The time has come for fantasy owners to drop certain underperforming players or players who have seen their roles change drastically. With seven weeks of data, fantasy owners have a large enough sample size to make informed decisions about which rostered players belong on the waiver wire.
As mentioned last week, the difference between winning a fantasy title or letting one slip away could be the decision to drop a player and strike at the right time. The top fantasy managers understand the importance of foresight. Sometimes, you simply have to move on, just as NFL teams move on from players throughout the season. You do not want to overreact to one week of poor statistics, such as D.K. Metcalf producing only two receptions for 23 receiving yards against Arizona on Sunday night.
However, at the same time, don’t hold onto a player just because you are afraid to let go. Of course, fantasy owners also have to manage injuries and drop players who may not return in time to contribute to a postseason run. So without further ado, here are some players fantasy owners should not hesitate to drop after eight weeks of NFL action.
Quarterback
QB Andy Dalton, Dallas Cowboys
What a difference a few weeks makes. The ‘Red-Rifle’ was easily the most coveted signal caller off the waiver wire the moment Dak Prescott went down for the season. However, to say the addition of the veteran quarterback to fantasy football lineups was a mistake is an understatement. Dalton, owned in more than 74% of leagues, is now in the NFL concussion protocol after a vicious hit on Sunday and it is safe to say all fantasy owners mustaccept the waste of FAAB money and move on. The hype of Dalton as a ‘sleeper’ who could easily step in and guide an elite offense with a plethora of weapons was overblown. Fantasy owners should look at Kirk Cousins or Baker Mayfield off the waiver wire (if either is still available)
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Miami Dolphins
The decision by the Miami Dolphins to bench Fitzpatrick and begin the Tua Tagovailoa era was a shock to many around the NFL. The veteran signal caller was in the midst of a solid 2020 campaign and actually ranked as the QB8 heading into Week 7; ahead of Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Matthew Stafford and Cam Newton. Many were rolling out Fitzpatrick as their QB1 and owners should take a wait-and-see approach before immediately adding Tagovailoa. Hopefully, hopefully you listened to this feature’s advice last week and looked to add Joe Burrow or Justin Herbert either via trade or waivers ahead of the monster output they each posted in Week 7. It always pays to be ahead of the curve and that’s why we are here at SI Fantasy.
Running Backs
RB Frank Gore, New York Jets
I need to be brutally honest here. I understand that Le’Veon Bell is now in Kansas City, but the overreaction by fantasy owners to rush and add the over-the-hill Gore was mind blowing. Gore, owned in 59% of leagues, has posted less than 7-PPR fantasy points in six of seven games. Expect the Jets to use rookie La’Mical Perine more as the season moves along. There is literally no reason why, outside of WR Jamison Crowder, any player from the 0-7 Jets should be rostered on any team. Many fantasy teams are fighting to the stay alive in the playoff hunt and it’s time to cut bait with an aging 37-year-old player who could not find the end zone in this Jets offense with a road map and a military escort.
RB Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills
Singletary, owned in 98% of leagues, started to see a significant reduction in his overall touches against the Jets in Week 7 as the club began to mix in rookie Zack Moss. The second-year back out of Florida Atlantic has scored less than 6.7-PPR fantasy points in three straight games. Fantasy owners were high on Singletary coming into the season and despite the Bills being the class of the AFC East with a 5-2 record, he has simply failed to produce. Owners would be better served targeting Moss (owned in just 49% of leagues) as an intriguing speculatory move or perhaps Seattle RB Carlos Hyde (19%) especially if starter Chris Carson is forced to miss significant time after suffering a foot injury in Week 7.
Wide Receivers
WR Julian Edelman, New England Patriots
Edelman is easily among the biggest busts in fantasy football so far in 2020. In Week 7 against the 49ers, the veteran wideout made just one receptions for 13 yards. Edelman, owned in more than 94% of leagues, has just eight receptions in his last four games combined and has zero touchdowns through six games. New England’s offensive attack runs is an absolute mess and in reality there is not one single player from the club that should be started in any league with trust moving forward. With many owners fighting for their fantasy lives, owners can’t afford to roster a player simply because he is a big name. It would be prudent for owners to cut ties now and instead look to acquire Giants WR Sterling Shepard (27%) or Arizona’s Christian Kirk (64%) if either is available in your league.
WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
This is a tough one for many fantasy owners who drafted Hilton as a high-end WR2 to accept, but the arrival of veteran QB Phillip Rivers has been a detriment to the production of the veteran wideout. The normally productive wideout is barely averaging 40 receiving yards per game and has failed to score a touchdown in six games. Hilton, owned in more than 89% of leagues, is not a player fantasy owners should be trusting any longer. Owners should instead look to add Buffalo WR Cole Beasley or Cincinnati WR Tee Higgins as players with higher ceilings and significantly more upside going forward.
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers
Many fantasy owners expected Valdes-Scantling to see increased target share and production following the injury to fellow WR Allen Lazard. However, despite increased snap percentage the third-year wideout has failed to produce. With just 19.4 PPR fantasy points combined in his last three games, it is fairly obvious that Aaron Rodgers is only locked into Devante Adams in the Green Bay passing game. Players such as San Francisco WR Brandon Aiyuk or Cleveland’s Donovan People-Jones offer higher upside. Both players could see significant roles in their respective offenses following injuries to Deebo Samuel and Odell Beckham Jr. Move on.
Tight Ends
TE Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns
Hooper, one of the top targeted tight ends heading into fantasy drafts this summer, has failed to live up to expectations after several productive seasons in Atlanta. Currently ranked outside the top-20 among all players at his position in PPR leagues, he has actually been outperformed by Green Bay’s Robert Tonyan, Washington’s Logan Thomas and Houston’s Darren Fells thus far and all three players were undrafted in all leagues. Hooper, who had emergency appendectomy surgery and missed Week 7, witnessed rookie fellow tight ends Harrison Bryant and David Njoku account for three of the five passing touchdowns by Baker Mayfield against the Bengals. With that kind of production, Hooper is sure to see his target share be lowered when he returns with two capable options at his position. Regression is strongly indicated for a player who may also take several weeks to return to the playing field.
TE Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys
After his Week 2 explosion (9/88/1) against the Falcons, Schultz was easily one of the most targeted players at arguably the weakest position in all of fantasy football. He also added a solid outing in Week 4 (4/72/1) against Cleveland, but now without Dak Prescott under center his production has declined dramatically. In his past three games, the third-year tight end has just 13.3 PPR fantasy points combined all against favorable matchups (NYG, ARI & WSH). For a player owned and started in over 71% of leagues, owners need to look for a reliable option with rookie Ben DiNucci now starting for the Cowboys. I would look to Washington TE Logan Thomas who has posted back-to-back double-digit PPR games in consecutive weeks while becoming a solid red zone target for QB Kyle Allen.
