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 16 cuts and drops for fantasy football. Given that this is the final week of the season, this list will be focused exclusively on maximizing your chances of taking home a championship.
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
Anyone You're Not Starting Week 16
Let me first preface this by stating that you should not literally drop every single player you don't need for this week. You should also consider your opponent's roster and make sure you aren't dropping someone that your opponent can use. Philip Rivers has been extremely reliable all season, but if you are not starting him against Baltimore, you can safely drop him. Jared Goff is coming off two really bad outings, but he gets Arizona this week. If you're not starting him, you may want to consider hanging onto him so as to not give him to your opponent should your opponent be in need of a QB. This is the type of approach you should take towards all players.
Injured Players
Tyler Boyd (WR, CIN) and Aaron Jones (RB, GB) are done for the season with MCL sprains. They are obvious drops. Guys like Odell Beckham (WR, NYG), Keenan Allen (WR, LAC), Matt Breida (RB, SF), and Spencer Ware (RB, KC) are not automatically drops, but if you find out they are not playing this weekend, feel free to let them go either to pick up a replacement or to potentially grab someone your opponent might need and play a little defense.
Handcuffs
It is the final week of the fantasy season. Either your handcuff is now the starter, or you don't need that handcuff. John Kelly is now Todd Gurley's handcuff, but either Gurley is fine and you can't possibly need Kelly or Gurley sits, and Kelly is a must-start. Either way, handcuffing season is over.
Players You May Be Considering Dropping, But Shouldn't
At this point, with just one week left in the fantasy season, you can drop pretty much anyone you don't plan on using this week. No longer do you have to hang onto players hoping for a late-season turnaround. We are later in the season. If they haven't turned it around by now, it's not going to happen.