The Cut List - Who to Drop for Fantasy Football Week 5

Each new week of NFL games gives us more information to make better, more informed decisions. That’s crucial when figuring out who to add and who to cut. It can be difficult to admit we were wrong on a particular player. For example, using a high draft pick on someone and cutting them so early in the season can be demoralizing. However, the only thing worse than making a mistake is not being able to admit we made one in the first place.

Don’t be afraid to make bold decisions, but be careful not to be too reactionary. Bad weeks are going to happen. Sometimes, opportunity doesn’t always translate into box-score success. The flip side of that is true, too. Sometimes, the box score can look amazing despite poor utilization. This article will help you determine who to send packing and how to value players whose value is falling.

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The Parameters

There are a few different categories here. Anyone listed under the “Insert Position to Cut for Insert Week” can be safely cut. Seems pretty self-explanatory, correct? No surprise there. We'll focus on players with rostered percentages higher than 40% to keep this a little more straightforward. Otherwise, we could name many players for every position every week.

The following two categories are “Uh-Oh…” and “On the Hot Seat.” If a player is listed under “Uh-Oh…” that doesn’t mean they’re a cut… yet. It just means their value is falling. That could be due to several reasons. Maybe it’s due to repeated inefficiency. Perhaps it’s due to a change in role and utilization. Whatever the reason, these players are not as valuable today as they were before last week’s games.

The other category is “On the Hot Seat.” This one is also pretty self-explanatory. These players do not need to be cut, although if you’re on the hot seat, there’s certainly an argument to be made that they could be cut if you’re in a tough roster predicament. These players should be given one final shot to make your roster. Especially early in the season, we don’t want to overreact to a change in utilization or a bad week or two, but we also don’t want to ignore it. Players in this section are a bad week away from being on the cut list.

One of the final categories we'll sometimes touch on is "Hold On". These players may have had some bad weeks, but their utilization is good, indicating better days are ahead. Hold on to them.

On occasion, we’ll also identify sell-high and sell-low players. A sell-high player is one whose production has spiked, but maybe their role creates questions about whether the production is sustainable. These players have increased their value recently, so it makes sense to see if you can trade them at peak value. Players who are sell-lows are often players with a lot of name value. These players are best explained as “get some value for them while you still can before their value falls to nothing.”

Quarterbacks to Cut for Week 5

Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears – 52.9% Rostered

Williams has five turnovers to just three touchdowns. He's scored over 12 points in just one game this year. Watching Williams, you can see the talent that made him the No. 1 overall pick, but the offense right now seems broken. This offense is talented, but the system leaves much to be desired.

What is this route design lmao

IND showing possible blitz, 3rd and 9, not a single hot for Caleb to hit if it is a blitz. Two route runners sprinting 15-20 yards before any turn.

Wooooof pic.twitter.com/7re6sSaEt3

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) September 27, 2024

Star receiver D.J. Moore is visibly frustrated. Right now, the offense is doing Williams no favors. Everything looks difficult. Waldron and the Bears' offense is utilizing pre-snap motion on just 27% of their dropbacks, the fourth-lowest in the NFL. Pre-snap motion is a great way to give your quarterback easy looks.

Comparing the drastic change in the 2023 Seattle Seahawks' offense (Waldron's old team) and the 2024 Seahawks' offense, it's clear that Waldron may not be the best offensive coordinator. Combine that with the poor offensive line, and Williams may struggle throughout the season.

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers – 48.9% Rostered

Herbert is averaging just 10.4 PPG. He has yet to score 12 points in any game this year and throw for over 180 yards in a single game. There's virtually no ceiling with Herbert now, but there is most definitely a floor. There are a lot better options than Herbert right now.

Other Players That Can Be Cut: Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons – 48.3% Rostered, Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars – 33.2%, Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams – 30.3% Rostered

Running Backs to Cut for Week 5

Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders – 80% Rostered

The Raiders are a bad football team, and their offense is a big reason why. Running backs on bad offenses need to catch passes for fantasy purposes. They must earn points via PPR scoring since touchdowns and scoring opportunities are rare. White has 16 receiving yards and five receptions through four games. He has zero receptions, one target, and zero yards in his last two games. He’s completely irrelevant in the passing game.

