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It has been some really ugly football through two weeks, not only with the overall product that's been on the field but with the amount of injuries we've seen. Between these two, fantasy managers have been put in tough situations early in the year. With many players underperforming, managers are left wondering if they should cut a player they were high on just two weeks into the season. Injuries also have put managers in positions where they're unable to make the moves they may want to. Difficult decisions will certainly need to be made.
The waiver wire for Week 3 is a lot less impressive than the one fantasy managers got to work with after Week 1. This could very well lead to a slow week of transactions. A lot of managers may feel it's best to hang onto the players they have rather than attack or overpay for the players available on waivers. However, if you are in need of making several moves this week, this article should help guide you in doing so.
Below you'll find the biggest names that managers can safely cut in traditional 10 and 12-teams. You will also find players that you should hold if possible. These players' performances aren't quite lining up with their utilization, but their role is enough to remain optimistic. Those on the hot seat should be given one more chance to change their value but can be cut if there are better options on the wire. Also included are players you should be trading away even if it means taking a lesser return than you'd like. Finally, there are our sell-high players who should be sold before their value dips. 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 3?
None, again for the second straight week. There is no clear quarterback to cut for fantasy managers. Russell Wilson is rostered in 51% of Yahoo! leagues, but he’s been fantastic, scoring 15 and 26 points in the first two weeks. Jordan Love is rostered in 61% of Yahoo! leagues, but he’s also been fantastic. He’s scored 23 and 20 points, respectively. Brock Purdy is at 71% and then Geno Smith, Jared Goff, and Daniel Jones are all at 76%. None of these guys should be cut.
Running Backs to Cut in Week 3?
A.J. Dillon, Green Bay Packers — 89% Rostered
A.J. Dillon struggled mightily to run the football last season. He just wasn’t effective. He doesn’t break tackles. His yards after contact per attempt were disappointing. He’s got no home run speed. He doesn’t even break off 10-yarders. He’s a mediocre pass-catcher at best. He’ll get what’s blocked for him and not much more. There was some hope he could return to the runner we saw in 2021, but through two weeks, it’s been more of the same.
Week 2 rush yards over expected (per @nextgenstats):
Bijan Robinson +56
James Cook +44
Christian McCaffrey +42
D'Andre Swift +41
Raheem Mostert +40----
Tyler Allgeier -19
Kyren Williams -19
Dameon Pierce -17
Javonte Williams -12
AJ Dillon -12— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) September 18, 2023
Even though starting running back Aaron Jones was out this past weekend, Dillon was only able to muster 6.8 half-PPR points. Anytime Jones is healthy, Dillon is essentially not startable. You’re basically just praying for a TD. When Jones is out, he hasn’t shown the ability to capitalize on the opportunity. He's not a must-cut with Jones possibly still nursing his hamstring injury, but the minute Jones is healthy, Dillon is cuttable. The handcuff upside isn’t nearly as high as it’s made out to be.
Jamaal Williams, New Orleans Saints — 87% Rostered
Williams always had a short-term outlook due to Alvin Kamara’s four game suspension. He struggled mightily in Week 1, albeit in a very difficult matchup. Then in Week 2, he suffered a hamstring injury and missed the rest of the game. Hamstring injuries are tricky and often come with at least a 1-2 week absence. By the time he returns, Kamara and rookie, Kendre Miller could very well both be back on the field.
Williams will then need to work his way back into the offense and once Kamara is back he’ll likely see 6-10 carries per week with little to no receiving work. The goal line work could be split three ways behind Kamara, Williams, and Taysom Hill. If you’re in a pinch, Williams is safe to cut.
Jerick McKinnon, Kansas City Chiefs — 51% Rostered
Despite working his way back from hand and shoulder injuries this offseason, Isiah Pacheco has run more routes than Jerick McKinnon in both weeks. Pacheco has also out-targeted McKinnon, six to five. McKinnon’s epic late-season surge last year that we all remember seems a lifetime ago. Due to his struggles through two weeks, we’re likely reminded now just how much of his scoring came from a completely unsustainable touchdown rate.
#Chiefs Week 2 RB opportunities (carries + targets):
Isiah Pacheco - 14
Jerick McKinnon - 4
Clyde Edwards-Helaire - 3— Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) September 18, 2023
Through two weeks, McKinnon has just one carry, which he took for negative two yards. He has just four receptions for 34 yards on five targets. Pacheco’s role has grown by the week, which has made McKinnon expendable.
De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins — 45% Rostered
I was super high on De'Von Achane entering this year. He was an insanely productive collegiate player. He can catch the ball and he possesses home run speed. Not only that but with Raheem Mostert being 31 years old and Jeff Wilson Jr. being put on the PUP list, it seemed like Achane would get his shot sooner rather than later.
