The Cut List - Time to Let Go? Who to Drop for Fantasy Football Week 2

September 15, 2026

Rob's fantasy football players to drop when making waiver wire moves for Week 2 (2026). He helps fantasy football managers decide on who to cut from rosters.

Fantasy managers always need to be careful not to overreact to Week 1. This is especially true this year because games are averaging 53.3 points per game, not counting Monday Night's contest. Six games finished with more than 60 points. 10 teams had more than 65 snaps.

These kinds of stats can overinflate the box score stats we're so quick to analyze. As much as we don't want to overreact, disregarding new data points can be just as problematic because we may miss out on a gem just because we didn't want to buy in quite yet. We wanted to see it one more week.

When it comes to who to drop, especially so early in the season, we want not to be too aggressive, especially with some of the bigger names, so this first week's article will be fairly tame until we get new data. However, if you're looking to drop someone or one of the players listed below, be sure to check out my Week 2 waiver wire pickups article -- because every drop brings a new addition to the squad.

Quarterbacks to Consider Cutting

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans - 25.7% Rostered

No, we're not cutting Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott, or Justin Herbert because of poor Week 1 performances. The same goes for Baker Mayfield, and ideally, you can IR Kyler Murray. So, we're going to keep things simple and stick with Stroud.

He averaged under 15 PPG last year and wasn't even in the top-20. He doesn't use his legs. Their defense is one of the best in the league, eliminating Stroud's reason to air it out offensively. They can lean on their run game and play ball-control offense, lowering Stroud's fantasy potential.

Then there's the bigger concern that Stroud may just not be very good. With quarterbacks scoring more than ever and fantasy managers being more comfortable streaming quarterbacks, the options are fairly limited.

Other Quarterbacks to Consider Cutting:

• Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans - 9.0% Rostered
• Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers - 7.5% Rostered

Running Backs to Consider Cutting

Keaton Mitchell, Los Angeles Chargers - 21.3% Rostered

Fantasy managers were optimistic about Mitchell in Los Angeles with Mike McDaniel, especially after what he did with De'Von Achane. However, none of that materialized, and his usage didn't give fantasy managers much to get excited about.

He finished with fewer routes run than starter Omarion Hampton and didn't record a single target. He only logged four carries and finished with nine scrimmage yards.

You'd be totally forgiven if you wish to give Mitchell and this entire Chargers' offense a do-over in their first game with McDaniel calling plays, but you'd be justified if you have to move on.

There are also questions about Mitchell's true handcuff status to Hampton. Kimani Vidal played well last year after Hampton got hurt, and Mitchell's size doesn't really lend itself to being a true one-for-one handcuff to Hampton. While his role would obviously increase, there's reason to question just how much.

Other Running Backs to Consider Cutting:

• Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns - 18.8% Rostered
• Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens - 18.3% Rostered
• Kaleb Johnson, Green Bay Packers - 6.1% Rostered

Wide Receivers to Consider Cutting

Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars - 65.2% Rostered

Hunter is now a full-time defensive player. He logged just four snaps on offense, and the team made a concentrated effort to get him the ball when he was on the field. He finished with one carry, three routes, and one target. He had one catch for eight yards, and his lone carry accounted for three yards.

Parker Washington is now the team's undisputed No. 1 receiver, followed by the trio of Brenton Strange, Jakobi Meyers, and Brian Thomas Jr. Simply put, there are too many mouths to feed, and Hunter is simply far too low on the totem pole to have any fantasy relevance.

Other Receivers to Consider Cutting:

• Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans - 22.7% Rostered
• Cooper Kupp, Seattle Seahawks - 11.4% Rostered

Tight Ends to Consider Cutting

Terrance Ferguson, Los Angeles Rams - 27.5% Rostered

He came into the season with a lot of hype, but none of that showed itself in Week 1. He finished with 31 snaps to Colby Parkinson's 47. Parkinson also ran more routes than Ferguson, 19 to 14.

Ferguson is still having to contend for targets with the likes of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. When you're also the No. 2 tight end on your team in routes and snaps, production is going to be incredibly difficult to come by.

Ferguson finished with just one target, which he failed to catch. Parkinson had two, finishing with one catch for six yards. By the end of the season, we'll likely say their Week 1 game was a complete outlier, but until Ferguson's snap share and route share increase, it's hard to trust him. There are several other tight ends on the waiver wire with better utilization trends right now.

