X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

The Cut List (Week 7): Players To Consider Cutting Bait On

Welcome to Week 7's edition of The Cut List, Rotoballer's weekly column filled with advice on who is fat to be trimmed from your roster and who deserves a little more time on your plate. Each player receives both statistical and social media analysis, providing both real and ridiculous reasons why we--Tony Peters and Ben Hamren of the All Stats A Salad weekly fantasy football podcast--feel the way we do. The season's chalk full of angst and anxiety, let us take you beyond the stats to tickle your funny bone and your brain.

All ownership rates are taken from Fleaflicker. Be sure to check our Week 7 (NSFW) episodes of the All Stats A Salad podcast by clicking here.

Editor's Note: Once you're done here, be sure to read about even more Week 7 waiver wire recommendations, for all fantasy-relevant positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - FAAB - CUTS

 

Week 7 Players to Consider Cutting or Replacing

Darren Sproles (RB, PHI) - 61% Owned

WK6: four carries for 20 yards; 1-of-1 for four yards
2016: 28 carries for 116 yards; 15-of-18 for 187 yards and one touchdown
WK7 Opponent: Vikings (28th in points allowed to RB)

TONY: Look, we all know Darren Sproles is good for one big fantasy day of the year, and Santa Sproles came early this year, delivering in Week 3. Since then, he's been too quiet for 10-team standard scoring leagues, rushing nine times for 65 yards and catching all five of his targets for 28 yards. "Tank" was a great find in 2014, but he was rarely useful outside of deep PPR leagues last season and has done nothing to reset that trend this year. With his next three opponents all ranking near the bottom of points allowed to running backs over the past four weeks--Vikings (28th), Cowboys (26th) and Giants (25th)--he's a tough sell for a good while.

All stats a salad...in this throwback picture Sproles posted on Instagram earlier this year, he looks like a mini-version of boxer Mike Tyson. With Greg Hardy making news by attempting to transition into MMA, Sproles should stop wasting his time adding to his amazing career all-purpose yard totals and start fight training. Normally, common sense says you can't be an amazing fighter just by looking like one, but Hardy's delusions have convinced me anything is possible.

 

Chris Boswell (K, PIT) - 74% Owned

WK6: zero field goals, one XPM
2016: 4-of-5 FGM, 18-of-18 XPM
WK7: Patriots (tied for 31st in points allowed to K)

BEN: High-powered offense means all the points! This man came off the street in the wake of Josh Scobee killing dreams to redeem the position in Pittsburgh. Problem is, the Steelers score touchdowns and lots of them. They also live the two-point conversion life like it ain't no thang. Pair that with a team who just lost "Big Ben" for a bit of time and a Week 7 opponent suppressing nearly all fantasy value opposing kickers can muster and Boswell may end up going hungry without all those extra points kicks to pad his totals. Take a season long pass on this guy.

All stats a a salad...I always wonder who kickers are and who they hangout with as they have been wrongfully marginalized as not real members of their teams despite the crucial role they play. (Ask FSU if they agree with how important I think kickers are.) Anyways, this tweet from head coach Mike Tomlin makes me nothing but sad on the inside. They are the three best friends that anyone could ever have but no one wants.

 

Jason Witten (TE, DAL) - 84% Owned (This week's "Bye Week Busta Busta"/"Bye Week Felicia")

WK6: 4-of-8 for 42 yards
2016: 28-of-42 for 274 yards
WK7: Bye followed by Eagles (31st in points allowed to RB)

BEN: Hard hittin' Jason Witten, the gold standard for on-the-field tight end production long before the likes of Gronk showed up. For years Romo to Witten was as sure a thing as any tandem in the NFL. That is no longer the case with Romo perma-hurt and Dak Prescott having better things to do than throw to Witten with Zeke cutting a rug atop of every defense put in front of him. With Romo not even a guarantee to return to center, Witten is a cut in 10-team leagues.

All stats a salad...most people will tell you when Witten isn't tackling cheerleaders on the sidelines, he's a stand up guy who has praises the work ethic of all teammates, even Greg Hardy. If that doesn't call his credibility into question--one of fantasy's most important categories--it hit a new low when he was quoted as “channeling his inner Jerry Jones” using the Cowboys' owner "circumcise a mosquito" line. Is that even kosher? I'm siding with Martellus here.

