Gosh we are already a third of the way through the season huh? It’s crazy how fast the season starts to move when there is action every weekend. Fantasy Managers unfortunately need to move even faster in order to stay competitive throughout the year. The waiver wire is a brutal place, and tough decisions need to be made each and every week. There’s FAAB to spend, priority to burn but worst of all, there are players that need to be cut.
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People don’t want to make cuts because there’s always a sliver of hope that any player can become the next Puka Nacua. The harsh reality is some players just aren’t going to be helpful in your pursuit to win a championship. To make some valuable room on your bench this week, here are a few names to consider cutting.
Me and Antonio Gibson have had a tumultuous history in fantasy football. I’ve traded for him, I’ve traded him away, I’ve seen him save my team from the brink, but I’ve also seen him tank my team a time or two. After a wild rollercoaster ride, it’s time to say goodbye to GibsSzn. The Washington Commanders are a unique offense that plays a lot like a dollar-store version of the Kansas City Chiefs (thanks to Offensive Coordinator Eric Bienemy). They throw the ball all around the field, and not that often to the running back position. Even when QB Sam Howell does check down, Brian Robinson Jr. is typically the guy they are targetting.
Gibson is their 2-minute drill option which is just about the best thing going for the usually solid RB2. That role sadly just doesn’t have the same value on an offense that is still trying to figure itself out. That paired with the limited rush attempts and a devastating fumble problem, Gibson is a prime candidate to move to free agency.
I was so excited to watch A.J. Dillion in the NFL after witnessing the beating he put opposing NCAA defenses through while playing at Boston College. It was good there for about a season and a half, but that same explosive player seems to be missing. Dillion has failed to produce with the absence of Aaron Jones the past few weeks, and has burnt plenty of needy fantasy managers in that time.
Usually when a starting RB gets hurt the backup ends up being relevant for fantasy, making them a tough drop. Dillion has proven that is not the case with the Green Bay Packers.
Jones made his return this past Thursday in a limited fashion, signaling to fantasy managers everywhere that the Dillion era is over. With the return of Jones Dillion is going to revert immediately back to the backup role. Feel free to drop Dillion and let another owner deal with the headache.
We were all bamboozled by Josh Kelley’s Week 1 performance. Frankly, we should have all seen this poor stretch coming – Kelley just has never shown us that he has the skills to be a worthy fantasy start. Kelley couldn’t get it done with Ekeler on the sidelines. The Chargers offense runs completely differently without Ekeler in the lineup. Maybe they just don’t believe Kelley is as strong in the passing game. Either way, three straight weeks of disappointing results means we can all feel better dropping Josh Kelley this week.
Bad passing offenses are the worst part of fantasy football. This Tennessee Titans group has so much talent and playmaking ability, and yet they consistently struggle to produce multiple fantasy relevant players. There were weeks where this team needed to throw the ball and couldn’t find a rhythm. DeAndre Hopkins, the massive free-agent signing this offseason is only seeing 4.5 receptions per game. That’s unacceptable for a player with his skill set.
But this isn’t about Nuk, it’s about the younger talent the Titans brought in last year. Treylon Burks was thrust into the WR1 spot after being drafted 18th overall in 2022. He’s a big physical receiver that looks the part when he’s on the field. The problem is he’s struggling to stay on the field. He missed six games in 2022, and has already missed last week with an injury. While he was earning more targets each week, they are still Ryan Tannehill targets on a run-first team.
Ok full disclosure: I am writing this piece after watching the absolutely thrashing of the Giants on primetime. The one thing that stuck out to me was the lack of a true top option for New York. I know this was the main knock on this passing attack in the preseason, but with four weeks of play at least one of the younger guys would break out surely? Jalin Hyatt or Wan’Dale Robinson or even Isiah Hodgins should be able to break away from Sterling Shepard and Parris Campbell. Well that just ain’t happening.
When you are picking up a Giants receiver, you are entering a lottery where the highest prize is five receptions for 60 yards. Daniel Jones is running for his life behind a porous offensive line. This offense has a lot of growing to do, and in fantasy, you don’t really want to be in the middle of the process.
The Toy Story game could not distract us from the fact that Kyle Pitts simply does not exist in the eyes of Arthur Smith or Desmond Ridder. The highest drafted tight end of all time is growing moss on a team that desperately needs a jolt on offense. Bijian Robinson is the truth, and should be opening up the play-action pass. Unfortunately for fantasy owners and Atlanta Falcons fans, that just isn’t happening.
The tight end position is an awful place in fantasy at the moment, and teams are desperately looking for any player that could potentially score. Pitts, sadly doesn’t have that upside right now. It’s gonna take a massive overhaul of the Atlanta Falcons identity for Pitts to get there. Oh, also Jonnu Smith is apparently the main TE on this roster now. So that’s cool.
Njoku may have saved himself with a solid outing this past weekend, but don’t be fooled – this wasn’t Deshaun Watson throwing the ball. The tight end is usually a rookie QBs best friend and Dorian Thompson-Robinson zeroed-in onto the Cleveland Browns tight end plenty of times in his first outing. Every other week, Njoku is seeing targets as the 3rd or 4th read. His targets are too close to the line of scrimmage to be worthwhile, and he’s splitting targets with two other guys. If there’s another option out there on the waiver wire, feel free to take a shot on them instead of David Njoku.
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