Half of the NFL season is in the books, and with it, we have a good picture of who players are, what teams want to do, and who we should remove from our fantasy football teams. With that in mind, we have players who deserve the chopping block, and I am more than happy to tell you to swing that axe. Let’s take a look at players at each position on rosters in at least 50% of Yahoo! leagues that likely don’t deserve that level of rostership.
QUARTERBACKS
Jayden Daniels, Washington (98% rostered)
Daniels suffered an absolutely gruesome arm injury and is likely out for the season.
Jared Goff, Detroit (89% rostered)
Jared Goff finished outside the top twelve yet again this week, which marks the seventh time in eight games that he did not pass that threshold. It’s not that Goff is bad; it’s that the Lions are a run-first team (second-lowest pass rate over expectation), leaving Goff without much to do.
Jordan Love, Green Bay (88% rostered)
The Packers, like the Lions, also boast a negative pass rate over expectation (-1.7%, which ties them with the notoriously run-heavy Philadelphia Eagles). Love posted ten fantasy points this week and gets the difficult Eagles and Giants pass defenses in the next two weeks, which are unfavorable fantasy matchups. There’s not a bye week crunch, so there’s no real reason to hang onto Love.
Kyler Murray, Arizona (62% rostered)
Murray will miss his third-straight game this week with a foot injury, and in his first six weeks, he did not notch a top-fifteen week. There’s no reason to hang onto him outside of 2QB leagues or 14+ team leagues.
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati (56% rostered)
He’s not coming back, and if he does, it won’t be until deep in the fantasy playoffs. If you don’t have an IR spot, you need the roster spot more than a potential Joe Burrow, because you need to get to the playoffs first.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas (83% rostered)
Jakobi Meyers and the Raiders are on the outs, and his usage reflects a falling out. His last double-digit PPR day was in week two, and he hasn’t passed 40 yards since week four. It’s just an untenable situation, and not one that is likely to improve, even with a trade.
Matthew Golden, Green Bay (63% rostered)
Golden refuses to take over as the team’s WR1, totaling 13 yards in the last two games. Fellow rookie Savion Williams had 12 yards today, and the Packers straight-up never use him. He left the game with an injury, but that doesn’t excuse last week’s performance. There’s been no consistent growth from the first-round rookie, so you can move on from him at this point.
Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland (57% rostered)
Nothing changed since last week, when I implored folks to drop him: he hasn’t had a double-digit fantasy day since week one, and the Browns offense isn’t built around the wide receiver. Jeudy will take a back seat to both tight ends as long as Dillon Gabriel is under center.
Keon Coleman, Buffalo (55% rostered)
Coleman posted just 3.7 fantasy points this week (two catches, 17 yards). This marks his third-straight game at six or fewer fantasy points, and the sixth time this season he sat at 7.5 or fewer PPR points. The Bills’ offense runs through rushing, Dalton Kincaid, and Khalil Shakir. There’s simply nothing left for Coleman.
RUNNING BACKS
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans (96% rostered)
Kamara finished with only 17 yards and a fumble on seven touches. Kellen Moore seemed more focused on getting Taysom Hill going than doing anything with his veteran running back. Devin Neal is breathing down his neck, and he is not responding well. The end has come for an all-time fantasy football running back.
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina (88% rostered)
Hubbard shouldn’t be dropped in any 10+ team league, but eight-team leagues don’t need him. The Panthers took him from RB1 to RB2 with a bullet. His only path forward is to claw back touches or for an injury to befall Rico Dowdle.
Nick Chubb, Houston (59% rostered)
Chubb doesn’t have the juice anymore, and he showed it again this week. He has 33 carries for 106 yards over the last three games, and his efficiency is headed in the exact wrong direction.
TIGHT ENDS
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay (98% rostered)
Kraft tore his ACL and will be out for the remainder of the season; a crushing blow for an incredible young tight end.
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota (77% rostered)
Hockenson scored a touchdown and still failed to make it to double-digit PPR points this week. It’s a significant problem for him, as he is far behind both Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson in the passing game pecking order. He has just two double-digit games on the season, and you can move on from him if you have a solid tight end on your roster.
