RADIO
The fantasy football playoffs are officially underway. It was a brutal week for injuries. Tyreek Hill, Justin Herbert, Josh Jacobs, and Justin Jefferson all went down. With the playoffs now underway, players who are injured are cuttable if you don't think they'll be back before the season wraps up. You also should put a lot of weight on players' remaining schedules.
Any player listed on the Cut List isn't a player that needs to be cut. They're just cuttable players, that's all. Each situation is different. Each league is different. If your league hordes quarterbacks, you may not have the luxury of dropping a struggling passer. It's important to understand and know your leagues and know how your opponents value players. With that said, hopefully, this article will give you some advice on which players you can safely send to the waiver wire.
Deciding who to cut can always be a difficult process, but it's important to take emotions out of the equation. Below you'll find the biggest names that managers can safely cut in traditional 10 and 12-team leagues. You will also find players that you should hold if possible. If you have any questions, give me a follow @RobFFSlayer and shoot me a message. My DMs are always open and I’m more than willing to answer questions.
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Quarterbacks to Cut in Week 15?
Joshua Dobbs, Minnesota Vikings – 50% Rostered
Well, it was fun while it lasted. Lightning struck in Arizona for Dobbs and the Cardinals, but the chances of lightning striking twice are very rare. For a while, it seemed like the Vikings may have saved their season with the acquisition of the former Arizona quarterback, but the wheels have fallen off. The transmission has dropped. Everything is falling apart. He threw four interceptions in Week 12 against Chicago and finished with just 4.5 points. This past weekend he completed just 10 of his 23 passes for 63 measly yards before getting benched for Nick Mullens. He finished with 4.6 points. It’s hard to imagine Minnesota going back to Dobbs in Week 15 and even if they do, no fantasy manager in their right mind could start him. Especially since it seems likely that Justin Jefferson will be out again after taking a hard hit that knocked him out of the game this past weekend.
Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints – 39% Rostered
No. Just no. If you’re rostering Carr, it’s time to move on. He can’t complete deep passes, ranking just 20th in that category with a 32.7% completion percentage on passes traveling more than 20 yards. He can’t complete passes in the red zone either. He’s 26th in that department with just a 46.0% completion percentage. If you can’t complete deep passes or red zone passes, you're basically just a dump-down, glorified game manager, and that’s who Carr is. The Saints would be better served giving Jameis Winston a look and giving Carr’s standard of play this season, I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens at some point. His teammates seem fed up with him. So am I and you should be too.
Running Backs to Cut in Week 15?
Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans – 65% Rostered
He played fewer snaps than Dare Ogunbowale in Week 14. Pierce saw the field on just eight snaps out of the team’s 56. He finished with four carries for nine yards. He doesn’t have a single game this season over 13.5 half-PPR points. He’s been held to fewer than six half-PPR points in six out of his 10 games. He cannot be trusted. His schedule is incredibly tough too. He faces the Titans in Weeks 15 and 17 who are allowing the ninth-fewest half-PPR points to running backs this season. In Week 16, he plays the Browns who are giving up the 11th-fewest points to running backs. He’s got a role that is up and down. He had five carries in Week 12, 15 carries in Week 13, and four carries in Week 14. No one can trust that. The schedule makes it virtually impossible.
Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears – 57% Rostered
In Week 12, before the team's bye in Week 13, Herbert played just 15 snaps out of 67. D'Onta Foreman was inactive for that contest. Most fantasy managers were expecting that Herbert would regain his starting role in that contest, but that's not what happened. Rookie Roschon Johnson ended up playing 50 snaps. He also received 11 carries to Herbert's six. Based on the utilization from Week 12, Herbert was trending down. With an extra week of recovery time, Foreman was able to get back on the field this past weekend. Out of 71 total snaps this past weekend, Foreman played 39 of them, Johnson played 20, and Herbert played just 12. Foreman was the primary early-down back and Johnson played primarily on third down. Herbert mostly gave both backs breathers. He can certainly be cut now.
Wide Receivers to Cut in Week 15?
Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders – 61% Rostered
I'm done with the Dotson experiment. In 13 games this season, he has just three games where he's scored double-digit fantasy points. He has just one game over 15 and four games under four. Through 13 games he has 74 targets, 44 receptions, and 458 yards. That puts him on pace for 97 targets, 57 receptions, and 599 yards. Considering the production he's put on display through the first 13 games of the season, there's virtually no reason to be confident in his final three weeks of the fantasy football season. He has a decent matchup in Week 15 against the Rams, who have allowed the 14th-most half-PPR PPG to receivers this season. His Week 16 and 17 matchups couldn't be much worse. He'll play against the 49ers and Jets. Fantasy managers can't trust him in either contest.
Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals – 51% Rostered
It's almost impossible for any quarterback to make three pass-catchers fantasy-relevant. That's true for even elite quarterbacks. Jake Browning is not elite. Ja'Marr Chase is commanding such a massive target share since Joe Burrow's injury. That has left Tee Higgins and Boyd fighting for scraps. Boyd often operates as the team's No. 3 receiver. He's not really used down the field, which keeps his yardage low. He has just one game over 60 yards all season. He's also not a red zone target with just two touchdowns on the year. Fantasy managers can move on. The ceiling is low and the floor is lower.