Other Tight Ends to Consider Cutting:

• Chig Okonkwo, Washington Commanders - 8.1% Rostered

Hold...

Romeo Doubs, New England Patriots - 61.1% Rostered

Doubs had an absolutely brutal performance in his first game as a member of the New England Patriots. He was targeted on one of Drake Maye's interceptions and had a horrible drop on second down, which led Maye to force the issue on the ensuing third down and throw another interception.

Not a great night so far for Romeo Doubs. Brutal drop.

(Drake Maye was picked off on the next play.)pic.twitter.com/xnXLMigp7p

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 10, 2026

Doubs finished third on the team in snaps despite the A.J. Brown injury. DeMario Douglas and Mack Hollins both finished with more snaps than the former Packer. Douglas finished with more routes. Hollins, Brown, and Douglas all finished with more targets than Doubs.

As bad as that first performance was, with AJ Brown going on IR and expected to miss the next six weeks, Doubs has new life. We shouldn't be completely writing him off after one game, after the Patriots gave him a decent amount of money and traded Kayshon Boutte. They'll need Doubs to be more involved to weather the storm of Brown's injury.

Fantasy managers should be holding Doubs despite the putrid start to his 2026 season. He's going to get a few games to figure things out with a new coach, offense, and quarterback.

Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings - 79.3% Rostered

Addison, like Doubs, also put a goose egg in Week 1. However, Minnesota was introducing a new starting quarterback, Kyler Murray, who got hurt early, and the team had to pivot to Carson Wentz. That's a lot of transition in Week 1 of a divisional game.

Last year, Weeks 4-8 with Wentz under center, Addison ranked:

• 7.3 Targets/G (WR16)
• 77.3 Receiving YPG (WR6)
• 2.09 YPRR (WR16)
• 13.4 Half-PPR PPG (WR12)

With Wentz expected to start in Week 2, Addison should stay on rosters. It's hard to start him right now after such a poor performance in Week 1, but Addison has proven to be an incredibly effective player, and there's no reason to make any rash decisions.

Trending Down

Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys - 86.0% Rostered

Last year, when CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens were both healthy, Ferguson averaged just 33 yards per game and had a 14.4% target share. He averaged 7.4 half-PPR PPG. Lamb and Pickens are no doubt going to get theirs, but the problem for Ferguson is that Ryan Flournoy has turned into another quality role player.

Flournoy had 54 targets, 40 receptions, 475 yards, and four touchdowns last year. That may not sound like a lot, but it's more than Dallas's WR3 had been producing previously. That extra production began to pinch Ferguson, and we saw the trend continue in Week 1.

Flournoy had five targets, and Ferguson finished with just two. Ferguson caught both targets for a very pedestrian six yards. He is no longer Dak Prescott's undisputed No. 3 target; now he's 3A or 3B, and that will greatly impact his fantasy production.

His overall numbers last year were a bit of a mirage because of Lamb's injury, which inflated Ferguson's efficiency. Now, with Lamb healthy and Flournoy a respectable role player, Ferguson will have a hard time carving out regular volume to remain fantasy-relevant.

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons - 96.7% Rostered

The entire reason Pitts is here is outside of his control, but alas, these reasons are just as real as if Pitts were struggling or injured. First and foremost, Cooper Rush was awful. Tua Tagovailoa breeds little confidence. Michael Penix Jr. doesn't either. The quarterback room in Atlanta dreadful.

Secondly, Pitts' utilization was a major red flag. Last year, Pitts played 89.4% of the team's snaps in 12-personnel. In Week 1, that snap rate dropped to 54.5%. To go along with that, Pitts' snap rate on early downs in 11-personnel dropped from 81% last year to 56% in Week 1.

Kyle Pitts finished with 0 yards on 1 target

What’s more concerning - Pitts only played 36 snaps (63%). His lowest in any game in 2025 was 45 snaps

— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) September 14, 2026

His reduced snap share hurt his target share. He finished with just one, which he failed to catch. Regardless of who the quarterback is, it's hard to imagine this offense supporting three high-end fantasy options. Bijan Robinson and Drake London aren't going anywhere, which leaves Pitts out in the rain.

That doesn't mean he won't be fantasy-relevant, but it's incredibly difficult to envision Pitts living up to his ADP.

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