RADIO
Justin Carter identifies players that need to finally be cut or dropped in deep dynasty leagues, as they are no longer worth a bench stash. These RB and WR are fallers and carry little to no fantasy football value.
If there's one thing I'm guilty of in fantasy football, it's holding onto players in dynasty leagues way, way beyond the point where I should have just dropped them.
Sometimes, I'm rewarded by being able to start Wendell Smallwood during a time where the rest of my team is injured, but usually the result is that I just have a bench spot filled by Samaje Perine and I don't have any valid explanation why.
Let's do some late-Spring cleaning today. Here are some players who we all should just go ahead and drop in our dynasty leagues.
Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.
Dynasty Players To Definitely Drop
Samaje Perine - RB, Washington Redskins
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we all fell for Perine a couple of years ago, but all indications in Washington are that we just need to cut the ties and let him go.
Perine rushed for 603 yards as a rookie, but last year he rushed for just 32 yards in five games. That level of usage came with the team's rookie running back, Derrius Guice, out for the season with a knee injury, so factor his return in as well, and there's a far better chance that Perine gets cut than there is that he makes any kind of positive impact in Washington.
And if he is set free, is there any chance he contributes to a different team? Ehh. We only have one real year of production to look at, but in 2017 Perine was 74th among running backs in production premium. He was 54th in yards per touch, 55th in breakaway run rate, and 52nd in yards per carry against base fronts. Y'all, it wasn't pretty, and I can't really see Perine showing up on another team's depth chart and doing enough to make him worth a spot on a dynasty roster, so join me in sending him to the waiver wire.
Ameer Abdullah - RB, Minnesota Vikings
Y'all, it seems like forever ago that Ameer Abdullah was captivating the hearts of Lions fans with his impressive preseason performance, but a quick Google search shows me that that was just 2015? Oh!
Abdullah is a Viking now, and he was a Viking last year as well. And while Abdullah did return 10 kickoffs for the Vikings, he earned just one offensive touch. Any hopes that he'd pick up more of the offensive load with Latavius Murray gone evaporated when the team drafted Alexander Mattison, so go ahead and cut Abdullah if you haven't yet.
Dynasty Players To Probably Drop
Alex Smith - QB, Washington Redskins
I like Alex Smith. My wife is a big Chiefs fan, so I grew to really admire him over his last couple of seasons in Kansas City. But last year's devastating leg injury has already cost him a 2019 season, and I'd be a little surprised if we ever see Alex Smith start an NFL game again. I'd be surprised to even see him on a roster.
In Superflex leagues, though, the quarterback position gets really scarce, so I'm not going to judge anyone for holding onto Smith. In one-quarterback dynasty leagues? Go ahead and move on from him. You'll be sad about it, but it's the best move for your team.
Jake Butt - TE, Denver Broncos
Jake Butt had a lot of promise coming out of Michigan, but ACL injuries have cost him all but three games during his first two years in the league. Butt caught eight passes for 85 yards last season, but while he was a consistent threat in college for the Wolverines, his NFL outlook at this point is fuzzy.
Players come back from knee injuries, but Butt's had three ACL issues during his playing career, so it's time to wonder if he's one of those guys who won't be able to come back from it, or if he's capable of staying healthy. Meanwhile, the Broncos spent an early draft pick on Iowa tight end Noah Fant, who should offer the team an actual playmaking threat at the position and someone who can help the team transition to rookie quarterback Drew Lock at some point. This means that Butt's ultimate outlook is as the number-two tight end on a team that doesn't project to be that dynamic moving forward.
Dynasty Players To Consider Dropping In Shallower Leagues
Ricky Seals-Jones - TE, Arizona Cardinals
I've been part of the Ricky Seal-Jones fandom for a couple of years now, which means that yes, I own him in all my dynasty leagues.
Or, rather, owned him, because in my shallowest dynasty league (a 10-teamer with 28-player rosters), I went ahead and dropped him after our rookie draft. I liked what I had at tight end. I didn't like what the numbers suggested in terms of tight end usage for the Cardinals based on what Kliff Kingsbury's offense did at Texas Tech. I didn't like how the rest of the team's receiving options were stacking up, especially in terms of how the team was heavily invested in wide receivers. Seals-Jones is going to be pretty far down in the pecking order and he hasn't really done much when he's been on the field, so...yeah, sorry RSJ!
Cameron Meredith - WR, New Orleans Saints
I was a big fan of Meredith going to the Saints last year, but he played in just six games, caught nine passes, and had knee surgery in the offseason. With the Saints already having some strong receiving options, I don't see Meredith being much more than just a guy that you hold onto and never play, so I'd move on from him in shallow leagues.
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