The Fantasy Basketball Cut List: Players to Drop or Hold - Part 2

November 11, 2026

Thunder Dan Palyo offers advice on which players to drop in fantasy basketball leagues as of November 11, 2026. He helps managers make those tough decisions on who to cut in order to add breakout players off the waiver wire.

I deliberately did NOT put out a cut list last week, because I wanted to try to let things shake out a bit more. But I think it's time to have some difficult discussions about some underperforming players, and I know that your patience is likely wearing thin with some of these players.

But which players deserve more time, and which players can we safely move on from? There's no grosser feeling than cutting a player right before they go on a big run (I did this with Daniss Jenkins last week in a league). But we also don't want to hold players so long that we miss out on really good pick-ups either.

It's a dangerous game we play! My goal, as always, is to help you make those tough calls on which players to drop and which players to hold onto for a little longer. Remember, I have created three lists to sort these players into based on how confident I am that they can be cut without negative consequences. These are based on standard 12-team leagues, so if you're playing in a league that is shallower or deeper, then some players are simply going to be more or less expendable in those formats.

The Cut List

All stats were current through Monday, November 9th.

Let's start with the big one - Ryan Rollins. I am sure I will get some pushback on this one!

Sure, he started last night. But only because Tyler Herro was out. He managed just 14-5-2, but did hit four threes in 24 minutes before the Bucks went down big and then played only two minutes in the fourth quarter. I'm just over the Bucks and their ridiculous rotations, and these blowouts are going to be commonplace, I fear. If he had major upside, he'd be worth holding, but what's even the best-case scenario for him as a starter with Tyler Herro hogging up shots and both youngsters (Brayden Burries and Kasparas Jakucionis) breathing down his neck?

Last time I tried to preach some patience with Mikal Bridges, but has he been any better since that rough first week and a half? Over his last three games, he's averaged just 6.7 points on 37.5% shooting. Josh Hart has even been out, and Bridges still can't get going on offense. His peripheral stats have perked up a bit, but the only fit for him right now would be on a punt-points team.

Jalen Green played better last night, and we should note that his low minutes were only due to the Suns blowing the doors off the Clippers. However, he's still a hollow player who is entirely scoring-dependent. He missed both free throws last night and isn't even helping you there right now. He's just a terrible 9-CAT player, and if he's going to be battling for minutes with Collin Gillespie and Luke Kennard all season, I just want nothing to do with him.

Oh, and I think we can move on from Collin Gillespie, too. He's pretty clearly the answer at point guard for this team, but the chances that they actually roll with him there, move Booker to shooting guard, and Jalen Green to the bench seem slim to none.

So the good news is that Andrew Wiggins actually scored 13 points last night, hitting two threes and shooting 5-for-8 from the field. The bad news? He didn't record a single counting stat and played just 18 minutes off the bench.

Throw it down, Wiggs! 😤

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) November 11, 2026

Maybe the bench role will help him recoup some value; who knows. But for now, he's cuttable. This one hurts, too, because I had targeted him in a bunch of leagues around pick 100 and I thought I had landed a major value. Pelle Larsson isn't going to relinquish the starting role anytime soon, and even tho Klay Thompson is no longer the shooter he once was, the Heat still need him to space the floor for Giannis.

We're going out of order a bit here, but we might as well toss Bobby Portis Jr. in here while we are talking about the Heat. He started the year with some big games, but his last two weeks have been bleak. He's averaging 4.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and just 0.7 threes while shooting 34% over his last seven games. His minutes have dropped into the teens, too. Yuck! Move on!

The DeMar DeRozan experiment in Denver isn't going so well. DDR has seen his playing time dip, and he's simply a guy who needs minutes and usage to have value. His rostership is a product of his notoriety and nothing else. How else can we explain a guy averaging 10-2-3 with no other stats rostered in 36% of leagues?

Reed Sheppard is a good NBA player, but he's just not viable right now, playing minutes in the teens. Marcus Smart has destroyed his value, and as long as Fred VanVleet is healthy, Sheppard is relegated to a very small role in Houston.

Precious Achiuwa got hurt last night and left the game early. If you needed a reason to move on from him, there it is. Dylan Cardwell was coming for his minutes eventually, anyway. And I know that Draymond Green had a few double-digit assist games, but I will contend that he still does more to hurt your team than help it - even in a punt-points build.

Injured Players

• Yves Missi
• Cason Wallace
• Jalen Williams
• Brandon Ingram

IL spots are crucial, and the number of spots that leagues carry can vary greatly. The latest update from Yahoo to enable managers to move players in and out more easily should be helpful, but if you only have one or two slots to stash guys, then I think these are some injured players not worth holding.

Yes, I did add Jalen Williams this time. I just don't know if he comes back, and if he does, if he'll have any real impact playing limited minutes. And I know there have been some positive Brandon Ingram updates, but I don't see him rushing back to this dumpster fire of a Clippers team anytime soon.

