Two weeks of NFL football are in the books, and one-off questions are starting to form into trendlines. As with every week, we have a new crop of shiny toys to add to our fantasy football rosters. Unfortunately, roster management is a zero-sum game, which means that it is time to let go of some players to make room for the new ones. It was a high-flying weekend of football, so there aren’t many options here (not many folks were disappointed). Nevertheless, there are players to remove from your roster. As always, to be included on this list, a player must be on rosters in at least 50% of Yahoo! leagues.
QUARTERBACK
Joe Burrow, Bengals (100% rostered)
I have to stress that I am not advocating dropping Joe Burrow, but he left the game with turf toe, and while Brock Purdy is looking at a 2-5 week injury, the prognosis could be worse for Burrow. Ian Rapoport reported on Twitter that Burrow likely has a grade-three strain, which is a three-month injury. If you’re in a short-roster league with no IR spots, you might have to make the tough call here. Check injury reports before you do, but it might be time to pull the rip cord on Joe Burrow.
J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota (71% rostered)
McCarthy is set to miss 2-4 weeks with an ankle injury, but I was ready to pull the rip cord before that news came out on Monday morning. On Sunday Night Football, he scored 2.22 fantasy points and looked dreadful as the Falcons got pressure on him down after down, pressure that he could not handle. Through two games, he has 301 passing yards, two touchdowns, and three picks. A strong fourth quarter in week one salvaged his day, but that did not come in week two. Now he’s set to miss multiple games, and you won’t miss him while he’s gone.
WIDE RECEIVER
Jayden Reed, Packers (58% rostered)
Reed likely already made his way off your bench if your fantasy football provider allows you to do so. He broke his collarbone on a called-back touchdown in week one and is set to miss at least six weeks. Reed was a WR4 by ADP, so he isn’t a player you want to hold onto through that absence.
RUNNING BACK
RJ Harvey, Broncos (94% rostered)
Harvey is a pure change-of-pace back and a handcuff for the Broncos in shallower leagues; you can move on from him. Through two weeks, he has 11 carries for 78 yards and two catches for 15 yards. Of those 93 total yards in two games, 50 came on one carry in week one. You can keep him if you want him as a pure speculative upside play, but I wasn’t a fan in college, and so far in the NFL, he’s losing snaps to both J.K. Dobbins and Tyler Badie.
Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs (94% rostered)
Something’s rotten with the Chiefs’ offense, and it isn’t just the Rashee Rice suspension and Xavier Worthy injuries. Through two games, Pacheco is in a pure split with Kareem Hunt, having 15 carries for 47 yards and three catches for 10 yards. He’s averaging under 30 yards and 10 touches per game; no thank you.
Kaleb Johnson, Steelers (75% rostered)
Johnson started week one in the doghouse, finished with one carry for -2 yards, and somehow managed to make that situation worse in week two. He had a costly special teams mistake that was the difference in the game, and likely ends up with Mike Tomlin putting him six feet under the doghouse.
Brian Robinson Jr., 49ers (64% rostered)
He’s a pure handcuff to Christian McCaffrey. If McCaffrey goes down, Robinson is a dump-all-your-FAAB guy, so I understand not wanting to move him off your roster. But, if you’re in a pinch, you can get off of B-Rob.
Tank Bigsby, Eagles (57% rostered)
Bigsby registered zero stats in his first game with Philadelphia, despite the Will Shipley injury. With Saquon Barkley as the RB1, there’s no path to relevancy without an injury.
Austin Ekeler, Commanders (50% rostered)
Ekeler likely dips below 50% by the time you read this, as he tore his Achilles tendon and his career is likely over.
TIGHT ENDS
Mark Andrews, Baltimore (96% rostered)
Last year’s touchdown-reliant, must-start tight end seems to have reached the end of the line. He had end zone targets in this one, but it marks (no pun intended) his second straight game with one catch for five yards or fewer, and the Ravens scored 40+ points in both games. He’s just not involved in their bonanzas. He might be due, so if you want to gamble on it, have at it. But he offers zero floor, as we’ve seen.
Colston Loveland, Chicago (58% rostered)
Tyler Warren kicked the door down on the league, Harold Fannin is thriving in the Joker role in Cleveland, and Colston Loveland… well, he’s also on an NFL roster. Through two games, Loveland has three targets, two catches, and 12 yards. Much of Loveland’s value was wrapped up in growth from Caleb Williams due to Ben Johnson’s arrival and investment in the offensive line. So far, we haven’t seen that come to fruition.
