We all know the feeling - you draft a guy with a ton of upside, knowing you're taking a real risk, in hopes that he will be an explosive force all season long. Year after year, more than a handful of players fail to live up to the hype. Here's a list of declining stars who can be dropped unilaterally in most fantasy football league formats.

Duds to Drop

Peyton Manning: Much like a once proud thoroughbred, this workhorse should be sent to the farm upstate. No, I’m not advocating euthanasia but it is time to put your Fantasy team out of its misery by releasing perhaps the greatest quarterback in football history. According to Yahoo Fantasy, only Nick Foles is rated lower than Peyton amongst all starting quarterbacks. Never one to shy away from throwing an interception, Manning leads the league in picks thrown at 17 and has not had a statline so bad since his rookie season when he threw for 3,739 yards with 26 yards and 28 interceptions. At 2,180 passing yards with only 9 touchdowns in 9 games, Peyton Manning is a shell of his former self and should be cut immediately.

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C.J. Spiller: His point total simply cannot meet his level of talent. In only two games this season did he tally double digits and with the tremendous play of Mark Ingram and the sudden usage of Tim Hightower (seriously, who thought this guy was still in the league?), Spiller has been a complete disappointment. Couple this with the fact that Spiller won’t be playing in week 11 due to a bye and he holds no more value riding your bench. Farewell, C.J.

Julius Thomas: His days connecting with Peyton Manning seem like a distant memory although it was only one year ago. Battling a hamstring injury that has plagued him since the beginning of this season which cost him four games, Thomas has seen a decrease in targets each of the last four games. Blake Bortles is quickly emerging as a star but with the Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson to throw to, Julius Thomas has proven to be invisible on the field.

Vernon Davis: Somehow, this guy is owned by 64% of fantasy teams according to Yahoo Fantasy. The passing game in Denver (see above) is in disarray and a player who has not been able to build a repoire with his quarterback is not someone you should trust. Davis failed to catch his lone target in his debut last week and this week, he had only two receptions for 19 yards on four targets while Owen Daniels saw 5 targets. The tight end situation in Denver is a nightmare and you should stay as far away from Vernon Davis as possible.

Matthew Stafford: He started the season decently, throwing for 532 yards and 4 touchdowns (albeit, he did have 3 interceptions) but his next three games were abysmal, throwing for 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. That 405 yard, 4 touchdown game is a perfect example of what Stafford can do when he has it going on. With a canon for an arm, and a pass-happy offense, it would be wise to hang on to a guy like Calvin Johnson because he WILL get targets. But logic tells us, the more he slings the football, the greater the chance that his throws will be picked off. He simply can’t be trusted to maintain a consistent level of play.

Ryan Tannehill: Mediocre. Perhaps that is the best word to describe him. Ryan Tannehill is developing into a solid NFL quarterback and I do believe he will exceed the value of someone like Matt Ryan by next season. But we’re talking about the 2015 Fantasy season and you simply can’t wait for this guy to come around. Tannehill is simply too unpredictable in terms of his performances. One week he has a near perfect quarterback rating while throwing for 4 touchdowns and the next week, he loses a fumble and gets picked off twice giving way to his worst output of the season. If you want to ensure yourself that you’ll have a QB that will probably give you 17 points a game, Ryan Tannehill is your guy. But he certainly is not mine.

Eddie Lacy: I know, it’s the end of the season and players are breaking down. But your first round pick has proven to be a replica of CJ Anderson, only this version is actually broken. Eddie Lacy has -1.0 points in the last two games. Let me repeat that: NEGATIVE ONE POINT ZERO. Yes, he was inactive during the Packers’ Week 10 matchup with the lowly Lions, but is now officially in a running back committee with James Starks for the rest of the season. Starks will be getting more snaps and if Starks is averaging 11 points per game, don’t expect Lacy to do the same. An injured Lacy playing is more of a threat to your team than not having Lacy at all. Handcuffs are important but I don’t envision Starks getting injured anytime soon.

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