All-in-all, it was a pretty good week for fantasy football-eligible players. There were a ton of points scored around the league, and not a lot was wasted on down-roster folks. With that in mind, there are still some guys you’ll want to add this week, and that means there are some players you’ll have to excise from your rosters. Just like every other week, I take the form of the bad guy to tell you the hard truth about who you should be thinking about dropping. As always, only players available in at least 50% of rosters are covered on this list. Nobody needs to tell you that you should probably drop Blake Bell or Desmond Ridder (please for the love of God drop Desmond Ridder).
Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (99% rostered)
At this point, Joe Burrow just isn’t right. His calf injury has him incredibly impaired, and he doesn’t look like the Joe Burrow we know. Ja’Marr Chase is saying bad words to the media, Tee Higgins has broken ribs, and it looks like this might just be a lost season for the Bengals. Through four games, he has fewer passing yards than Desmond Ridder and is sitting with two touchdowns and two interceptions so far this season, and single-digit fantasy points in three games. Things might get better in the next couple of weeks against the Cardinals (eighth-most fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks) and Seahawks (ninth-most) over the next two weeks, but then he has his bye, the 49ers, and the Bills, who rank 29th and 31st in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (80% rostered)
This isn’t an indictment on Goff, or the Lions, or Goff’s prowess as a real-life NFL quarterback, it’s just that he doesn’t do much that’s valuable for fantasy football purposes, at least not right now. He has single-digit touchdowns in three games thanks to the Lions’ defense and running game doing their thing. Goff’s main role is to keep the offense moving along, and the Lions, ideally, don’t need him to do much. He should remain rostered in 2QB leagues, but if you got him as part of a rotation with Anthony Richardson, for example, you can move on.
Wide Receivers
Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns (66% rostered)
Forgetting that Deshaun Watson missed week four and Dorian Thompson-Robinson only targeted Elijah Moore four times, and forgetting that Elijah Moore had the most boneheaded backfield play on the Browns this season since Deshaun Watson fired a ball backward for no discernible reason… Elijah Moore has 29 targets in four games, but only 37.75 total yards per game on those targets. He’s not getting the ball very far downfield, and the Browns’ desire to use him doesn’t seem to be in a way that will produce any meaningful fantasy football statistics.
Brandin Cooks, Dallas Cowboys (55% rostered)
I told you to drop Cooks last week, and I’ll just update the numbers from last week begging you to drop him: 15 targets, 8 catches, for 66 yards. Michael Gallup is coming on as the secondary wide receiver in Dallas, and that’s leaving Brandin Cooks in the lurch.
Running Backs
Dalvin Cook, N.Y. Jets (78% rostered)
Nothing about the 2023 Jets’ season is going as planned, and that includes their free-agent splash running back acquisition of Dalvin Cook. Through four games, Cook has looked nothing like his former self with the Vikings. He’s yet to top 60 yards in a game and hasn’t passed 30 since week one. The dream is dead with Dalvin Cook.
A.J. Dillon, Green Bay Packers (72% rostered)
I said to drop him before Aaron Jones returned, and Aaron Jones’s return just solidified my resolve, here. Dillon is a lower-tier handcuff and of essentially zero value when Jones plays. This week, he finished with six opportunities for 11 yards, after finishing last week with 11 opportunities for 33 yards. On the season, he’s sitting at 44 carries and 5 targets for 143 yards (35.75 yards per contest).
Jerick McKinnon, Kansas City (54% rostered)
McKinnon notched four opportunities for seven yards in this game, and his season-high in yardage is 28 so far. The only reason he doesn’t have four PPR games of 6 or fewer points was because he scored two touchdowns last week. You can continue to play him or hope for touchdowns, or move on to find someone with more upside in his current role.
Tight Ends
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta (95% rostered)
Through four games, Kyle Pitts has just one game with more than five targets, zero double-digit PPR games, and zero games over 40 total yards. He’s firmly in The Blob, and he isn’t even in the upper part of The Blob. At this point, Sam LaPorta is already twice the fantasy football tight end that Kyle Pitts is.
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh (86% rostered)
Pat Freiermuth suffered a chest injury in week one that was hampered early in the season, and he injured his hamstring this week. The Steelers’ offense is pretty gnarly, and Freiermuth’s surpassed 7.5 PPR fantasy points once in four games and is yet to top four targets in a game this season.
