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The Cut List (Week 4): Players To Consider Cutting Bait On

The All Stats A Salad boys--RotoBaller's Tony Peters and Ben Hamren-- are back with another installment of The Cut List. The NFL is a fiercely competitive place to be a part of and play within. With a limited amount of games to work with, teams don't have the liberty to keep running out a poor producer when there are other options on the roster nor can they keep a starting spot open for a non-elite player. Fantasy players in re-draft leagues should try to look at their roster the same way, as the early season waiver wire picks are far meatier than the slim pickets found around Week 8. If poor play isn't enough reason to cut the cord, we've come up with some other reasons to help persuade those still in need of convincing. The following players are recommended for immediate removal for better options.

All ownership rates are taken from Fleaflicker. Be sure to check out the weekly football (and NSFW) podcast, All Stats A Salad, by clicking here.

Editor's Note: Be sure to check out FantasyAces DFS contests. New users that sign up on Fantasy Aces and make a $20 deposit will receive RotoBaller's full season NFL Premium Pass for free (including Premium DFS), normally a $59.99 value. Expert DFS research, sample lineups, matchup ratings and lots more!

Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.

 

Week 4 Players to Consider Cutting or Replacing

Kamar Aiken (WR, BAL) - 30% Owned

WK3: 1-of-1 for five yards, zero TD
2016: 3-for-4, 19 yds, zero TD
WK4 Opponent: Doesn't matter

TONY: After a promising Week 1 where he was playing as the third wide receiver on the Ravens, wide receiver Kamar Aiken has been an absolute no-show. With quarterback Joe Flacco averaging just a hair under 40 passes a game this season, there's no reason to believe he's just suddenly going to start heavily targeting Aiken barring an injury. That he is owned 1% more than Flacco is a bit of a revelation.

All stats a salad...if I had Aiken on one of my teams, I would cut him loose for refusing to refer to Kobe Bryant as anything other than "Kobe Bean." I'd take Kobe Beef, Kobe Bo-Baby or even Konobos. But "Kobe Bean" is so disgustingly cute it makes my stomach turn just typing it out.

 

Justin Forsett (RB, BAL) - 59% Owned

WK3: seven rushes, 20 yards, zero TD; 6-of-7 for 12 yards, zero TD
2016: 31 rushes for 98 yards, 0 TD; 11-of-33 for 36 yards, zero TD
WK4 Opponent: Oakland (sixth in points allowed to RBs)

BEN: Remember before the season when the Ravens cut this guy? Doesn't seem like the worst idea in hindsight. Fellow back Terrance West is getting better action on the ground, so Forsett is there for that pass catching angle, right? 11-of-33 for 36 yards is not a sexy look. Forsett seems more like a veteran presence than a player expected to actually do things well at this point, which is sadly not a viable strategy in fantasy. Cinderella is dead, all hail the new Cinderella (who is DeAngelo Williams, by the way).

All stats a salad...I like Forsett as, at one point, he was a Seahawk, was a pro and college teammate of Marshawn Lynch before seemingly disappearing. But when a man has ideas like this--he has the hottest "Ratatouille" take I've seen in years--he needs to quit his day job and focus. Side bar, his Twitter profile pic is immaculate.

 

Jared Cook (TE, GB) - 42% Owned

WK3: 1-for-3 for 15 yards, zero TD
2016: 6-for-11 for 53 yards, zero TD
WK4 Opponent: Doesn't matter

TONY: Regardless on if he ends up missing time or not, tight end Jared Cook has been a massive bust this season in a lacking Packers' offense. With him likely to miss multiple weeks, backup Richard Rodgers (of the "Rodgers-and-Rodgers Connection") should be hungry to keep himself off the bench and working towards matching last season's eight touchdowns.

All stats a salad...Cook's emoji-filled Instagram bio reads like it was typed by a ditzy teenage girl rather than a grown man. Last time I checked, teenage girls can't play in the NFL, so expect a suspension once this oversight is caught.

 

Hot Seat - Sending Warning Signals

Marcus Mariota (QB, TEN) - 66% Owned

WK3: 17-for-33 for 214 yards, one TD, two INT, one fumble
2016: 67-for-107 for 723 yds, four TD, four INT, two fumbles
WK4 Opponent: Houston (29th in points allowed to WRs)

BEN: This will be the second Heisman winner on my list in as many weeks. Last year, we rooted for Mariota to succeed based on the narrative that this is a nice fella with a lot of upside as opposed to that other rookie QB because, as a country, we love our lobster. Mariota's coach, noted "guy who stands on sidelines" Mike Mularkey said they were going to run an "exotic smashmouth" offense this year before trading for DeMarco Murray, further depleted the receiver coprs by trading away Dorial Green-Beckham and drafting Derrick Henry. Where does this leave Mariota? Where he should be left going forward: adrift on the waiver wire.