Hold On
QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs – 100% Rostered
We’re not dropping Mahomes. In fact, we can’t even really consider dropping Mahomes because of his name value, but it’s getting awfully hard to start him. In his last six games, he has just one game over 17 points. He has zero games with more than 21. Since Week 8, he’s averaging just 15.1 PPG. That’s a full 1.5 PPG less than Baker Mayfield during that stretch. It’s fewer points than Russell Wilson, Joshua Dobbs who was benched in Week 14, Jake Browning, and Joe Flacco. There’s really nothing that could happen that could make us drop Mahomes short of a season-ending injury, but it’s getting tough to consider him a must-start fantasy option. In Week 15, they play against the Patriots who are giving up just 14.6 PPG to opposing quarterbacks. That is the seventh-lowest mark in the league. New England will also be at home in Week 15.
RB Aaron Jones, Green Packers – 93% Rostered
Still holding here. He didn’t play last night but practiced throughout the week. There seems to be little doubt that Jones will be active in Week 15 and given that he’ll have missed three weeks, there shouldn’t be many limitations for him, if any, next week. He’s played over 45% of the snaps in four games this season. In those four games, he’s averaged 13.9 half-PPR PPG. He’s averaged 12.3 carries, 44.5 rushing yards, 5.3 targets, 3.5 receptions, and 37 receiving yards in those four games. Without any touchdowns, those per-game averages amount to 10.0 half-PPR points. He had four targets in all four contests, recording six in two of them. He also had four receptions in three out of those four games. Not to mention, all four of those games came before Jordan Love started to absolutely ball out. The Packers’ offense is a much better unit now than before, and Jones will benefit from that. In Week 16, Jones gets the Panthers who are allowing 24.4 half-PPR points to running backs this season. That’s the second most. Jones is a hold.
TE Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans – 72% Rostered
Schultz was a cut candidate last week and based on his utilization there were plenty of reasons for him to be there. Since Brevin Jordan returned from injury, Schultz's snap share and route participation have been trending downward. His route participation dipped below 70% in Week 11. However, while those trends are concerning, the injuries to Tank Dell and Nico Collins give Schultz a hold to see how this offense operates moving forward. With the injuries to their No. 1 and No. 2 receivers, Schultz's role may increase again. Dell is done for the year, but Collins' status is currently up in the air. Given the injury questions surrounding these two players, I'd recommend holding on to Schultz.
Uh-Oh...
RB Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots – 91% Rostered
Stevenson suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 13. He was inactive in Week 14 and reports indicated it would be a multi-week injury. Since he wasn’t placed on IR, we can assume that means two to three weeks. If it’s two weeks, that means he’d return in Week 16. If it’s three weeks, he’d be back in Week 17. Since Ezekiel Elliott is playing well and the Patriots’ season is all but over, there would be no reason to overload Stevenson with a ton of touches. He’s under contract with the Patriots next year. Given that, it would be virtually impossible to trust starting him in his first game back. He’ll likely be on a snap count and he’d be sharing a good deal with Elliott. If he’s first back in Week 17, that means he’s virtually useless. If he’s back in Week 16, then he’d have one warm-up game where fantasy managers can see the split between him and Elliott and decide if he’s worth starting in Week 17. Still, that’s the very definition of being between a rock and a hard place. He’s probably worth holding onto if you can, but he seems unlikely to help anyone during the playoffs.
On the Hot Seat
QB Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers – 98% Rostered
Herbert broke his index finger on his throwing hand this past weekend. He was ruled out and did not return. With the Chargers playing on Thursday, the short turnaround and the injury to his throwing hand all but guarantee he’ll be out in Week 15. He’s meeting with two hand specialists this week to determine the length of time he’ll be out. Given the Chargers’ record, fantasy managers should brace for his season to be over. We don’t want to make a rash decision, especially with such an elite fantasy asset, but it’s looking more than likely that he can be sent to waivers. He'll undergo surgery on his finger, but no timetable has been announced yet.
RB Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders – 100% Rostered
We haven’t gotten any information about his knee injury as of yet, but Jacobs’ season is also on the verge of being over if this injury is not completely minor. The Raiders' season is over. They’re not making the playoffs. Jacobs himself is on a one-year contract. Financially, it makes sense for him not to play anymore. He’s going to be a free agent this offseason and after having gotten franchise tagged this past year, this is his one chance to get a legit contract. There’s no point in risking his health for a season that is already over. The Raiders have a short turnaround in Week 15, playing against the Chargers on Thursday night. That makes Jacobs a long shot to suit up. How confident are you going to be to play Jacobs in Week 16 if he does return? Will he be on a snap count? Will he get his normal workload? Fantasy managers can’t really drop him until we find out more information about his injury, but it’s tough to envision him being a worthwhile fantasy asset over the next three weeks.
RB Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens – 83% Rostered
At this point, you’re just praying for a touchdown. Over the past two weeks, Edwards has 14 carries and 41 rushing yards, combined. Since Week 2, Edwards has gone over 50 rushing yards in six out of 12 games. He has one game with more than 65 rushing yards. He’s been held to 30 or fewer rushing yards in three out of his last four games. Rookie Keaton Mitchell has received more carries each of the last two weeks. If Edwards doesn’t find the end zone, you’re looking at three to six points. Even if he finds the end zone, the ceiling is around 10 to 13 points. His fantasy playoff schedule is brutal too. He finishes the season with Jacksonville, San Francisco, and Miami in Weeks 15 to 17. The Jaguars are allowing the 15th-fewest points to running backs this season. That’s his best matchup. The 49ers are only allowing 14.6 half-PPR PPG, which is the second-fewest. Miami is allowing 14.9 half-PPR PPG, which is the fourth-fewest.
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