Weekend Players To Cut for Week 12 Lineups - Sam LaPorta, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, Jayden Daniels, Joe Flacco, Keenan Allen, Kimani Vidal, Emari Demercado, Aaron Rodgers, more

November 22, 2025

Updated weekend fantasy football cut list rankings for Week 12 of 2025. The top fantasy football players to drop and cut from rosters include Sam LaPorta, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, Jayden Daniels, Joe Flacco, more.

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Cut List Rankings for fantasy football Week 12 of the 2025 NFL season. With the fantasy football home-stretch approaching, today we look at potentially droppable players like Joe Mixon, Justin Fields, Dalton Kincaid, Garrett Wilson, Sam LaPorta, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, Rhamondre Stevenson, Quentin Johnston and more.

In this Week 12 edition, we continue to focus on injured players expected to miss time, and players on bye who may be causing roster crunches. We're here to determine if fantasy managers should continue to stash them on their bench or cut ties in favor of short-term upside assets.

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 12 of the NFL season. Good luck, RotoBallers!

Who To Drop for Fantasy Football Week 12?

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:

Sam LaPorta, TE, Lions (Cut List Ranking No. 6)

According to Detroit Football Network's Justin Rogers, Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (back) is likely to miss the remainder of the season after successful surgery on his back. The 24-year-old was amid a rebound campaign, posting a 40/489/3 line before sustaining a back injury in their 44-22 win over the Commanders in Week 10.

However, his status quickly deteriorated, and he's now facing a significant recovery. Fellow tight end Brock Wright (ankle) will operate as Detroit's TE1 in his teammate's stead, with Ross Dwelley working in behind him. Neither projects to be particularly useful for fantasy.

Joe Mixon, RB, Texans (Cut List Ranking No. 5)

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle, foot) is not expected to play this season as he deals with a foot injury from the offseason, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Mixon will likely stay on the Physically Unable to Perform list through the end of the 2025 season, while the Texans move forward with veteran Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks in their backfield. Things had been trending this way for a while, as the Texans haven't been giving any real updates on Mixon for pretty much the entire season.

Fantasy managers who are still stashing the 29-year-old in redraft leagues should send him to the waiver wire now. Mixon's injury dates all the way back to spring workouts. One would think he'd be ready for the start of the 2026 campaign, but there has been little information about the exact nature of his injury. Marks, a fourth-rounder in April, has slowly started to see more work and should be the backfield leader over Chubb by the end of the year.

J.K. Dobbins, RB, Broncos (Cut List Rankings No. 1)

Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (foot) has a "significant" foot injury that will require season-ending surgery, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Dobbins suffered the injury in Week 10 and had already been ruled out for Denver's Week 11 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, but he will now be placed on Injured Reserve.

It's an unfortunate development for the oft-injured 26-year-old, who was having a solid season in his first year in Denver. Through 10 games, Dobbins had recorded 772 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 153 carries. With Dobbins sidelined, Broncos rookie running back RJ Harvey profiles as the team's RB1 for Week 11 and beyond. Fellow backs Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin could also factor in Denver, but neither profiles as a true threat to surpass Harvey.

Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers (Cut List Ranking No. 38)

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen was the only bright spot in the team's disastrous 35-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, posting four receptions for 53 yards on six targets. He led the team in every receiving category on a day when Justin Herbert threw for just 81 yards, and the offense gained only 135 total yards.

Allen's route rate had been trending down in recent weeks, but the veteran stepped up while the rest of the offense struggled to function. Even in a historically bad performance, Allen delivered a useful 9.3 PPR points. As the Chargers head into their desperately needed Week 12 bye, Allen still proves to be a reliable pass catcher heading into the fantasy playoff push.

Dalton Kincaid, TE, Bills (Cut List Ranking No. 33)

Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (hamstring) has been ruled out for Thursday night's matchup against the Houston Texans. Kincaid suffered a hamstring injury in Week 10's loss to the Miami Dolphins and will now miss his second straight game. Before going down, he was on pace for a breakout season, catching 29 of 36 targets for 448 yards and four touchdowns in just eight games.

With Kincaid sidelined, Dawson Knox will handle TE1 duties, while rookie Jackson Hawes is expected to see an increased role. However, Knox managed just one catch in Week 11, making him a risky fantasy replacement. Kincaid's next chance to return will be in Week 13 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jayden Daniels, QB, Commanders (Cut List Ranking No. 20)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow) is still expected to return to the starting lineup once doctors clear him from his elbow injury, but there has been external debate about whether it makes sense to bring Daniels back at all this year after the team has lost six games in a row to drop to 3-8, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler. Sources have said that Daniels could return as early as Week 13 against the Denver Broncos after their bye week, but the team has loosely braced for an absence of five to six weeks just in case.

The team's current standings and the fact that it's been an injury-plagued year for the second-year signal-caller could end up being enough to persuade the Commanders to pull the plug on Daniels for the rest of 2025. Washington could very well make a final decision on Daniels' future for this year during this week's bye.

Waiver Wire Articles

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

• Week 12 waiver wire pickups (all positions)
• Week 12 running back waiver wire pickups
• Week 12 wide receiver waiver wire pickups
• Week 12 tight end waiver wire pickups
• Week 12 quarterback waiver wire pickups
• Week 12 defense (D/ST) streamers and pickups
• Week 12 kicker streamers and pickups
• Week 12 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.

More Waiver Wire Analysis