The turkey is done, Uncle Thomas has been triggered by your blue-haired cousin, and the fantasy football playoffs are just around the corner. With thirteen weeks in the books, it’s time to cut dead weight for your fantasy football playoff push. To make this list, players must be rostered in at least 50% of Yahoo! leagues.
QUARTERBACKS
Justin Herbert, L.A. Chargers (97% Rostered)
I was worried that Joe Alt’s injury would destroy the Chargers’ offense, and it has. Herbert has three straight finishes outside the top 15, and he hasn’t passed 16 fantasy points in those three games. Over that span, he has just three touchdowns and two picks, and to add injury to insult, he broke his left (non-throwing hand and had surgery on Monday. He might miss week fourteen, though Jim Harbaugh is bullish that he will not. Herbert is once again done in by his team, hurting him, metaphorically and literally.
Sam Darnold, Seattle (58% Rostered)
Darnold hit a wall in week thirteen, posting only 3.12 fantasy points, which was his third time in the last four games in the single digits, and his fourth time in the previous six weeks. His one week in the last four when he finished inside the top-24 at the position was a squeaker of usefulness (QB11 that week). You want to hold onto him in superflex, but there is no reason to hang onto him in 1QB leagues.
Caleb Williams, Chicago (84% Rostered)
Caleb Williams has been brutally matchup-dependent since his bye. Since Week 5, any game not against a premier pass-funnel defense has been a disaster. Against Washington, Cincy, the Giants, and Pittsburgh (all inside the top ten in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks), he averaged 26.34 fantasy points. Against New Orleans, Baltimore, Minnesota, and Philly (who all rank outside the top-ten in fantasy points)… just 9.8 fantasy points. The schedule ahead (Green Bay twice, Cleveland, and San Francisco) all feature matchups outside the top 10 in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks, with Green Bay and Cleveland ranking 29th and 30th, respectively.
WIDE RECEIVERS
DJ Moore, Chicago (84% Rostered)
DJ Moore is suffering from the same offensive malaise as his quarterback. He has only one relevant game over the last four weeks, and it took him two touchdowns to post a great game against the woeful Pittsburgh Steelers’ pass defense. Other than that, he has zero, 3.1, and 4.7 PPR points. You can hold onto him as a dice-roll WR3 for those matchups, but if you’re fighting for a playoff spot and need immediate production, you can find more reliable options on the wire.
Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco (79% Rostered)
Pearsall has been the fourth target in the 49ers’ offense since he returned from injury (though you could say he’s below even fullback Kyle Juszczyk). He’s been a ghost in his three games back from his knee injury, tallying a total of nine targets, five catches, and 20 yards. The 49ers are now on bye, and there’s zero evidence he has a role in this crowded offense when they return against Tennessee in the first round of the fantasy football playoffs.
Keenan Allen, L.A. Chargers (76% Rostered)
RIP to a real one; Keenan Allen, once a fantasy football PPR stalwart, has fallen by the wayside in Los Angeles. Since week eight, his best game has been a 4/53 line, as he’s taken a backseat to the young guns. He’s become the fourth passing game option behind Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and rookie Oronde Gadsden. With the possibility of Trey Lance in week fourteen, his narrow path to relevance gets even narrower. It’s time to thank him for the memories and move on.
Rashid Shaheed, Seattle (61% Rostered)
One thing I need to remember for the future: trade any wide receiver who gets traded mid-season, as they are a disaster post-trade. We saw it last year with Amari Cooper, and we are seeing it again with Rashid Shaheed. His move to Seattle coincides with him falling off fantasy radars. In four games with the Seahawks, he has a paltry 11 targets, four catches, and 37 yards.
Tre Tucker, Las Vegas (52% Rostered)
The Raiders’ offense is a horror show, and Tucker is trapped inside, feebly trying to run away from the masked killer (it’s Pete Carroll under the mask). Since the Raiders’ week eight bye, he has four games under 7 PPR points, with his one spike week requiring a touchdown. In those five games, Tucker has 28 targets, 15 catches, and 161 yards. Even worse: Tucker hasn’t topped 47 receiving yards since October 12th. There’s no path forward as the Raiders spiral the drain.
RUNNING BACKS
Tony Pollard, Tennessee (82% Rostered)
The 2025 Tony Pollard Experience has been a profound disappointment. He has scored 8.1 PPR points or fewer in six of his last seven games, which partially coincides with the Tyjae Spears return, but mostly coincides with being on the Tennessee Titans. Since the bye three weeks ago: 31 carries for 102 yards and eight catches for 28 yards, averaging a minuscule 6.3 PPR points. The offense is meager, and it’s spread too many ways to get excited about any particular element of it. I am a proponent of just cutting this whole team loose and moving on.
Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City (71% Rostered)
Pacheco returned from injury to a dismal three carries for 16 yards and two catches for 17 yards, compared to Kareem Hunt’s 14 carries and two targets for 80 yards, just four days after he handled 33 touches. This continues a troubling trend for Pacheco, as he posted 8.6 or fewer PPR points in six of eight games to start the season before his injury. With Hunt getting all the work, and Brashard Smith filling in on the passing downs, there isn’t much left for Pacheco to do.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington (55% Rostered)
Rest in peace, Bill Croskey-Merritt Hype Train. He is the clear backup to Chris Rodriguez in Washington, as his role dwindled in recent weeks, and finally shot through the floor. He finished with four carries for 20 yards, mostly on one drive. Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols took over as the RB1 and RB2, respectively, leaving JCM with nothing left to do, just like Isiah Pacheco.
TIGHT ENDS
TJ Hockenson, Minnesota (67% Rostered)
His 6/59 line in Week 13 was his best of the year and first double-digit PPR line since Week 8. That’s the ceiling now, and that’s thanks to his quarterback situation. J.J. McCarthy is an abject disaster, and Max Brosmer is somehow worse, leaving the Vikings with a broken offense. Hockenson is a high-volume safety blanket on a team that can’t complete passes.
Sam LaPorta, Detroit (66% Rostered)
This is a procedural drop. LaPorta is out for the season following back surgery. If he’s still taking up a spot on your roster, it’s time to make the move official and grab his replacement.
David Njoku, Cleveland (52% Rostered)
Since the Week 9 bye, he has one game over 2.4 PPR points (a 2/21/1 line, with the TD pushing him over the edge. Over the last four games, the Browns have downshifted his role to highlight rookie tight end Harold Fannin. Over the previous four games, Njoku has six targets, five catches, 32 yards, and a touchdown, as the Browns offense has moved away from him entirely.