 

Tyler Lockett (WR, SEA) - 58% Owned

WK6: 3-of-5 for 23 yards
2016: 11-of-20 for 152 yards
WK7 Opponent: Cardinals (23rd in points allowed to WR)

TONY: The issue here is that as great or not great Tyler Lockett is or isn't really doesn't matter when talking about his fantasy value. When your quarterback is Russell Wilson, you play for wins and wins alone. Russell is currently ranked 25th in the NFL with 170 passing attempts, 20th with 1,334 passing yards and 27th in touchdowns with five. So regardless of the lingering effects from Lockett's injured knee, he's only caught 4-of-8 targets for 33 yards over his last four games because there's nothing for him to work with. His only value at this point is as a deep league stash at best.

All stats a salad...fans seems to be enjoying pulling these autographed Tyler Lockett trading cards, especially the one that seems to taunt his fantasy owners. There have been almost exclusively bad days when rostering Lockett this season, let alone those who may be starting him.

 

Hot Seat - Sending Warning Signals

Pittsburgh Defense (DEF, PIT) - 86% Owned

WK6: 30 PA
2016: 20.5 PA per game, eight sacks, three INT, three FUM
WK7: Patriots (24th in points allowed to DEF)

BEN: This squad is less "Steel Curtain" and more Peyton Manning-era Colts. I'm sure there are some good individual defensive players on this team. But as a unit, they don't scare you as they work best with a lead. Enter Big Ben's knee injury that has him out for the foreseeable future and Week 7's opposing quarterback Tom Brady, then a bye week and a lot of tears. New England is as mean as they come and Pittsburgh is coming off a recent shredding at the hands of...wait, am I reading this right? Ryan Tannehill? Mother of god. Be worried.

All stats a salad...this is shot two at the Steelers this week. Take that Tomlin! With Lawrence Timmons puking on the field, no Brett Keisel beard to uplift spirits, this is a team amidst an upheaval. Where can the relief come from? The aforementioned Timmons, he has the answer: The Sims. This old tweet reminds us of the better, beardier times.

 

Michael Floyd (WR, ARI) - 75% Owned

WK6: 2-of-2 for 22 yards, one TD
2016: 14-of-36 for 192 yards, three TD
WK7 Opponent: Seahawks (27th in points allowed to WR)

TONY: With the quarterback position influx all season for the Cardinals thanks to an early injury to Carson Palmer, Michael Floyd has been extremely inconsistent and touchdown dependent. He has yet to top four catches in a game despite four games with over six targets (including one with 11), hasn't had over 36 yards since Week 3 and has only two catches on five targets over the past two weeks. His overall worth this season is padded by those touchdowns, and unless the Cardinals get their act together soon, that makes him a full-on boom-or-bust risk each week going forward, which is bad news for shallow leagues.

All stats a salad...Floyd retweeted this a couple weeks back, as if to tell any of his disappointed fantasy owners "back off, I promise I still like making you happy." With him putting up his worst two games of the season following this, I call classic smokescreen diversion and he really doesn't like to catch passes or put up points. Nice try.

 

Stash and Pray

Tavon Austin (WR, LA) - 74% Owned

WK6: 3-of-4 for 24 yards; three rushes for two yards
2016: 26-of-49 for 242 yards, one TD; 12 rushes for 52 yards
WK7: Giants (14th in points allowed to WR)

BEN: Case Keenum is going straight Peter Frampton out there: he is coming alive! He now has more positive games than negative this year, and that is without Mr. Gurley regularly cutting (foot)loose...yet. If Keenum can make the transition to the Bee Gees, the door will open for Gurley, allowing the team's wide receivers to get more attention. So far his darlings have been Kenny Britt and Brian Quick, but I have a feeling his heart can grow even bigger. If they can actually pick a job for Austin, he can start to do what he was drafted to do: be fast and make it happen. Keep the faith!

All stats a salad...if it hasn't become clear yet in this column, I might have an established distaste for fake athlete positive talk. I'm going to crown Mr. Austin the latest dumb-dumb for this nugget of wisdom that goes against science itself. You can't avoid sweat, embrace it. Let your pores breath, friend!