All stats a salad...in Mariota's second year away from the University of Oregon, the Ducks have a new athletic facility named after him. Great googly moogly, do they have no heroes outside of Prefontaine Oregon? Where is the LeGarrette Blount Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Who Wanna Learn to do Other Stuff Good Too? Or possibly a Joey Harrington display case stuffer? Flush the false idol.

 

Kevin White (WR, CHI) - 49% Owned

WK3: 6-of-14 for 62 yards, zero TD
2016: 13-of-27 for 132 yards, zero TD
WK4 Opponent: Detroit (12th in points allowed to WRs)

BEN: I am going to list the three horsemen of Kevin White's fantasy apocalypse: Brian Hoyer, Alshon Jeffery, and Zach Miller. First (and the most important) is Hoyer; the embodiment of missed chances and bad luck. Jeffery and Miller are there to bleed the proverbially stone of what points a Hoyer-run offense can muster. Sure, White has received oodles of targets so far but he has do nothing to make his stats pop. With a Week 4 matchup against the Lions, can you trust either of these teams to produce a fun game to watch or consistent fantasy numbers? D is for doubtful.

All stats a salad... White not only goes by @mrkevinwhite on the Twitter, he was also a WVU Mountaineer. Which means his coach was Phil Collins look-a-like Dana Holgerson, a man who knows how to party. So at least while Kevin White ponders the life events that have led to him being on a Bears' team in transition and how it will alter his career for years to come, he can rest easy knowing somewhere, somehow, Holgerson is out there, getting his party on.

 

T.J. Yeldon (RB, JAC) - 69% Owned

WK3: six carries for 17 yards, zero TD
2016: 34 carries for 84 yards, one TD; 14-of-18 for 50 yards, zero TD
WK4 Opponent: Colts (first in points allowed to RBs)

BEN: The world was ripe for running back T.J. Yeldon to run his way into our hearts and minds as a fantasy stud. Chris Ivory was hospitalized for "an emergency medical condition," ruining the time share plans the Jaguars had. After a promising PPR performance against the Packers, Yeldon has done everything in his power to prove to his coaches he is not to be given the ball. With quarterback Blake Bortles tallying as many rushing yards as Yeldon did Week 3, he's now an RBNone.

All stats a salad...fun fact about Yeldon: I drafted him. I am going to argue with my commish on whether or not I can exchange him for the better scorer with the same birthday, Phil Kessel. This should make Kessel feel better for not being put on Team America for the World Cup of hockey. Why did you leave him at home, Tortorella?

 

Dwayne Allen (TE, IND) - 84% Owned

WK3: 3-of-5 for 35 yards, zero TD
2016: 9-of-15 for 113 yards, one TD
WK4 Opponent: Jaguars (22nd in points allowed to TEs)

BEN: Cursed to always be a bridesmaid, never the bride. First, tight end Dwayne Allen had to compete with Andrew Luck's Stanford buddy Coby Fleener to establish his tight end prowess. But double the end was not double the fun, causing neither to reach their potential. Now, Jack Doyle--known for confusing analysts with who he actually was for the first few weeks of the season--has relegated Allen to the B-squad once again.

All stats a salad...Allen's situation reminds me of an episode of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast where Space Ghost rid of the evil maniacs who tried to ruin his show every week just to end up with two evil guests trying to ruin his show. Until Allen can learn some intensity from the great Zorak (RIP C. Martin Croker), he isn't going to be able to assert himself against his foes, foreign and domestic.

 

Stash and Pray

Thomas Rawls (RB, SEA) - 85% Owned

WK3: Did not play
2016: 19 carries for 25 yards, zero TD
WK4 Opponent: Doesn't matter

TONY: Where there is an opportunity, there's an NFL player ready to pounce, and Thomas Rawls' starting running back slot is no exception. With him set to miss the next month with a fracture in his fibula, it's tempting to hold onto him after he was dynamite in 2015. But after his Week 3 fill-in Christine Michael busted open the 49ers for 106 yards and two touchdowns, the Seahawks aren't going to wait for him to get healthy and re-find his 2015 magic.

All stats a salad...Rawls' confused ball-holding birthday photo--as seen above--has me wondering if maybe, based purely on the expression on his face, that he has just found out he suffers from Lance Armstrong Syndrome aka testicular cancer. "I think I feel a lump, bro."

 

Jeremy Langford (RB, CHI) - 91% Owned

WK3: three carries for 31 yards, zero TD
2016: 31 carries for 116 yards, two TD
WK4 Opponent: Doesn't matter

TONY: Just as Rawls is facing the real possibility he returns to his team as the new backup, so too does running back Jeremy Langford. With the team ruling him out for the next 4-6 weeks with a high-ankle sprain, exciting backup Jordan Howard is preparing for his first career start. If Howard can continue to produce in both portions of the offensive, holding onto Langford will prove to be a rewardless endeavor.

All stats a salad...Langford should find himself a new home on the waiver wire after admitting to having a tattered, old, possibly game-work Matt Forte t-shirt in his locker as a good luck charm. Seeing how little good it has done for him, his ability to invest in proper luck-emitting technologies is not to be trusted.

 


Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!




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