The Cut List - Who to Drop for Fantasy Football Week 11

Each new week of NFL games gives us more information to make better, more informed decisions. That’s crucial when figuring out who to add and who to cut. It can be difficult to admit we were wrong on a particular player. For example, using a high draft pick on someone and cutting them so early in the season can be demoralizing. However, the only thing worse than making a mistake is not being able to admit we made one in the first place.

Don’t be afraid to make bold decisions, but be careful not to be too reactionary. Bad weeks are going to happen. Sometimes, opportunity doesn’t always translate into box-score success. The flip side of that is true, too. Sometimes, the box score can look amazing despite poor utilization. This article will help you determine who to send packing and how to value players whose value is falling.

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The Parameters

There are a few different categories here. Anyone listed under the “Insert Position to Cut for Insert Week” can be safely cut. Seems pretty self-explanatory, correct? No surprise there. We'll focus on players with rostered percentages higher than 40% to keep this a little more straightforward. Otherwise, we could name many players for every position every week.

The following two categories are “Uh-Oh…” and “On the Hot Seat.” If a player is listed under “Uh-Oh…” that doesn’t mean they’re a cut… yet. It just means their value is falling. That could be due to several reasons. Maybe it’s due to repeated inefficiency. Perhaps it’s due to a change in role and utilization. Whatever the reason, these players are not as valuable today as they were before last week’s games.

The other category is “On the Hot Seat.” This one is also pretty self-explanatory. These players do not need to be cut, although if you’re on the hot seat, there’s certainly an argument to be made that they could be cut if you’re in a tough roster predicament.

These players should be given one final shot to make your roster. Especially early in the season, we don’t want to overreact to a change in utilization or a bad week or two, but we also don’t want to ignore it. Players in this section are a bad week away from being on the cut list.

One of the final categories we'll sometimes touch on is "Hold On." These players may have had some bad weeks, but their utilization is good, indicating better days are ahead. Hold onto them. On occasion, we’ll also identify sell-high and sell-low players. A sell-high player is one whose production has spiked, but maybe their role creates questions about whether the production is sustainable.

These players have increased their value recently, so it makes sense to see if you can trade them at peak value. Players who are sell-lows are often players with a lot of name value. These players are best explained as “get some value for them while you still can before their value falls to nothing.”

Fantasy Football Quarterbacks to Cut for Week 11

Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets – 58.6% Rostered

There are far better quarterbacks with a lower rostered percentage which fantasy managers should want on their roster. Jared Goff (54.0%), Geno Smith (50.9%), Bo Nix (50.5%), Justin Herbert (47.8%), Tua Tagovailoa (46.3%), Russell Wilson (40.2%), Matthew Stafford (31.0%), and Drake Maye (11.6%) are all better options. You can probably even make a strong case for Jameis Winston (5.3%).

Rodgers is just far too inconsistent and provides such a limited ceiling. He has eclipsed 20 points in just two games this season, but in four games, he failed to score 15, and in another game, he narrowly crossed that marker with 15.3.

Rodgers offers fantasy managers nothing on the ground, and he makes his living off of touchdowns. He has yet to throw for 300 yards in a game this season and hasn’t done so for years. He’s been held to fewer than 215 passing yards in four out of 10 games and under 250 passing yards seven times.

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys – 54.6% Rostered

I generally don’t like to include injured players on the cut list, but an exception is being made for Prescott. The team didn’t put him on IR as of this writing. He missed their Week 10 game, and while it hasn’t been confirmed that his injury is season-ending, I don’t believe he will play another down for the Cowboys this year.

It’s not worth hanging onto Prescott, hoping he might return in Week 15 or Week 16. You’re not going to realistically want to start him in the playoffs in his first or second game back. The way the Cowboys’ season is trending, he’ll have no reason to return even if he doesn’t need surgery.

Others to Cut:

• Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears – 47.5% Rostered
• Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars – 30.2% Rostered

Fantasy Football Running Backs to Cut for Week 11

Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings – 20.1% Rostered

In Week 10, Cam Akers played 26 snaps to Chandler’s 12. In Week 9, Akers played 16 snaps, and Chandler played zero. The Vikings acquired Akers via trade after their Week 8 game, where Aaron Jones played 46 of the team’s 50 snaps. Chandler played just two.