He has yet to record more than 50 rushing yards in a game this season. He has yet to score over 5.5 half-PPR points in a game. He’s been held below four half-PPR points in three out of five games. While he got 17 carries this past weekend, a season-high, he fumbled at the goal line, and since then, Antonio Pierce said Alexander Mattison deserves more touches and will get them. Yeah, White is done.

Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys – 70.4% Rostered

Since Week 1, when Elliott landed in the end zone, Zeke has games of 4.2, 1.7, and 2.9 half-PPR points. Over his last three games, he has not surpassed 20 rushing yards. He had 12 touches in Week 1, but that has slowly begun to decrease.

He had eight touches in Week 2. Then, he decreased to four in Week 3; this past weekend, he had six. He’s been very ineffective with those touches, as well. He’s averaging six yards per catch and 3.3 yards per carry. His snap share has also continued to trend downward. Considering his minimal playing, limited touch, and dreadful efficiency, he’s safe to cut.

Gus Edwards, Los Angeles Chargers – 50.3% Rostered

After seeing 29 carries in the first two weeks, Edwards has seen just nine in Weeks 3 and 4. He had 85 rushing yards in the first two weeks of the season, but that has fallen to 28 in the past two weeks. He has yet to score 6.0 half-PPR points in a game and has been held to below two points the past two weeks.

Edwards has scored over 3.5 half-PPR points in just one game this season. He’s not getting the goal line work and is a complete afterthought in the passing game. He had one catch on one target in Week 1 for two yards. He hasn’t seen a target since.

Is he a handcuff to J.K. Dobbins? Maybe, but he’s been so bad that the Chargers could use someone else if Dobbins were to get hurt. Either way, there are better handcuffs available.

Cam Akers, Houston Texans – 47.6% Rostered

Joe Mixon is set to return in Week 5, and Dameon Pierce could be back soon, too. Akers had a two-week audition when both guys were out, and Akers was largely disappointing. He scored 9.4 half-PPR points in Week 3, largely off the back of a receiving touchdown, and scored 5.3 this past weekend.

He averaged 3.3 yards per carry and caught just one of his three targets the past two weeks. If this is the best we can expect from him with Pierce and Mixon out, Akers can be sent packing.

Other Players That Can Be Cut: Antonio Gibson, New England Patriots – 29.3% Rostered, Samaje Perine, Kansas City Chiefs – 17.2% Rostered, Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears – 9.4% Rostered, D'Onta Foreman, Cleveland Browns – 8.4% Rostered

Wide Receivers to Cut for Week 5

Gabe Davis, Jacksonville Jaguars – 37.8% Rostered

Davis had six catches, 10 targets, and 105 yards in the season's first two weeks. He scored 7.7 and 5.8 half-PPR points. It wasn’t great, but it was bench-worthy. Since then, it’s been the Brian Thomas Jr. and Christian Kirk show for the Jaguars’ passing offense.

In Weeks 2 and 3, Davis has combined for 11 targets, three receptions, and 16 yards. He’s scored a combined total of 3.1 half-PPR points. Meanwhile, Kirk has 22 targets, 15 receptions, 140 yards, and a touchdown en route to 27.5 half-PPR points in Weeks 2 and 3. Over that same period, Thomas has 18 targets, 11 receptions, 134 yards, and a score. He’s scored 26.2 half-PPR points.

He’s taken a backseat to these two players, and tight end Evan Engram isn’t even playing. Engram will likely garner more attention from Trevor Lawrence than Davis. He’s nothing more than a boom-or-bust WR7, and based on Jacksonville’s offensive production, there will be many more busts.

Demarcus Robinson, Los Angeles Rams – 34.3% Rostered

Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington have taken over the last two weeks since Kupp and Nacua were injured. Atwell has 11 targets, eight receptions, and 175 yards. He’s scored 21.5 half-PPR points. Whittington has 11 targets, nine receptions, and 90 yards. Most came in Week 4 when he had eight targets, six receptions, and 62 yards.

Robinson, expected to be the biggest beneficiary of the injuries to Kupp and Nacua, has just seven targets, three receptions, and 69 yards in the past two weeks combined. He’s scored 3.7 and 4.7 half-PPR points. Despite the injuries at receiver, Robinson has yet to score more than seven half-PPR points in a game.

