Weekend Players To Cut for Week 9 Lineups - Joe Mixon, Travis Hunter, Kyler Murray, Darnell Mooney, Calvin Ridley, Joe Burrow, Brock Purdy, Jerry Jeudy, Justin Fields, Darren Waller, Bhayshul Tuten, Tez Johnson

November 1, 2025

Updated weekend fantasy football cut list rankings for Week 9 of 2025. The top fantasy football players to drop and cut from rosters including Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley, Brock Purdy, others

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Cut List Rankings for fantasy football Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season. With TNF in the books and the main slate just hours away, let's take a look at some players we can cut to fill any last-minute holes in our standing lineups.

In this week's edition, we will spotlight a few underperforming veteran wideouts and a quarterback who could finally be nearing a return from a lengthy injury.

So, which injured or disappointing players is it time to get rid of for fantasy football lineups? Read about our top players to cut for Week 9 of the NFL season. Good luck, RotoBallers!

Who To Drop for Fantasy Football Week 9?

The top players to consider cutting for fantasy football, in priority order. Players at the top of the list should be dropped first and replaced on the waiver wire:

Fantasy Football Drop Candidates

Read the recent news and fantasy outlooks of some of the top cut candidates:

Calvin Ridley, WR - TEN (Cut List Ranking No. 24)

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport lists Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (hamstring) as a potential trade candidate ahead of next Tuesday's deadline. The Titans are clearly rebuilding for the future and are already getting long looks at rookie receivers Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike in 2025, with Ridley missing the last two games due to a hamstring injury.

Ridley has yet to practice this week, too, so he's likely to miss a third straight game this weekend against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9. However, as long as the veteran pass-catcher's hamstring issue isn't a long-term one, WR-needy contenders could be willing to trade for him as they look to make a run in the second half of the season. At this point, a trade out of Tennessee might be the only thing to save Ridley's fantasy value the rest of the year.

The former first-rounder has yet to score a touchdown and has only 16 catches for 290 yards through eight weeks. He is only worth stashing in deeper leagues for the time being.

Michael Carter, RB - ARI (Cut List Ranking No. 25)

The Arizona Cardinals announced on Tuesday that they re-signed running back Michael Carter to their practice squad and released running back D'Ernest Johnson in a corresponding move. The move to add Carter back to the team was made after they released him on Monday. Coming out of their Week 8 bye, the Cardinals currently only have Bam Knight and Emari Demercado (ankle) on the active 53-man roster at the RB position, so if Demercado cannot play in Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboys, Carter will most likely rejoin the active roster this weekend.

The 26-year-old was Arizona's lead back for the first game after Trey Benson landed on Injured Reserve, but Knight took over lead-back duties the following week and hasn't looked back. Carter is only averaging 2.8 yards on the ground on 35 rushing attempts in his four games in 2025 with the Cardinals and is a safe cut in all formats.

Marvin Mims Jr., WR - DEN (Cut List Ranking No. 18)

Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (concussion) is missing his second straight day of practice this week on Thursday due to a concussion that he suffered in the Week 8 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, according to Zac Stevens of DNVR Sports. Mims still has one more day to try and get back on the practice field, but as of now, things aren't looking good for him getting cleared to play this Sunday in Houston against the Texans.

The 23-year-old continues to be a boom-or-bust WR4/flex option in deeper fantasy leagues in Denver's offense in 2025, having posted only two double-digit-point performances in half-PPR scoring through eight weeks. Mims also has five games where he's recorded under 5.0 half-PPR points. Second-year wideout Troy Franklin has been more consistent than Mims, is coming off a two-touchdown game, and will be the primary beneficiary if Mims is inactive this weekend.

He is only worth holding in deep 14+ team formats.

Isiah Pacheco, RB - KC (Cut List Ranking No. 33)

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (knee) is not practicing on Thursday for the second straight day this week, according to Rob Collins of FOX4 Kansas City. Pacheco is considered week-to-week after suffering an MCL sprain late in the win over the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football. Nothing is official yet, but fantasy managers should not be expecting the 26-year-old to be active for Sunday's road tilt versus the Buffalo Bills, especially with the Chiefs' bye coming next week.

The good news for Pacheco is that due to the timing of the bye next week, he could only end up missing one game. With Pacheco likely sidelined this weekend, veteran Kareem Hunt should take over RB1 duties in KC's backfield, with rookie Brashard Smith also seeing an uptick in playing time, putting him on the RB3/flex radar in fantasy football.

Despite the injury concern, he is a firm hold heading into Week 9.

Brock Purdy, QB - SF (Cut List Ranking No. 29)

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (toe) remained a limited participant in practice on Thursday, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. Purdy has been slowly improving from a turf-toe injury that he aggravated in Week 4, but he has yet to upgrade to a full participant in practice, and until he does so, he probably won't be cleared to play this Sunday on the road against the New York Giants in Week 9.

The Niners could be targeting a big Week 10 divisional tilt next Sunday, Nov. 9, against the Los Angeles Rams for Purdy to return. The 25-year-old signal-caller has now had eight straight limited practices. Fantasy managers should not plan on having Purdy this weekend, as it looks like another week of backup Mac Jones running the offense.

Purdy has been a massive fantasy disappointment so far in 2025, playing in only two games due to his turf-toe injury. However, when active, he should carry low-end QB1 upside, making him a fine hold in all standard leagues.

Darnell Mooney, WR - ATL (Cut List Rankings No. 22)

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (hamstring) closed out the week with full participation in practice on Friday and heads into Sunday without an injury designation. The 28-year-old was able to muster just one grab on four targets last week despite Drake London (hip) missing the contest with an injury.

The veteran receiver has failed to produce consistently this year, catching two passes or fewer in three of the five games he's played in, and has yet to find the end zone. With Bijan Robinson's expanded role in the passing attack in 2025 and Kyle Pitts Sr. finding consistency, Mooney has been pushed down in the pass-catcher pecking order.

With London likely to see a lot of cornerback Christian Gonzalez, things could open up a bit for Mooney, but the Pats have limited opposing offenses to 194.7 pass yards per game over the last three games (ninth-fewest) and just 18.3 points per game on the season (fourth-fewest), leaving Mooney as an unexciting WR4/Flex for Week 9.

Waiver Wire Articles

After diving into the cut list rankings, read about some waiver wire pickups to consider instead:

• Week 9 waiver wire pickups (all positions)
• Week 9 running back waiver wire pickups
• Week 9 wide receiver waiver wire pickups
• Week 9 tight end waiver wire pickups
• Week 9 quarterback waiver wire pickups
• Week 9 defense (D/ST) streamers and pickups
• Week 9 kicker streamers and pickups
• Week 9 FAAB waiver wire bids

Each week, our NFL team puts out a complete array of fantasy football waiver wire articles to compliment our slick Who Should I Pickup? Waiver wire player comparison tool. Bookmark it!

In addition, be on the lookout for our other waiver wire articles all season long. We will be releasing weekly waiver wire articles for each position, FAAB bidding recommendations, streamers and more throughout the week.

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