#Vikings backup RB Week 10 usage (Aaron Jones was injured)

- Cam Akers: 29% snaps, 13 carries, 8 routes, 1 target (47 yds)
- Ty Chandler: 15% snaps, 4 carries, 0 targets (18 yds)

— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) November 10, 2024

It’s clear Chandler is no longer the Aaron Jones handcuff. Over the past two weeks, Akers has 22 touches to Chandler’s four. Chandler is now No. 3 on the depth chart and can be cut.

Others to Cut:

• Zack Moss, Cincinnati Bengals – 50.7% Rostered
• Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders – 32.4% Rostered
• Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys – 30.0% Rostered

Fantasy Football Wide Receivers to Cut for Week 11

Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts – 86.5% Rostered

When it comes to the Cut List, it’s important to take emotions out of it. Or at least try to. We need to remember bad games happen. Even bad stretches of games. It’s why guys like Calvin Ridley and DJ Moore haven’t made the Cut List, and now look at Ridley. Nevermind Moore.

With Pittman, however, it’s getting virtually impossible to continue rostering him. At least with Ridley and Moore, you could argue for their weekly volume, their talent, and their (likely) being the best receivers on their team. I’m not sure how many of those arguments you can make about Pittman. The volume hasn’t been there. He isn’t the best receiver on his team. He might not even be No. 2 if they lean into their rookie, Adonai Mitchell.

Some of that is likely injury-related, maybe even most of it, but it seems unlikely that will change this season. There was a report a few weeks ago that Pittman was going to IR with his back injury. He’s toughed it out, and you have to give him credit for that, but he hasn’t been effective.

Before sitting out Week 10, Pittman had not had more than six targets for four consecutive weeks and had not recorded more than three receptions in any of his last four games. From Weeks 6-9, he had 20 targets, eight receptions, and 129 yards, which amounts to five targets, two receptions, and 32 yards per game.

He has yet to score 15 half-PPR points in a game this season. He’s eclipsed double-digits just three times. He’s been held below 5.5 half-PPR points five times. He has no weekly ceiling. His team’s passing offense is putrid, and his teammates outperform him. I’m done.

Others to Cut:

• Keenan Allen, Chicago Bears – 73.6% Rostered
• Gabe Davis, Jacksonville Jaguars – 29.0% Rostered

Fantasy Football Tight Ends to Cut for Week 11

Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys – 86.2% Rostered

Ferguson is averaging just 6.9 half-PPR PPG this season. However, his expected half-PPR PPG is much higher, so he’s been a constant among weekly buy-low, trade target, and bounce-back articles.

Before Week 10, he averaged 7.4 targets per game with Dak Prescott under center. He also had six or more receptions in five games, leading to a 5.4 reception-per-game average. Unfortunately, he has not scored a touchdown all year, significantly impacting his fantasy scoring.

With Prescott out for the year, how much scoring will any Dallas player do? Unlike George Kittle or Trey McBride, Ferguson can't break tackles and take a short pass to the house. That isn’t his game. Ferguson is unlikely to find the end zone without long, sustained drives. With Cooper Rush under center, how many opportunities do we expect? My guess is not many.

Cooper Rush had the 9th worst EPA per Dropback for any QB with 20+ passes in game over the last 3 years (-0.68) vs. the Eagles

That ranks 1,307th out of 1,315 https://t.co/UuwwMELVCY pic.twitter.com/eckvQy9Ipu

— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) November 11, 2024

Ferguson had five targets, four receptions, and 24 yards in his first outing with Rush. He finished with 2.4 half-PPR points because of a lost fumble. The Dallas offense looked lost, and I don’t expect that to change. CeeDee Lamb is the only must-start player for the Cowboys moving forward.

Others to Cut:

• Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears – 48.0% Rostered

Uh-Oh…

Diontae Johnson, Baltimore Ravens – 86.5% Rostered

In his first game following the trade, Johnson logged 17 snaps (30%) and didn’t record a single target. That was okay. It was his first game with the organization; he had to learn a new playbook, and the Ravens destroyed the Broncos 41-10. I get it.