 

Dwayne Allen (TE, IND) - 86% Owned

WK6: 1-of-2 for 9 yards
2016: 18-of-27 for 192 yards, two TD
WK7: Giants (19th in points allowed to TE)

TONY: After a great Week 5, Dwayne Allen owners were excited coming into the Colts' Week 6 matchup against the Texans, even with their defense one of the top tight end suppressing units in the game lately. But before we could see what he could do, he was knocked out of the game during the Colts' first drive with an ankle injury that's going to keep him make him week-to-week for the foreseeable future. With him already losing touchdowns to fellow tight end Jack Doyle prior to this, Allen's fantasy value was already missing more often than not. Tight end is too weak this season to straight cut him in most leagues, but he's going to be an incredibly heavy stash that might not be worth carrying in the end.

All stats a salad...I wonder if Allen's sluggish 2016 can be partially blamed on over-consumption of complimentary samples from two of his most recent sponsors, Campbell's Chunky soups and American Dairy Association Indiana. Can you imagine how hard it would be to catch passes with a belly full of Beef with Country Vegetable and milk? I can now.


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




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Evander Kane

Drops to Fourth Line Saturday
Kasperi Kapanen

Won't Play on Saturday
Calvin Pickard

Starts Game 5 for Oilers
Jaxson Dart

Working as No. 2 QB During Offseason Workouts
Xavier Gipson

Roster Spot Could be in Jeopardy
Josh Reynolds

the Front-Runner for WR2 Duties
Garrett Wilson

Stock Up This Offseason
Breece Hall

Motivated Going into 2025 Season
Brandon Aiyuk

Making Good Progress From Knee Injury
Keon Coleman

Inconsistent at Minicamp
Mitchell Trubisky

Not a Lock for Backup Job
Dalton Kincaid

Adds Strength and Bulk
James Cook

a Full Participant in Mandatory Minicamp
Tyrese Haliburton

Struggles in Friday's Loss to OKC
Jacob Misiorowski

Expected to Make Next Start
Chet Holmgren

Dominates the Glass in Game 4
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Leads the Way in Game 4
Jalen Williams

Has a Quality Showing on Friday Night
Charlie Morton

Continues Good Work With 10 Strikeouts
James Wood

Homers, Drives in Four
Agustín Ramírez

Agustin Ramirez Homers Twice to Snap Skid
Isaac Paredes

Astros Hopeful Isaac Paredes Can Avoid the Injured List
Royce Lewis

Dealing With Hamstring Strain
Kodai Senga

Diagnosed With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain
Gleyber Torres

Goes Deep Twice on Friday
Jonathan India

Leaves With Apparent Shoulder Injury
Evan Carter

Leaves Early With Wrist Soreness
Anthony Richardson

Should be Fine for Training Camp
Russell Westbrook

to Decline Player Option
Kevin Durant

Trade Could Happen in the "Next Few Days"
A.J. Puk

Pauses Throwing Program
Matt Chapman

Can Begin Rehabbing in a Week
Logan Gilbert

Next Start Could Come in the Big Leagues
Cam Akers

Joining Saints
Yordan Alvarez

Still Not Hitting
Michael Mayer

to Get More Involved
Aaron Rodgers

DK Metcalf Building Chemistry with Aaron Rodgers
Colston Loveland

Likely to be Primary Tight End
Jacob Wilson

Returns on Friday
Justin Martinez

Out 12-13 Months With UCL Sprain
Will Johnson

Returns to Practice
Harold Fannin Jr.

Could Have Big Role in Rookie Season
Matt Chapman

Could Miss the Rest of June
Quentin Johnston

Still Running With Starters
Rashawn Slater

Takes Part in Minicamp
Jack Bech

Mostly Working With Second-Team Offense
Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Makes Strides This Offseason
Joaquin Buckley

