With injuries increasing each week, it is getting more important to make sure you manage your fantasy football roster efficiently. That means cutting the dead weight. The easiest positions to cut are the ones that you only need to start one of.
You should most likely not be rostering multiple QBs, TEs, Kickers, or DST. Since you (typically) only start one player at those positions, there are usually competent waiver adds available. When it comes to RBs and WRs it is important to make sure that you have the right kind of depth.
Your bench spots should primarily be used on players that have the potential for big jumps in value as the season moves on. This can be a running back that could earn a workhorse role due to injury, a player that will return from injury, or a rookie that develops. These are not the kinds of guys that you should be dropping to make room for the weekly waiver adds or free agent additions to your team.
You should be dropping roster cloggers. These are players that are not likely to find their way onto your starting lineup even if things went right for them. These players might be getting phased out of their offenses. They may just not be performing up to what was originally expected of them. Whatever the scenario is, this article identifies some players at each position that you can consider dropping if you need an extra roster spot on your fantasy football team.
Quarterbacks
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears (52.8% Rostered, 5.8% Started)
I will admit, I was hopeful Justin Fields would get off to a decent start once he was given the chance. Fields’ debut performance was a major let down. He only completed six of his 20 pass attempts for just 68 yards. In addition to that, he only rushed the ball three times for just 12 yards. With a full week of starter reps at practice I was hoping we would see more designed runs. Next week could be a decent bounce-back opportunity, but I will not be starting him unless I absolutely have to.
If you play in a single QB league and are stashing Fields on your bench, there are better options to consider. Players like Alexander Mattison, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Chuba Hubbard are all on less than 60% of fantasy football rosters according to ESPN. We’ve seen starting running backs go down each week this year, and the replacements will cost a lot through free agency. By dropping your second QB, you can add a running back that’s an injury away from potentially earn a lead role.
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (54.5% Rostered, 7% Started)
Lawrence has been on this list in back-to-back weeks. And in these consecutive weeks he has thrown two interceptions. In addition to his two interceptions, Lawrence also lost two fumbles on back-to-back drives to end the game in Week 3. Luckily for the majority of fantasy football managers, he was not in their starting lineups. With so many turnovers it is going to be very hard to feel comfortable starting Lawrence any time soon.
Lawrence plays on Thursday night this week as well. So locking up that bench spot on an early game limits your flexibility if you have any injuries that you need to adjust for later in the week.
Running Backs
Ronald Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (60.7% Rostered, 3.1% Started)
Ronald Jones was already on the clogger watchlist. Jones is being considered an actual roster clogger for the first time this season. The problem with Jones is Bruce Arians, who has referred to him as the starter on multiple occasions. But based on his usage it is time to move on. Trading Jones is obviously preferable, but if that is not possible your fantasy football roster will be better off without him taking up one of your valuable bench spots.
Jones was on the field on just 12 snaps, compared to 33 and 26 snaps for Bernard and Fournette respectively. Jones did lead the team in carries (5), but he only averaged 2.2 yards per carry. With limited snaps and limited production, it will be nearly impossible to feel good about him being in your lineup.
It feels bad to move on from a guy on such a good offense, but he is clearly the 3rd RB on the team. He will not have any significant value unless there is an injury.
David Johnson, Houston Texans (51.2% Rostered, 2.0% Started)
This offseason the Texans brought in several veteran running backs to share the work with David Johnson. Last year Johnson ran for 691 yards and six touchdowns, with an additional 314 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Through three games it is clear that those numbers are not probable in 2021. Johnson is clearly the third option in the rushing game behind Mark Ingram and Phillip Lindsay. Johnson only has 11 carries compared to 46 and 20 for Ingram and Lindsay respectively.
This offseason the Texan’s coaching staff suggested that Johnson would take over the pass-catching back. He does lead the RBs in receiving production, but that’s only six targets through the first three games. With his lack of rushing attempts and targets he will be completely touchdown dependent.
Wide Receivers
Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs (51.3% Rostered, 3.8% Started)
Mecole Hardman is the only player that has been on the roster cloggers list each week. Each week his rostership percentage has decreased, while the start percentage has been pretty steady. Week 3 was Hardman’s best fantasy week this season, but he only had four targets. He caught three of them for just 33 yards, but one of the receptions was a touchdown.
Even though he had a decent fantasy day he was 3rd in snaps and routes run for the Chiefs. Hardman can not be considered a starting option until he starts to develop steady usage week-to-week. With him scoring a touchdown in Week 3, you may be able to trade him for a player that could find their way into your lineup at some point.
On Monday, the Chiefs signed WR Josh Gordon. Though I do not expect Gordon to be a major part of the offense, he could be involved. If he takes any of the limited work that Hardman is getting now, Hardman will be even more boom or bust on a weekly basis.
Tight Ends
Jonnu Smith, New England Patriots (75.6% Rostered, 28% Started)
Jonnu Smith signed a lucrative contract with the Patriots this offseason. However, Smith is off to a bit of a rocky start fantasy-wise. Through three games, Smith has not scored a touchdown or had more than 42 receiving yards in a single game. In fact, the entire Patriots offense has been a bit rough. Through three games, the Patriots have only scored more than 20 points once.
The tight end position is tricky once you get past the top couple players. If you do not have one of the top options you just need to pay attention to utilization from week-to-week. Smith has had at least five targets in each game this season, but has only caught 10 passes for 70 yards.
Until the Patriots get more efficient and Jonnu gets more involved, it is gonna be hard to count on him in fantasy football. Jonnu is another player that does have some fantasy value still though. So you may be able to trade him for another piece that could be better for your team.
Roster Clogger Watch
Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears (49.2% Rostered, 3.9% Started)
Darnell Mooney is technically just below the threshold I have set to be considered a roster clogger but I wanted to bring him up. In Weeks 1-2, Mooney had 5 and 6 receptions respectively. However, in Week 3 he only caught 1 of his 4 targets. I am not ready to pull the plug yet. Mooney is a player that could soon be an easy drop candidate, especially if Fields does not step up in the coming weeks.
Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills (83.0% Rostered, 22.6% Started)
The Buffalo Bills have had confusing usage at the RB position this season. After Zack Moss was a healthy scratch in Week 1, he was featured in my Week 2 article in the watch list. But that week, Moss had two rushing touchdowns. Devin Singletary led the team in rush attempts and yardage and scored a touchdown of his own. However, in Week 3 Moss outsnapped Singletary by 12 snaps. Moss led the team in carries and rushing yardage in Week 3. I am not sure that we need to panic on Singletary yet, but we certainly need to monitor the usage moving forward.