The Watch List

All stats were current through Monday, November 9th.

Let's try to kill two birds with one stone here and talk about both Bucks' bigs.

Myles Turner and Kel'el Ware are driving us nuts, but something has to give eventually, right? Turner looks like he wants out of town badly, and perhaps the Bucks can find a trade partner for him, which would free up minutes for Ware. Both players have their flaws, and I am not sure either guy is a winning player in real life, but they both possess really good fantasy skill sets, and therefore I think they're worth holding a bit longer until we see how this all plays out.

Jalen Smith played a season-high 30 minutes last time out, even with Nicolas Claxton making his season debut. Claxton will likely be on a minutes cap for a while, and we still don't know how the minutes will shake out once he's cleared for more. Smith is good enough that he could hang onto some late-round value if he forces a timeshare.

Christian Braun is not a fun player to roster during stretches like this, I know. Low usage players simply have to be uber-efficient to maintain their value, and Braun has had two bad shooting nights in a row. But the steals are still there, and so are the minutes. 9-CAT players give him some more time; if you're a points league player, then you can look elsewhere.

Paul Reed has been moved to the bench, but was still pretty productive last time out with 10 boards and four stocks. I had tweeted that he was a cut, and perhaps it was a bit hasty and reactionary. After all, I had him as a player to draft late in 12-teamers this year based on 20 minutes a night, which is where it looks like he could be until Jalen Duren returns. He's still really good on a per-minute basis, so if you need the defensive stats, then hang on for now.

Keegan Murray is someone I picked up when another manager dropped recently, and a guy who I was high on coming into the season. It was a gross preseason for him and then an injury right out of the gate, but he played pretty well last night, knocking down two threes and blocking four shots, reminding us of his potential.

Keegan put him in a blender 😮‍💨 https://t.co/fdVQvADK8r

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 11, 2026

Domantas Sabonis got hurt again and wants out of Sacto badly. Achiuwa is hurt now, too. Murray is intriguing if he works his way back into a starting role, and we have seen him put up really good numbers before. I hate investing in anything related to the Kings, but I have a soft spot for Keegan, as I think he's such a talented player.

Dillon Brooks has had a few stinkers in a row, but he's been pretty decent this year for him. Remember, this guy is really only a points, threes, and steals player anyway, so we shouldn't have very high expectations.

Julian Champagnie has two games with double-digit points in a row, and got a spot start with Devin Vassell out last time. He's staying on my rosters until Tobias Harris gets back, which will likely kill any value that Champagnie and Keldon Johnson have right now.

The Hold List

All stats were current through Monday, November 9th.

You would think that I need not include players like Matas Buzelis and Zach Edey on here, but based on the number of times I get asked about them, I felt compelled to do so.

Can I take a mini victory lap on Day'Ron Sharpe?

Day'Ron Sharpe vs. Hawks

· 12 PTS, 13 AST, 10 REB
· First career triple-double
· Most assists in a single game by a Nets center in franchise history https://t.co/2v63bh6MT1

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 8, 2026

If you dropped him, no judgment. But I'm glad I didn't. I think there will be plenty of days we want to drop him, with the Nets being bad. But these gems are what he's capable of and there just aren't too many players who can put up the type of lines that he can.

CJ McCollum is a player who I typically think is over-rostered in fantasy basketball. Well, at least the last few years, his scoring has really dipped, and his assists have dried up. But I actually like the move to the bench for him. If he can increase his efficiency, he'll be just fine.

Collin Murray-Boyles has bounced back nicely in his last few games. He's a little banged up right now, but hopefully he plays tonight. I think we continue to ride out any rocky games for a bit until we see what his role looks like in Toronto. There are so many variables in play right now between Kawhi's absence, Scottie Barnes's injury, and Jakob Poeltl's resurgence. Just hang tight!

Khaman Maluach has been much better since moving to the bench! I held the whole time, but if someone in your league dropped, go add him. Guys, he's a really talented young player who is only going to get better over the season. Trust me!

Cameron Johnson is super boring, and I know it's tempting to cut him if he has a few low-scoring nights. But his game is perfectly tailored to 9-CAT, and I think the Nuggets will get this thing figured out eventually.

Keaton Wagler isn't on the list here (whoops, my bad), but I think he's a decent stash right now. The Clippers are going to be very bad, and I think it's only a matter of time until he works his way into a bigger role.

Injured Players

• Anthony Edwards
• Kawhi Leonard
• Jaren Jackson Jr.
• Paolo Banchero
• Kon Knueppel
• Josh Hart
• Jalen Suggs
• Moussa Diabate
• Jusuf Nurkic
• Ja Morant

I get a ton of questions about which injured players are worth holding and which can be cut. Personally, I am probably holding all of these guys for now if I have enough spots, and I tried to rank them in the order that I would prioritize them. So if you have only one IR spot, but two of these players on your team, I'd hold the guy who is higher on the list!

Thanks for reading, and good luck making those tough calls on who to cut and keep!

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