Good to see De'Von Achane active last night. But he's still buried, even with Jeff Wilson on IR.
Achane played just 6 snaps on a night Salvon Ahmed (groin) left before halftime.
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) September 18, 2023
Fast forward two weeks and Achane was a healthy inactive in Week 1 and had just one carry for five yards and one target, which he caught for four yards in Week 2. Mostert was a bell-cow for the Dolphins. When he needed a breather, Mike McDaniel leaned on Salvon Ahmed. Now entering Week 3, Wilson’s return is right around the corner, and with it, Achane’s chance to carve out a role during his rookie season has been greatly vanquished.
Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams — 90% Rostered
UPDATE: On Wednesday 9/20 Cam Akers was traded to the Vikings. He'll form a one-two punch for the Vikings backfield now with Alexander Mattison, who hasn't impressed at all in his first two games as the team's lead back. Akers' fantasy stock had hit rock bottom, but this move gives him a chance to be relevant again, albeit in a pass-happy offense. Neither Akers nor Mattison has been very productive this season.
According to @NextGenStats Cam Akers has an NFL-worst Rush Yards over Expected.
The bad thing for the Vikings is that Alexander Mattison is almost as bad.
Cam Akers: -1.94 RYOE/Att
Alexander Mattison: - 1.16 RYOE/AttAkers - Worst
Mattison - 6th worstNot great.#Skol
— Drew Davenport (@DrewDavenportFF) September 21, 2023
Mattison's long-term value becomes a question as prior to the season, he had volume and a lack of competition on his side. Fantasy managers should expect Mattison to operate as the lead back for the Vikings, but if he continues to falter, this could become an ugly timeshare. The Vikings rank 32nd in rush attempts and 32nd in rushing yards, so it'll be a difficult position to make an impact. Still, Akers' fantasy value is higher now than it was in Los Angeles. While he was a clear cut candidate in his previous location, this gives him a breath of fresh air, but fantasy managers should keep their expectations in check. He should be given a few weeks so that we can see how this backfield shapes out with Akers now added to it.
Cam Akers was a surprise healthy scratch for Week 2. This isn’t the first time Akers has found himself in the doghouse, but it’s sure to be his last. At least in Los Angeles. It’s hard to imagine there’s any coming back from this one, especially with how well Kyren Williams played in a starting role. Don’t even bother holding on to Akers to see where he might be traded. The reality is wherever he goes, it’s not going to matter. Akers can be sent to the waiver wire pronto. His Los Angeles Rams’ career is over.
Sean McVay said Les Snead has talked to “a handful of teams” about trade for RB Cam Akers, and “that’s the direction” the Rams are headed.
— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) September 18, 2023
It's going to be very difficult for Akers to make a difference if he's traded mid-season. What's likely going to happen is he'll just become a depth option for whatever team that actually trades for him. Players rarely make a difference anytime there’s a mid-season trade.
Others that can be safely cut: Damien Harris, Buffalo Bills — 39% Rostered, Devin Singletary, Houston Texans — 19% Rostered
Wide Receivers to Cut in Week 3?
JuJu Smith-Schuster, New England Patriots — 66% Rostered
JuJu Smith-Schuster has been very disappointing through two weeks. He’s taken a backseat to Kendrick Bourne and Hunter Henry in Week 1 and then DeVante Parker and Henry in Week 2. In all honesty, Bourne still operated ahead of him this past Sunday night too. Smith-Schuster offers no ceiling play and the floor is still dangerously low.
“Multiple team sources believe (JuJu) Smith-Schuster is not presently among the team’s five most effective pass-catchers.” #Patriots https://t.co/YRO19xP1qM
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) September 14, 2023
Despite receiving seven and six targets respectively over the first two weeks, Smith-Schuster has very little to show for it. He’s caught nine of his 13 targets for just 51 yards. His 3.9 yards per target is pathetically low. Fantasy managers can surely find much more exciting options on their league’s waiver wire.
Odell Beckham Jr., Baltimore Ravens — 61% Rostered
Odell Beckham has been on the field a ton for the Ravens through the first game and a half. He left Week 2 early due to an ankle injury that’s not believed to be serious, but prior to that, he’s led the team in snaps amongst the receiver group. The same can be said for routes run, so surely he must have some decent fantasy stats to show for all his playing time, right?
Wrong. Through two weeks he has just seven targets, five receptions, and 66 yards. That’s despite the fact that star tight end Mark Andrews missed Week 1 and third-year receiver Rashod Bateman has still been limited with a foot injury. The reality is that OBJ is a better real-life football player than a fantasy one. OBJ is nothing more than third or fourth on the target hierarchy. Josh Reynolds, Robert Woods, Tutu Atwell, and even DeVante Parker are much better roster stashes.
