to avoid in drafts

CINCINNATI — Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green is healthy after missing all of last season with an ankle injury.

The 32-year-old is hoping to re-establish himself as one of the premiere wide receivers in the NFL.

Green has a new quarterback in Joe Burrow and an offensive minded coach — two things that could help him accomplish his goal.

There are plenty of fantasy football drafts happening this weekend and you may be targeting at the 32-year-old wide receiver. Sports Illustrated fantasy analyst Michael Fabiano would steer clear of Green in all formats. Green made his list of five players to avoid in fantasy drafts.

"I would never say never about drafting anyone, but I have my reservations about Green," Fabiano wrote. "Initially, I thought he could be a comeback candidate until reports came out of Bengals camp that he was dealing with a hamstring issue (which has still kept him out of practice). That was a red flag for a player who missed last season and has just played nine games since 2018. Green is also entering his age-32 season. Since 2010, just 8-of-44 wideouts (19 percent) have scored more than 175 points. Last season, 175 PPR points would have been good for WR36. That’s not good. At best, I’d take Green as a risk-reward No. 3 wideout."

Fabiano's comments are fair, especially considering Green has missed 29 of a possible 64 games over the past three seasons.

The good news is the seven-time Pro Bowler is being drafted as a WR3. He's the 29th wide receiver being taken in 12-team PPR leagues. Fantasy owners are drafting him at the end of the sixth-round (70th overall) according to Fantasy Football Calculator.

Stefon Diggs, DeVante Parker and Marquise Brown are all being taken ahead of him.

There is plenty of risk with Green, but it's worth the gamble at that stage of the draft. He has WR1 upside if he can stay healthy and if he gets injured, you aren't spending a high draft pick on him.

Green is 32-years-old, which is noteworthy. Father time is undefeated. He's also a different animal.

He has the same burst, catch radius and athleticism that he had from 2011-17. He received rave reviews from his teammates, coaches and spectators that watched him during training camp.

That doesn't mean you should over draft him, which is much easier said than done if you're in a league with Bengals fans. Let Green fall to you. If he's there at the end of round six or beginning of round seven, feel free to gamble on one of the best wide receivers in Bengals' history.

Health is a huge question mark, but if he can stay on the field, Green has a chance to be a top-12 fantasy wide receiver this season.

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