No running back in recent memory has entered the NFL with as much fantasy hype as Ezekiel Elliott. His talent is lauded widely. His situation couldn’t be more ideal, running behind the best offensive line in football. What could go wrong?

Well, as it turns out, quite a few things.

The former Ohio State star confusingly went No. 4 overall in the NFL draft to the one team that can mount a solid running game with virtually any average back, thanks to the best offensive line in football: the Cowboys.

Terrible pick for Dallas in terms of need, but a great pick for your fantasy interest. Elliott instantly was relevant. He will get good blocking. There is no reason to think he won’t perform well when he does get the ball. But how often will he get the ball?

That is the big question. If he’s the bellcow RB from start to finish — think: Doug Martin’s 2012 rookie year — he will have an incredible season, one worthy of his lofty 7.0 average draft position in standard-scoring leagues. But there is no certainty that will happen.

Darren McFadden still is on the roster. And newsflash for Jerry Jones and Cowboys brass: McFadden had the same yards per carry (4.6) as DeMarco Murray did in his league-leading season in 2014. The main difference was fewer opportunities. You could even argue, because many of McFadden’s carries came with defenses keying more on the run when QB Tony Romo and/or receiver Dez Bryant were out of the lineup, those 4.6 yards per carry were harder to come by.

McFadden likely will miss the start of the season with an elbow injury, so that will open the door for Zeke, right? Well, the Cowboys added Alfred Morris in the offseason. He is a big-body back who will steal some goal-line carries, at the least. Well, there goes a portion of Zeke TDs.

Plus, one of the most difficult transitions RBs have to make in the NFL is in pass blocking. And knowing how fragile Romo is, and the lack of depth behind him, a RB who can keep heat off his QB is a priority. So don’t expect a lot of Elliott in passing situations, especially early in the season.

Elliott easily could end up starting the season as the guy behind the guy behind the guy, who gets some chances and takes advantage when he does, but is not given the full opportunity to rake in enough fantasy points to justify his draft spot.

In dynasties, if you take anyone else No. 1 overall, you should be kicked out of the league. And in keeper, push him up toward the same draft spot we’re ridiculing for redrafts. But if you draft anew every year, and you need to win this year with the roster you draft, in standard-scoring, 12-team leagues, don’t go with Elliott above Adrian Peterson (5.3), Todd Gurley (5.8) or David Johnson (5.9). Put him in the mix with Jamaal Charles (23.7) and Mark Ingram (23.6).

Sure, Elliott “could” do amazing things. But don’t gamble with “coulds” that early in the draft when there are that many questions.

Here are a few more potential running back busts to avoid this season:

Atlanta’s Devonta Freeman had a phenomenal first half in 2015 (really, about five games), then fell back to earth. The season started as a time-share with Tevin Coleman, who got about twice the workload as Freeman in Week 2 before suffering a concussion. Already we have heard the Falcons talk of decreasing Freeman’s workload to give Coleman more touches.

We feel confident Freeman easily will outperform Coleman. But will Freeman get enough volume to justify a 12.4 average draft position in 12-team, standard-scoring leagues (or even PPR leagues)? And if he gets the volume, will he have another epic fantasy run like he did last year? Chances are he gives you more of what you saw in the second half, and he’ll get less opportunity to do even that.

Thomas Rawls of the Seahawks (27.9 ADP in standard leagues) is another with a short history. He had exactly six games as the primary back, and he flaunted his potential — posting solid fantasy numbers in five of those contests. But the offensive line, which performed poorly last year, has undergone more makeovers. Perhaps it comes together eventually, but does he still have a job by then? Rawls was an undrafted rookie last year. The Seahawks had so much confidence in him, they went out and drafted three more RBs. Not in the third round, sorry.

Ryan Mathews of the Eagles (65.7) is an example of when to weigh injury history significantly: He’s played 16 games only once in six seasons.

We’re not convinced Jeremy Langford (44.2) will be able to hold onto his starting job in Chicago. And we consider DeMarco Murray (44.1) a pretty good back who had a great 2014 season behind a great Cowboys offensive line — now he plays on a Titans team that hasn’t had a reliable fantasy RB since Chris Johnson.

The biggest likely bust of all comes quite early. We’re not down on Steelers star Le’Veon Bell (12.2) because he is coming off a PCL injury — though it should be noted there is not a lot of history of RBs with this type of injuries, so we can’t be sure what to expect. We downgrade him because he is going to miss three games due to a drug suspension. Throw in the bye week, and he will miss four of 13 regular-season fantasy contests.

We would love to have him in the playoffs, sure, but not unlike drafting Tom Brady too early, you need productivity out of those early picks to help make the playoffs. We’re not going to sacrifice an impact pick in the early rounds for a nine-week star. Nor are we going to sacrifice a potential Flex starter for three weeks of DeAngelo Williams (74.8) in Round 5 or 6.