Others that can be safely cut: Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears — 41% Rostered, Allen Lazard, New York Jets — 36% Rostered
Tight Ends to Cut in Week 3?
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams — 84% Rostered
I really don’t understand the appeal of Tyler Higbee. Maybe I never will. He’s had the opportunity before, but he’s rarely done anything with it. Even last year when he had 102 targets, he finished with just 620 yards. His 5.7 yards per target was laughably low. Among 29 tight ends with at least 50 targets last season, Higbee’s yard-per-target average ranked 28th. He finished 27 out of 29 in yards per reception.
He’s had volume before. He’s never done anything with it. He has had three seasons with 80+ targets and has just two seasons out of seven where he’s scored more than three times and never more than five.
Through two weeks, we’ve seen just about every side of Higbee he has to offer us. In Week 1, he had only three targets despite Cooper Kupp being out. In Week 2, he had seven targets (yay!), but in typical Higbee fashion, did nothing with them finishing with just three catches for 12 yards. He needs to be cut. You’ll thank me later.
Others that can be safely cut: Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans – 51% Rostered, Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers – 38% Rostered
Hold On
QB Justin Fields, Chicago Bears — 99% Rostered
The first two weeks have been ugly, but we’re not anywhere close to cutting Justin Fields. Truthfully, I didn’t think we’d need a section on him, but after my Waiver Wire article, I was amazed at how many questions I got on Reddit wondering if they should drop Fields. Honestly, just one of those questions is one too many.
Fields' upside is immense. He put that on display for us last year. While the first two weeks this year have been vomit-inducing, we absolutely cannot throw in the towel. If you don’t want to ride the Fields train, you need to wait until he has a monster game, which he will, even if that comes via rushing, and sell him then. Cutting him is not an option. He’s a must-hold. Fantasy managers need to keep faith that the Chicago offense will find its footing and that Fields will start using his legs more again.
TE Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons — 98% Rostered
I don't know, maybe I just like pain and suffering, but I'm not dropping Kyle Pitts... yet. There's no denying the awfulness of the situation he currently finds himself in. Atlanta is very much a run-first offense and that's not going to change anytime soon. Due to the limited passing volume, we don't even really know if Desmond Ridder is good. We do, however, know the kind of player that Pitts can be when he is given the opportunity.
Kyle Pitts through Week 2:
2022:
10 targets
4 receptions
38 receiving yards
0 TDs2023:
8 targets
4 receptions
59 receiving yards
0 TDs pic.twitter.com/MaoP9dUbxP— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) September 18, 2023
Atlanta has had two less-than-ideal opponents to start the 2023 season. The Falcons were able to use their ground-and-pound offense in Week 1 against the Panthers, and the Packers are one of the slowest offenses in the NFL. However, in the next two weeks they'll be playing against the Lions and the Jaguars, two very efficient offenses with the potential to score a lot of points. These two matchups could force the Falcons to play from behind on the scoreboard. In the event that this happens, Pitts could finally show his worth and at the very least, give fantasy managers a potential selling window.
On The Hot Seat
RB Samaje Perine, Denver Broncos — 73% Rostered
Many thought heading into the season that Samaje Perine could operate as the team’s 1A as they eased Javonte Williams back into football condition. Through two weeks, that hasn’t been the case at all. In fact, this last week, the team’s No. 3 running back, Jaleel McLaughlin received a carry before Perine did. That’s not ideal.
#Broncos Week 2 RB opportunities (carries + targets):
Javonte Williams - 15
Samaje Perine - 5
Jaleel McLaughlin - 1 (a TD, lol)— Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) September 18, 2023
Despite a high-scoring, back-and-forth contest with the Commanders, Perine’s touches decreased from 12 to just four. He received eight carries in Week 1 and finished with 41 yards, but this past weekend he had just one carry for four yards. Perine ended up playing more snaps than Williams and McLaughlin, but he wasn’t in the team’s offensive plans at all. His saving grace is that he has back-to-back games with four targets, but that won’t be enough to save him from the waiver wire unless he starts getting five to eight carries per game. Perine is firmly on the hot seat.
RB Antonio Gibson, Washington Commanders — 71% Rostered
Antonio Gibson was on the hot seat last week, but he played 67% of the snaps in short down and distance, 60% in long down and distance, and 100% of the two-minute drill. The results were disappointing with just three carries for nine yards and one target that he caught for 10 yards, but the role he played could yet bring value.
Despite the Week 1 fumble, Antonio Gibson returned to play 40-of-73 snaps in Week 2.
