“What was I thinking drafting that guy?”
It’s inevitable. Whether analyst or Average Joe, we all look back at least a few of our picks with “what ifs” at the end of the season.
But will you be looking back in agony, preparing to perform the league punishment? Or will you be looking back laughing as you lift that League Championship belt like The Rock, shouting “IT DOESN’T MATTER” at any of your league-mates who dare speak to the Final Boss about bad draft picks.
This isn’t your typical, run-of-the-mill busts article. A Fantasy Grenade might be a player being drafted at his ceiling, and you’re buying all the risk. It may be that he’s being drafted late, but his lack of upside makes him just a waste of roster space. I’ll rate each player on a scale of 1 to 5 💥 (we’re calling these grenade blasts because there are no grenade emojis). One 💥 being the least concerning, five 💥💥💥💥💥 being a guy you should completely avoid.
Even the best of us wind up with bad picks and missed calls. But digging deep and identifying potential busts beforehand could be the difference between a Championship and a “One Chip Challenge” punishment.
I’ve done the work to help you avoid the fantasy shrapnel.
Jonnu Smith – Pittsburgh Steelers
Jonnu Smith rose from the ashes of tight end mediocrity to a legitimate league winner after a shocking TE4 finish NOBODY saw coming—nobody besides my guy LaQuan Jones.
He is a man of his word.@RealDealFantasy can thank Jonnu Smith exceeding everyone's expectations for his new look 👀 pic.twitter.com/ILiI0nRgAv
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) January 16, 2025
But all this talk of Jonnu Smith gaining value by reuniting with Arthur Smith in Pittsburgh truly has me dumbfounded. Flabbergasted. Befuddled. Yes, Jonnu set previous career highs with Arthur Smith in Atlanta the season prior, but nowhere near his breakout 2024 numbers. 50 catches, 582 yards, three touchdowns, and a TE17 finish. How did he finish while they were together in Tennessee from 2017 to 2020? TE 49, TE 35, and TE20.
And it’s not as if Jonnu’s going to an offense that’s prime for tight end production. Under Arthur Smith last season, the Steelers ran the ball at the fifth-highest rate in the league and ranked 29th in pass attempts. Pittsburgh’s tight ends saw a total of 115 targets, and Jonnu in Miami saw 109. Not only will the offense pass less, but he also has 41-year-old Ayahuasca Rodgers under center. Heck, Jonnu isn’t even the TE1 on the depth chart. That title belongs to Pat Freiermuth, who garnered 74 targets last year.
The fact that Jonnu Smith is being drafted as the TE11 before upside plays like Colston Loveland, Tucker Kraft, and even former teammate Kyle Pitts is absurd. Freiermuth is being drafted as TE22, and I’d bet my guinea pig, “Nugget,” that he finishes with more fantasy points.
To be clear, Freiermuth will finish with more points than Jonnu. Not Nugget.
Well, maybe Nugget.
Smith’s Fantasy Grenade Rating:
💥💥💥💥💥 (5/5)
A one-year wonder that’s getting way overdrafted. He’ll be on your waiver wire by Week 6.
Sam LaPorta – Detroit Lions
Sam LaPorta doesn’t make the “Fantasy Grenades” list because of his talent. Heck, he doesn’t even make the list because of his efficiency. He’s here thanks to a simple math problem.
Less Volume + High ADP = Fantasy Grenade
(Take that, Mrs. Beavers, my seventh-grade math teacher, who said, “You won’t have a calculator in your pocket when you get older.” Joke’s on you!)
Moving on…I actually kinda think LaPorta is getting too much hate. No, he didn’t return value last season, but that’s because his acquisition cost was way too high. He was TE2 off the board and the 33rd player overall, around or before guys like Malik Nabers, James Conner, Mike Evans, and James Cook, to name a few.
I think people forgot how good Sam LaPorta is. pic.twitter.com/EWOZdL6yQv
— Woodward Sports Network (@woodwardsports) July 5, 2025
LaPorta was solid last season. His yards per route run were virtually the same year-over-year (1.95 to 1.8), his yards per target and yards per reception actually went up, and he had two additional red zone targets. The problem was Jameson Williams. Well, not him personally, but his emergence led to 2 fewer targets per game and a total of 37 fewer on the season (he played in one less game, too). Sometimes, it’s just not enough volume.
LaPorta’s Fantasy Grenade Rating:
💥💥💥 (3/5)
I don’t have an issue with LaPorta being the fourth tight end drafted. I do have an issue with where you have to draft him. A current overall ADP of 57 would require you to take him over the likes of Zay Flowers, RJ Harvey, Tetairoa McMillian, and even teammate Jameson Williams. Not a chance I’d take him over a single one of the guys in that range.
(Data sourced from Fantasy Points.)
Photo by Steven King | Adapted by Parker McDonald (@TheCarbonFox on Twitter/X)