This is your weekly list of players to drop. I will do my best to limit this list to injured players and players you might consider holding. If you roster pure handcuffs or backups, obviously you can let them go at any time. The players on this list will, ideally, be guys that aren't clearly droppable, but no longer worth owning.
Below are my Week 12 cuts and drops for fantasy football. Each week from now until the end of the season, I’ll be offering my thoughts on players who don’t deserve to keep a roster spot on your fantasy football teams.
Let's get to it.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Players to Consider Dropping or Replacing
John Brown (WR, BAL)
I considered just putting all Ravens pass catchers on here after they ran the ball a whopping 74% of the time last week. It is abundantly clear how this offense is going to look under Lamar Jackson, who should be considered the overwhelming favorite to finish out the year under center. Joe Flacco has likely thrown his last pass as a Raven. John Brown has 68 receiving yards over his last three games and saw just one target in Jackson's debut. There just isn't enough volume to justify keeping him.
Jimmy Graham (TE, GB)
Injury notwithstanding, Jimmy Graham's days of relevance are over. It has been a long time since Graham was good at football. That's what happens when you tear your patellar tendon while simultaneously getting old. Graham wasn't a TE1 this year and won't be one ever again. It is time to move on.
T.J. Yeldon (RB, JAX)
We are now two weeks into the return of Leonard Fournette and he looks just fine. If you want to hang onto T.J. Yeldon just in case, I get it, but you don't have to. Yeldon has no value while Fournette is healthy and with just two weeks left in the regular season, it has to be all hands on deck for teams fighting for a playoff spot.
Eric Ebron (TE, IND)
This was bound to happen. Eric Ebron simply wasn't playing anywhere near enough snaps nor running enough routes to sustain his level of production. Regression hit in a big way as Ebron put up a goose egg last week. Jack Doyle is the primary TE on the Colts and that is not going to change unless he gets hurt.
Evan Engram (TE, NYG)
Chalk this one up as an L for me. I was huge on Evan Engram because he is one of the most athletic players in all of football; a completely uncoverable mismatch all over the field. It turns out the Giants don't care. Every time Engram touches the ball, you can see the talent oozing out of him. Up until last week, he just wasn't targeted. Now, he doesn't even play. Engram played on just 17 of 53 snaps last week, behind Rhett Ellison and something called a Scott Simonson. Yes, these are the players that need to be on the field instead of Engram. When your player can't find snaps because of Scott Simonson, who none of us had even heard of until just now, you know it's over. Drop Engram for literally anyone else.
Players You May Be Considering Dropping, But Shouldn't
Rashaad Penny (RB, SEA)
You can certainly drop Rashaad Penny if you need to. His name is here to remind you that if you can afford to hang onto him for another week, it is worth it to see what happens. Penny is the most talented running back on the Seahawks by a very wide margin. Pete Carroll just has an unhealthy obsession with Chris Carson. On a better team with a better coach, Penny is an RB2. Carson is not exactly the pinnacle of health so all it takes is one wrong hit for Penny to be a potential league winner. That's worth stashing if you can afford to do so.
Golden Tate (WR, PHI)
If you're a Golden Tate owner, you can't be pleased with his usage. Unfortunately, that's to be expected when a player switches teams midseason. Tate is still a very good player and that fact alone warrants sticking with him for at least another week, even if you're not starting him. He was more involved last week than the week before, but still not to the extent necessary to produce in fantasy. Hopefully, the trend continues.