But Brian Robinson saw 21 opportunities vs. Gibson 5.
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) September 18, 2023
We saw a glimpse of that this past weekend. His number of carries is still far too low (just two for nine yards), but he did have three targets for three receptions, and 44 yards. Through two weeks, he’s played nine of the team’s 11 snaps on third and fourth down and three of the team’s five snaps inside the 10-yard line. The results aren’t there. He’s holding onto a thread, but he is holding on.
TE Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans — 56% Rostered
Chigoziem Okonkwo was supposed to be a typical year two breakout, but we have yet to see that come to fruition through two weeks. He put up a goose egg in Week 1, finishing with just two targets and zero receptions. This past weekend got a little bit better, but still not to the point of being a player fantasy managers need to hold onto. He finished with just four targets, four receptions, and 35 yards.
He got more involved this past weekend but more importantly, quarterback Ryan Tannehill bounced back from a disastrous performance in Week 1. Due to how bad Tannehill was to open the season, Okonkwo is getting a pass on his 0-fer. He was more involved in the passing game plan in Week 2, but the team’s passing volume could continue holding him back for the rest of the season.
Get Out While You Still Can…
WR Skyy Moore, Kansas City Chiefs — 49% Rostered
Skyy Moore gave fantasy managers a “get out of jail” free card when he turned four targets into three receptions, 70 yards, and a touchdown this past weekend. After not catching a single pass in Week 1, fantasy managers should be able to argue the whole offense was off their game that week without Travis Kelce. That’s an easy sell because it also happens to be true. Moore was believed to be the No. 1 receiver for the Chiefs this season and the first week Kelce returns to action, Moore puts together a very nice game.
another sell skyy moore window? pic.twitter.com/5iusbobxA8
— Peter Howard (@pahowdy) September 18, 2023
However, he played just 58% of the team’s snaps and had just four targets on 41 Patrick Mahomes’ dropbacks. The Chiefs are employing a receiver-by-committee approach and it’s significantly limiting Moore’s playing time and number of routes he runs each game. Through two weeks he has just an 8.7% target share. If you can trade him for Elijah Moore or Treylon Burks, I would do that in a heartbeat. At the end of the day, Moore gave fantasy managers a selling window. Considering his snap counts, route participation rate, and target share numbers, fantasy managers should be taking full advantage.
Sell High
WR Garrett Wilson, New York Jets — 100% Rostered
Garrett Wilson has now scored in back-to-back weeks and has scored 11.9 and 15.3 points in half-PPR scoring. One of those touchdowns required him to tip a terribly thrown ball back to himself to catch it in the end zone and the other was a 68-yard score against the Cowboys. With Zach Wilson at quarterback, neither play seems very sustainable. 44% of his fantasy points are currently coming from touchdowns and given his current quarterback situation, we shouldn’t expect the touchdowns to continue. However, if you’re able to sell another league manager on Garrett Wilson’s excellence (and he is indeed excellent) and the fact that he scored 15.3 points against the elite Cowboys defense, you should do that.
He was drafted as a top-10 receiver this offseason and even with his hot start, you won’t get that value back. However, considering how he’s played through the first two weeks, you could get a high-end WR2 in return. I’d try to flip Wilson for Cooper Kupp if the manager is desperate for points and worried about his long-term status. Other options could include Calvin Ridley after a down game or D.K. Metcalf.
WR D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears — 97% Rostered
There’s no way around it. The Bears’ offense and Justin Fields look broken. They’re out of sync and struggling to muster any positive momentum. Is that going to change this season? It seems hard to believe that it will. In fact, I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is relieved of his duties before the end of the year in an effort by head coach Matt Eberflus to save his own job.
Bears offense through Week 2 (per PFF):
5 deep pass attempts (17th)
58 pressures allowed (31st)
10.6% explosive pass percentage (23rd)
6.47 passing YPA (22nd)
-0.165 EPA per play (25th)
8 DJ Moore targets (58th)Justin Fields has just 4 designed QB runs so far excluding sneaks.
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) September 18, 2023
While the team’s offense has looked brutal, there are some selling points fantasy managers can use. For starters, Fields has thrown 66 passes through his first two games. One of the biggest concerns heading into the season was Chicago’s very limited passing volume. However, through two weeks, they’re averaging 33 attempts per game. 33 would have ranked 18th last year, a major improvement from last year’s 22 attempts per game average.
Not only that, but Moore just recorded his first 100-yard game of the season. He finished Week 2 with seven targets, six receptions, and 104 receiving yards. He had a healthy 24% target share and finished with 13.4 half-PPR points and looked like the backend WR2 fantasy managers drafted. If I’m able to flip Moore for Jerry Jeudy or Mike Williams, I would do that.
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