But, just five snaps (8%) in his second week in a 35-34 shootout against a divisional rival when Lamar Jackson throws the ball 33 times is worrisome. Against Denver, Jackson only attempted 19 passes. Johnson did register two targets and caught one of them for six yards.

However, there was a report that Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman would continue to operate as the team’s No. 1 and No. 2 receivers when they traded for him. Fantasy managers didn’t believe that because Johnson had such a positive reputation among the fantasy community.

The expectation was that he’d eventually leap-frog Bateman, but what if that isn’t true? There’s been no case for that yet (although it still is early). There was some optimism that this trade could increase Johnson’s fantasy value, but it looks to have destroyed it so far.

Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars – 90.5% Rostered and Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars – 88.6% Rostered

Oh boy, that was worrisome. Mac Jones has a history of being a competent quarterback. He had a solid and promising rookie season before some highly questionable coaching and personnel moves ruined him the next two seasons.

Having your offensive coordinators be Joe Judge and Matt Patricia is a tough draw. That was 2022. In 2023, his leading receivers were DeMario Douglas, a rookie, and Ezekiel Elliott. So, I’m not saying Jones isn’t responsible for some of his bad play because he is, but his organization did not help him. At all.

When Trevor Lawrence was ruled out, there was optimism that Jones could at least be competent. Competent enough to keep the pass-catchers afloat and fantasy-relevant. The Vikings had allowed the 20th-most points to quarterbacks, but they had also given up the seventh-most passing yards and 13th-most passing touchdowns.

Minnesota’s defense has been challenging, but they have been thrown on. Jones did not do that. Not even a little bit. He completed 14 of 22 attempts for 111 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. His quarterback rating was 38.3. It was terrible.

I don’t want to read too much into one game. Still, it’s clear that if Lawrence is out for any significant period, and there have been rumors that it could be a season-ending injury, fantasy managers must significantly alter their expectations for Thomas and Engram.

Engram is a better bet for maintaining fantasy relevance. Much is based on the tight end position and the limited decent options fantasy managers have to choose from. Engram could still hold some PPR value since Jacksonville is likely to be trailing most weeks. However, the efficiency this past week will significantly reduce Engram's ceiling and make scoring opportunities few and far between. For Thomas, though, it could be a death sentence.

Mac Jones targeted TEs on 59% of his passes yesterday.

Not ideal.

— Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) November 11, 2024

Jones had no interest in pushing the ball downfield and routinely opted for short throws. He did not threaten the defense downfield. He rarely threw the sideline. This kind of quarterbacking will have a significant impact on Thomas and it won't be good. Thomas may go from a top-20 option to someone you need to bench moving forward.

On the Hot Seat

Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos – 85.3% Rostered

From Weeks 1-9, Williams had averaged 11.3 carries, 4.1 targets, and 3.2 targets per game. From Weeks 7-9, those averages were 14.3 carries, 3.7 targets, and 3.0 receptions per game. He hadn’t been a great fantasy asset, but his sheer volume kept him relevant as a flex player.

From Weeks 1-9, Williams had played on 58.9% of the team’s snaps. Over the last four weeks, that number was at 60.2%. For the past couple of weeks, there have been reports of the team wanting to utilize Audric Estime more. That didn't come to pass until this past weekend.

Javonte Williams' snap shares + opportunities by week

Wk 8: 58%, 22
Wk 9: 54%, 15
Wk 10: 28%, 3👀

Audric Estime's snap shares + opps by week

Wk 8: 7%, 1
Wk 9: 10%, 5
Wk 10: 46%, 14👀

— Matthew Betz (@TheFantasyPT) November 11, 2024

Williams registered just one carry for one yard. He caught both of his targets for six yards. He played 17 snaps (29%). Estime had 14 carries for 53 yards and played 26 snaps (45%). Williams has been demoted. He cannot be started anymore. He’s close to the cut list, but now his value shifts from flex appeal to pure handcuff. If this utilization continues, Williams could be cut. If you’re in a pinch already, he can be let go. He now appears to be a pure backup and handcuff running back, holding no standalone or weekly value.

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