Set For Main Event
Kamaru Usman

An Underdog At UFC Atlanta
Miranda Maverick

Set For Co-Main Event
Rose Namajunas

Looks To Bounce Back
Andre Petroski

Looks To Extend His Win Streak To Four
Edmen Shahbazyan

A Favorite At UFC Atlanta
Raoni Barcelos

Set To Take On Former Champion
Cody Garbrandt

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Mansur Abdul-Malik

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Cody Brundage

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Alonzo Menifield

Opens Up UFC Atlanta Main Card
Oumar Sy

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Aaron Civale

Traded to the White Sox
Connor Hellebuyck

Wins Vezina And Hart Trophies
Aleksander Barkov

Records Two Power-Play Assists Thursday
Sam Reinhart

Collects Three Points in Thursday's Loss
Matthew Tkachuk

Notches Three Points in Losing Effort
Calvin Pickard

Joins Exclusive List with Thursday's Win
Mattias Ekholm

Logs Two Assists in Comeback Victory
Leon Draisaitl

Delivers Victory in Overtime Thursday
Myles Turner

Playing Through Illness
Reed Sheppard

Will Play in the NBA Summer League
Kevin Durant

Deal Could Come Sooner Rather Than Later
Jacob Misiorowski

Pulled With Cramps
Framber Valdez

Punches Out 12 in Win
Isaac Paredes

Homers, Exits Early With Hamstring Injury
Dorian Finney-Smith

Undergoes Ankle Surgery
Anze Kopitar

Wins Third Lady Byng Trophy
Sergei Bobrovsky

Heading Out for Win No. 15
John Klingberg

Won't Play in Game 4 Against Panthers
Viktor Arvidsson

Sits Out Game 4 Against Panthers
Stuart Skinner

Remains in Oilers Crease Thursday
Chris Kreider

Ducks Acquire Chris Kreider From Rangers
Jalen Williams

Leads Thunder in Scoring Wednesday
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Settles for 24 Points in Game 3 Loss
Pascal Siakam

Does Everything for Pacers Wednesday Night
Tyrese Haliburton

Gets Close to Triple-Double in Game 3 Win
Bennedict Mathurin

Leads All Scorers with 27 Points Wednesday
Brandin Podziemski

Has Second Offseason Surgery
Cale Makar

Wins His Second Norris Trophy
Lane Hutson

Voted NHL's Best Rookie
CGY

Adam Klapka Agrees to Two-Year Extension with Flames
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Considered a Game-Time Call Thursday
Jaylen Brown

Undergoes Successful Knee Procedure
Kevin Porter Jr.

Likely to Decline Player Option
Matt McCarty

Comes Off Season-Best Showing at RBC Canadian Open
Justin Thomas

Desperate to Continue Good 2025 Season
Kevin Durant

Knicks Not Looking to Trade for Kevin Durant
Jon Rahm

Seeks Revenge at U.S. Open
Tom Kim

Aiming for Improvement in U.S. Open
PGA

Sungjae Im Expects Solid Performance at Oakmont
Brian Harman

Aims to Rebound From the Memorial
Tony Finau

has Been Up and Down at U.S. Open
Patrick Cantlay

Hoping This is the Year at Oakmont
Akshay Bhatia

Improving in Time for U.S. Open
Xander Schauffele

Primed for Another Major Championship Run
Cameron Young

May Struggle at U.S. Open
Collin Morikawa

Eyeing Third Major Championship Title
Matt Fitzpatrick

Seeks to Avenge Oakmont Collapse
Jordan Spieth

Can Contend at Oakmont
Shane Lowry

a Strong Value Play at U.S. Open
Brooks Koepka

Seeks Another Major Win at Oakmont
Viktor Hovland

Still Can Improve at U.S. Open
Michael Kim

a Boom-or-Bust Value Play at U.S. Open
Russell Henley

Looking to Play the Weekend at Oakmont
Tyrrell Hatton

a Safe Option at U.S. Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Eyeing Third U.S. Open Title
Darius Garland

Kings Targeting Darius Garland
Kevin Durant

Expected to Be Moved Soon
Denny Hamlin

Charges Late to Win at Michigan
Carson Hocevar

Michigan Run is Derailed by A Late-Race Flat Tire
Kyle Larson

Up-and-Down Day Ends With Top-Five Finish at Michigan
Ross Chastain

Quietly Finishes Sixth at Michigan
Corey Perry

Nets Power-Play Goal in Monday's Loss
Chris Buescher

Takes Second Place After William Byron Runs Out of Fuel
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Has a Great Points Day to Build Buffer Over the Playoff Cut Line
Ryan Blaney

Flat Tire Results in Poor Finish for Ryan Blaney
Alex Bowman

Playoffs in Doubt After Stage 2 Crash at Michigan
Sean O'Malley

Submitted For The First Time In His Career
Merab Dvalishvili

Defends Bantamweight Belt At UFC 316
Julianna Peña

Julianna Pena No Longer A Champion
Kayla Harrison

Is The New Champion
Joe Pyfer

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum

Drops Decision
Patchy Mix

Drops Decision In His UFC Debut
Mario Bautista

Extends His Win Streak
Vicente Luque

Submitted At UFC 316
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF