Weekend Players To Cut for Week 3 Lineups - Jonathon Brooks, Alec Pierce, Marvin Harrison, Kenny Gainwell, Jakobi Meyers, Jonah Coleman

September 26, 2026

Updated weekend fantasy football cut list rankings for Week 3 of 2026. The top fantasy football players to drop and cut from rosters include Jordan Mason, Josh Jacobs, and more.

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Weekend Cut List Rankings for fantasy football Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season. With many top players in danger of missing the weekend action, many managers may need to cut ties with some underperforming players to fill their lineup.

Below, we will look at some of the most dropped players on Yahoo and determine whether managers should hold on or drop them ahead of the full Week 3 slate.

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 3 of the NFL season. Good luck, RotoBallers!

Who To Drop for Fantasy Football Week 3?

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:

Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants (Cut List Ranking No. 1)

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh confirmed on Wednesday that quarterback Jaxson Dart (knee) will have season-ending surgery on his meniscus, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. However, Harbaugh kept open the possibility of Dart returning if the team makes the postseason. The timeline for a meniscus repair is around four to six months, which would take us into January on the early end of Dart's recovery timeline.

For the Giants to have a shot at the playoffs, veteran QB Jameis Winston (or another signal-caller that the Giants trade for) will have to play much better than what was shown in the team's Monday night loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

In fantasy football single-year leagues, managers can drop Dart in favor of another healthy quarterback. The 23-year-old former 25th overall pick from Ole Miss has high-end, dual-threat upside at the position, but he is going to have to wait until 2027 to realize it.

Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers (Cut List Ranking No. 5)

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that the timeline for running back Jonathon Brooks (abdomen, groin) to return after undergoing core-muscle surgery is six to eight weeks, per Steve Reed of The Associated Press. Per Reed, Canales said that the return timeline with or without the surgery "would have been about the same," prompting the team to take the surgical route.

It's the latest in a long line of injury setbacks for Brooks, who has appeared in just five games since Carolina selected him in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Across two games in 2026 before getting injured, the 23-year-old recorded nine carries for 30 yards and two catches for 43 yards on three targets. With Brooks sidelined, Panthers RB1 Chuba Hubbard could take on an even larger share of the team's backfield work.

Carolina also hosted veteran running back Austin Ekeler for a workout on Wednesday, but no deal between the two parties has been announced yet.

Alec Pierce, WR, Indianapolis Colts (Cut List Ranking No. 12)

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (heel) is being placed on injured reserve after aggravating his surgically repaired left heel, head coach Shane Steichen said Wednesday, according to James Boyd. Pierce will miss at least four games while he rehabs the injury. Steichen said the Colts are hopeful Pierce can return at some point this season, but there is no firm timetable.

Pierce underwent surgery on the ankle/heel in March and missed most of the offseason before returning ahead of Week 1. He caught five passes for 72 yards across the first two games before aggravating the injury Sunday night against Kansas City.

Kenny Gainwell, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Cut List Ranking No. 31)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenny Gainwell has not had the type of impact with his new team that fantasy managers who drafted him thought he would have through the first two weeks of the 2026 season. In losses to the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, Gainwell has only seven rushing attempts for 25 yards (3.6 yards per carry) and has caught four of five targets for eight yards through the air in new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson's scheme.

The 27-year-old caught a whopping 73 passes for 486 yards and three touchdowns in 17 regular-season games last year in his lone season with the Pittsburgh Steelers with quarterback Aaron Rodgers checking down to him more often than not. There is still time for Gainwell to get more involved in Tampa, but his slow start is a reminder that he is not in Pittsburgh anymore.

The Bucs could look to get Gainwell more involved as a pass-catcher as they search for their first win in Week 3 against the visiting Minnesota Vikings, but he has quickly fallen out of favor in fantasy leagues and should be considered a volatile RB3/flex in PPR formats this weekend.

Jonah Coleman, RB, Denver Broncos (Cut List Ranking No. 28)

Denver Broncos rookie fourth-round running back Jonah Coleman (ankle) missed practice all week and has been ruled out for the team's Week 3 Sunday night game against the Los Angeles Rams, according to the team. Just when Coleman was becoming more interesting off the waiver wire, the 23-year-old is banged up and will not play this weekend.

RJ Harvey (hamstring) did not play in the Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, and J.K. Dobbins left with hamstring cramps and did not return.

It thrust Coleman into the spotlight, and he passed his first test in the NFL, carrying the ball 10 times for 39 yards and scoring his first NFL rushing touchdown. The University of Washington product also caught all three of his targets for 19 yards and gained more trust from the coaching staff and his teammates.

Unfortunately, fantasy managers who scooped Coleman off the waiver wire this week will need to keep him stashed as a potential backfield leader in Denver if the oft-injured Dobbins goes down with another injury. Dobbins should be Denver's primary early-down back on Sunday night, with Harvey operating in passing situations.

Waiver Wire Articles

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

• Week 3 waiver wire pickups (all positions)
• Week 3 FAAB waiver wire bids
• Week 3 running back waiver wire pickups
• Week 3 wide receiver waiver wire pickups
• Week 3 tight end waiver wire pickups
• Week 3 quarterback waiver wire pickups
• Week 3 defense (D/ST) streamers and pickups
• Week 3 kicker streamers and pickups

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