The Cut List - Time to Let Go? Who to Drop for Fantasy Football Week 16

December 16, 2025

Rob's fantasy football players to drop when making waiver wire moves for Week 16 (2025). He helps fantasy football managers decide on who to cut from rosters.

There are only two weeks left of the fantasy football season. Most leagues are in the semi-finals of their playoffs, playing for a berth in the championship. While some fantasy managers consider making what some call "grenade drops", defined as dropping players who are widely viewed as talented but who have been highly disappointing, I've never been a believer in this strategy. Some names that would qualify as such a drop are Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker III, and Justin Jefferson.

While these guys have been highly disappointing, and it's hard to start any of them with confidence, I don't want to risk dropping players universally agreed upon as talented, just for them to be picked up by my opponent, started, and then go off. In that scenario, we'll be left saying, "I should have known." If you don't want to start them, don't start them, but you can always find someone else to cut without cutting one of these highly talented players.

This article will identify players who can safely be cut in 12-team leagues. Be sure to also check out my waiver wire article for Week 16, because with almost every cut, there's a new addition we welcome to our team.

Running Backs to Consider Cutting

Kareem Hunt - 60.5% Rostered and Isiah Pacheco - 59.4% Rostered, Kansas City Chiefs

This backfield has been a committee all year. When healthy, Pacheco has operated as the primary early-down back, but Hunt handled the passing downs and goal-line work. That left Hunt as a touchdown-dependent RB3, with a fairly limited ceiling due to his lack of volume. Pacheco's ceiling was also capped because he rarely ever found the end zone. This left both players with a weekly range of outcomes between five and 12 half-PPR PPPG.

That's not really anything worth getting excited about. That was with the great Patrick Mahomes under center. Now, with Mahomes on season-ending IR due to a torn ACL, both players' ceilings become even more limited. For Pacheco, the loss of Mahomes means fewer touches because drives won't last as long. For Hunt, it means fewer scoring opportunities. In the end, neither player can be started with any sort of confidence.

Given the team's current situation, neither player offers any reasonable upside, so fantasy managers can continue stashing either player. Even when Pacheco missed a few weeks, despite Hunt's workhorse role, he largely hovered around backend RB2 value. Again, that was with Mahomes under center. With both running backs healthy and Mahomes out, both players should be viewed as desperate RB4 starts with boring ceilings.

Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings - 55.8% Rostered

Mason is nothing more than a touchdown-dependent RB4 on an up-and-down offense that is impossible to predict. Since the team's Week 6 bye, encompassing nine games, Mason has over 50 rushing yards in just two of them. During this stretch of games, Mason has just three double-digit half-PPR points games, and they've all occurred when Mason has found the end zone. Unfortunately, for fantasy managers, his high was just 11.7 half-PPR points.

In the six games where Mason did not find the end zone, he's averaging just 3.5 half-PPR PPG. In his non-touchdown scoring games, Mason's point range has been 1.1 points to 5.3 half-PPR points. While Mason has a great matchup in Week 16 against the Giants, there's simply no way fantasy managers can trust him given his touchdown-dependence and the inconsistent nature of the Minnesota offense.

Other Running Backs to Consider Cutting:

• Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints - 86.4% Rostered
• Bam Knight, Arizona Cardinals - 40.2% Rostered
• Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans - 32.3% Rostered
• Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars - 22.8% Rostered

Wide Receivers to Consider Cutting

Stefon Diggs, New England Patriots - 92.4% Rostered

I was willing to give Diggs another shot on my bench after two disastrous performances in Weeks 13 and 14, despite the concerning underlying data points. Unfortunately, those data points continued in Week 15 and now make Diggs an impossible player to trust. In Weeks 13 and 14, Diggs had just a 56.4% route share. In Week 15, his route share clocked in at 57%. Those numbers are incredibly concerning. From Weeks 4-12, Diggs' route share was 68.5%.

Due to fewer routes, Diggs' target total has decreased as well. From Weeks 4-12, his target share was 23.5% and averaged 6.6 targets per game. From Weeks 13-14, his target share was just 12.9% and his target per game fell to 4.0. That remained consistent this past weekend when Diggs finished with just four targets.

Diggs has now failed to eclipse 30 yards in three straight games and has not had a game with more than four targets since Week 11. Since Week 13, Diggs is averaging just 3.7 half-PPR PPG. There's no way Diggs should be anywhere close to a starting lineup right now, but he's played his way into being a player fantasy managers can consider cutting.

Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs - 84.4% Rostered

The last and only time Worthy has scored double-digits was in Week 4. In 11 games since Week 4, Worthy has two games with more than 60 receiving yards. He has just one touchdown all year. Since Week 5, Worthy is averaging just 7.2 half-PPR PPG. A big reason for Worthy's disappointing second season is his lack of volume. He's not getting enough opportunities.

Since returning in Week 4, Worthy has just a 16.2% target share and is averaging 5.9 targets per game. Worthy has been nothing more than a WR4, and despite how he's viewed as a deep-ball threat with a high weekly ceiling, that's never materialized. Now, without Mahomes, every Chiefs' offensive skilled player other than Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce becomes impossible to trust. While his Week 16 matchup against the Titans may be appealing, his Week 17 matchup against the Broncos is brutal.

Other Wide Receivers to Consider Cutting:

• Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers - 83.5% Rostered

Keenan Allen's Production Continues to Decline https://t.co/kg1vkVhL9a

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) December 13, 2025

• Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers - 66.4% Rostered
• Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns - 63.8% Rostered
• Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts - 52.9% Rostered

I’m rooting for him and it could work against a depleted Niners defense but…

Philip Rivers went 2-8 for 33 pass yards, INT on throws of 10+ air yards (4.7 rating)
- 16-18, 87 pass yards, 1 pass TD, 0 INT on throws under 10 air yards (105.3 rtg)

— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) December 15, 2025

• Cooper Kupp, Seattle Seahawks - 49.9% Rostered
• Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons - 45.8% Rostered
• Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills - 44.2% Rostered

Tight Ends to Consider Cutting

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots - 79.9% Rostered

Henry has been incredibly disappointing since Week 5. Since that time, Henry has averaged just 7.0 half-PPR PPG. However, this includes a 21-point outing against the Bengals, who are in the midst of allowing the most points to tight ends by a wide margin. If we eliminate that game, a clear outlier during this stretch, Henry is averaging just 5.4 half-PPR PPG.

What happened to the #Patriots in the second half yesterday?

Hunter Henry: "Just didn't come out to play, man. Just not good enough all around... It just wasn't good enough, man ... We've got to finish and find a way." pic.twitter.com/HP2UrF0QDf

— Jones & Keefe (@JonesandKeefe) December 15, 2025

Since Week 5, not factoring in his game against Cincinnati, Henry has only one game where he's scored over 7.5 half-PPR points. Henry closes out his fantasy football season with matchups against the Ravens and the Jets. Baltimore is allowing 8.6 half-PPR PPG to tight ends this season, which is the sixth-fewest. New York is giving up just 10.1 half-PPR PPG to tight ends, 13th-fewest in the league. Given how poorly he's performed lately and how brutal his final two matchups are, fantasy managers can safely consider cutting Henry.

Other Tight Ends to Consider Cutting:

• Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers - 62.0% Rostered
• Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints - 56.8% Rostered
• Evan Engram, Denver Broncos - 41.9% Rostered

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