If you want to roster and start a Rams receiver, Atwell or Whittington should be the choice. Robinson can safely be cut.

Other Players That Can Be Cut: Curtis Samuel, Buffalo Bills – 22.6% Rostered, Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers – 19.6% Rostered, Adonai Mitchell, Indianapolis Colts – 14.8% Rostered, Tyler Johnson, Los Angeles Rams – 10.2% Rostered, Jahan Dotson, Philadelphia Eagles – 7.8% Rostered

Uh-Oh...

Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 95.7% Rostered

We’re not cutting White, but it’s getting ugly and scary. He was drafted as a top-15 running back. He probably shouldn’t be valued as a top-25 running back for the rest of the season. Honestly, the top 30 might even be pushing it. Few players have seen their value fall quickly and as hard as his.

He has 115 rushing yards on 41 carries. That’s a 2.8-yard per-carry average. Bucky Irving has 203 yards on 35 carries. That’s a 5.8-yard per-carry average. For fantasy football, however, rushing attempts aren’t all that valuable. We want to prioritize goal-line touches and targets, where White had continued to hold the edge.

This past weekend, however, Irving got a goal-line carry and scored. He’s also recorded four receptions, five targets, and 20 yards receiving in the past two weeks. Irving is getting more involved near the end zone and in the passing game. That could be catastrophic for White. This could end up being an ugly 50/50 committee, but due to Irving’s production and White’s inefficiency, this backfield could swing Irving’s way.

On The Hot Seat

Carson Steele, Kansas City Chiefs – 64.0% Rostered

I wouldn't blame you if you cut Steele after his Week 4 performance. He finished with two carries for six yards and a lost fumble. He ended up with negative 0.9 half-PPR points. He did not record a touch after the first quarter.

Meanwhile, Kareem Hunt had 14 carries for 69 yards. He also had two receptions, three targets, and 16 yards. He’s on the hot seat here because we don’t want to jump to conclusions after just one game completely, but it seems that Hunt will be the lead back moving forward.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire could be back from IR soon, although we have no indication that will happen. If he does return, it’s possible Steele could fall even further down the depth chart. I’d try to give him one more week on the bye to see how this backfield shakes out, but based on what we saw in Week 4, if you have to cut him, it seems you will not regret it moving forward. Not with Hunt now in Kansas City.

Keenan Allen, Chicago Bears – 84.8% Rostered

Allen missed Weeks 2 and 3. He returned this past weekend and finished with three catches on three targets. He recorded just 19 yards. More importantly, Rome Odunze stayed on the field in two-receiver sets with D.J. Moore, a role Allen had held in Week 1.

It’s possible that was just because it was Allen’s first week back. However, if that’s the case moving forward, that’ll be a big knock to Allen’s value. Chicago uses 12-personnel quite a bit with Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett, and if Allen is playing behind Odunze on those sets, he’ll lose out on quite a few snaps and routes.

The bigger problem is Chicago’s ineptitude on offense. Allen is not used downfield and is not a threat after the catch. He makes his fantasy value on touchdowns and receptions. However, the Chicago offense isn’t scoring many touchdowns right now. Their inability to sustain drives leads to fewer plays.

Fewer plays equal fewer opportunities for targets, as does losing his spot in 12-personnel. Allen could look very much like Jaxon Smith-Njigba did last year for Seattle.

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens – 93.7% Rostered

Can we cut Andrews just four weeks into the season? It’s hard to believe we’re even debating that question. Conventional wisdom says that it can’t be this bad. It’s bound to get better. That’s probably true, but how much better? Because he’s so far down the hole that even a good deal better won’t matter.

Andrews has posted back-to-back goose eggs. He’s recorded just one target in back-to-back weeks. That’s even more concerning than the zero fantasy points. He’s not even getting targets. To be fair to Andrews, no Baltimore pass-catcher has done much in the past two weeks as they’ve dominated the Cowboys and Bills due to Derrick Henry.

There will be games where the running attack isn’t as effective, and Baltimore has to throw the ball more. In those games, Andrews likely figures more into the game plan, but he won’t come close to meeting preseason expectations and ADPs.

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