RADIO
With five weeks in the books, there are plenty of players who have lived up to preseason expectations. Then there are others who have completely fallen flat. Sometimes when these players are high draft picks fantasy managers are more prone to wanting to drop them.
Take Najee Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers or Miles Sanders of the Carolina Panthers. Both have been woefully inefficient this season. Harris can barely be started right now. Sanders cannot be started with confidence. However, does that mean they should be cut? We all horde backup running backs in the hopes they get more touches. Can that not be true for starters, as well? What if Jaylen Warren or Chuba Hubbard were to get hurt? Sure, the inefficiency could continue, but more touches are more touches, and volume is king. If these were waiver wire adds, you wouldn't be considering dropping them.
Deciding who to cut can always be a difficult process, but it's important to take emotions out of the equation. It's important to stay active on the waiver wire and continue making tweaks to your fantasy team. To do that, you'll need to say goodbye to some of your players. 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. 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 6?
Daniel Jones, New York Giants — 56% Rostered
Daniel Jones didn't have a true breakout season in 2022, but he was very efficient in his first year with new head coach Brian Daboll. Considering his lackluster group of pass-catchers and the poor seasons he endured under former head coach Joe Judge and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, it seemed completely reasonable to be in on Jones entering 2023. He would be in his second season with Daboll and the organization brought in tight end Darren Waller.
All of that may have been true once upon a time, but it's not true anymore. There's no way around it. Jones has been absolutely dreadful through five weeks. He has just 31.36 points accrued from passing, which is only 6.2 per game. He's been held to 140 or fewer passing yards in three out of five games. He has just two passing touchdowns on the season and they both came in the second half against the Cardinals.
2023 QB Leaders by Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt
1. Brock Purdy (9.8)
2. Tua Tagovailoa (9.1)
3 .C.J. Stroud (7.7)*
...
32. Zach Wilson (4.1)
33. Bryce Young (3.7)**
Last/34. Daniel Jones (2.8)* one of the worst S2 scores ever (18th percentile)
** one of the best ever (98th)— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) October 9, 2023
There's some truth to the fact that he's had to face the Dallas, San Francisco, and Miami defenses, which is an absolutely brutal way to start the season. If he had been playing in an average fashion maybe then we could cut him some slack, but he's been atrocious. Out of 33 qualifying quarterbacks, Jones has the absolute worst quarterback rating in the league. Even worse than Zach Wilson. His yards per attempt average of 5.9 ranks 30th out of 33. His touchdown percentage is dead last. His interception rate is the second-highest. It isn't all his fault. His offensive line has been just as dreadful as he's been. In the end, the reasons why really don't matter. It's not just that Jones can be cut, it's that he should be.
Running Backs to Cut in Week 6?
Cam Akers, Minnesota Vikings – 75% Rostered
There were a lot of people excited when Cam Akers was traded to the Vikings. Some even expected him to eventually take Alexander Mattison's job. Over the last two weeks, Mattison has 29 touches to Akers' 14. There's just very little to get excited about here. The Vikings are 32nd in rush attempts, 28th in rushing yards, and 31st in rushing yards. Akers is currently operating as the clear No. 2 running back for arguably the worst rushing attack in the NFL. Currently, he should be viewed as nothing more than a handcuff.
He's averaging just 0.8 yards after contact per attempt. According to PlayerProfiler, his true yard-per-carry average is just 2.5 yards, which ranks 63rd among running backs. He's creating just 1.93 yards per touch. This ranks 56th. He's received 32 carries and has not had a single carry go further than 12 yards. He hasn't been any better in the receiving game where he's averaging just 3.5 yards per reception. His 2.7 yard-per-touch average ranks 54th. He's been one of the most inefficient running backs in the league. You put all of that together and you have a player that doesn't need to be rostered.
Dalvin Cook, New York Jets — 69% Rostered
On an efficiency level, Dalvin Cook has been virtually as bad as Akers has been. He's averaging just 3.2 yards per touch. This isn't just about how bad Cook has been, even though he has been atrocious. This is about how bad the Jets are too. The team is just 24th in points scored and just 27th in yards gained. There's virtually no upside there, especially considering the team is just 26th in rush attempts. That's not even the worst of it though.
#Jets RBs yesterday. They've finally done the right thing and iced Dalvin Cook:
Snaps: Breece Hall 34, Michael Carter 20, Dalvin Cook 11
Routes: Carter 17, Breece 10, Dalvin 4
Opportunities: Breece 25, Dalvin 6, Carter 4
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) October 9, 2023
The Jets have finally fully unleashed Breece Hall and it was about time. Considering how well Hall performed and how poor Cook has been, it's only a matter of time before Cook is virtually erased from the game plan altogether.
Samaje Perine, Denver Broncos — 45% Rostered
Rookie Jaleel McLaughlin ended up with the better fantasy performance this past weekend with starting running back Javonte Williams inactive. This is starting to have the look of a three-man rotation. That's a death sentence even in the most optimal conditions, but Denver is far from the most optimal. In fact, Denver has been one of the worst rushing offenses in the NFL through five weeks. They rank just 29th in rush attempts, 19th in yards, and 26th in touchdowns. Now try splitting that three ways. The worst part is that Samaje Perine may very well be the guy on the bottom of the totem pole.
#Broncos Week 5 RB opportunities (carries + targets):
Jaleel McLaughlin - 13
Samaje Perine - 11— Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) October 9, 2023
He was out-touched by McLaughlin this past weekend and it seems like Williams will return this week. This will create a three-headed backfield and one that should be completely avoided. It's clear fantasy managers can safely move on.
Others that can be safely cut: Jamaal Williams, New Orleans Saints — 42% Rostered, Antonio Gibson, Washington Commanders — 49% Rostered, Ezekiel Elliott, New England Patriots – 44% Rostered, Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns – 42% Rostered
Wide Receivers to Cut in Week 6?
Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders – 68% Rostered
I don't like having Jahan Dotson here as he was a second-year receiver I was very high on entering the season, but through five weeks he has been a massive disappointment. He has 30 or fewer receiving yards in four out of five games. He has five or fewer targets and three or fewer receptions in three out of five games. In half-PPR scoring, he has just one contest with double-digit fantasy points. He's been held to fewer than 6.5 half-PPR points in the four other games.
Curtis Samuel has outscored Jahan Dotson in all 5 games this season.
— David J. Gautieri (@GuruFantasyWrld) October 6, 2023
He's averaging just 0.74 yards per route run, which ranks 92nd among receivers. He's averaging 4.7 yards per target, which ranks 90th. His 16.8% target share is just 52nd and his 16.8% target per route run rate is just 72nd. The production isn't there. The advanced stats aren't there. He's been the fourth-most effective pass-catcher for the Commanders behind Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, and tight end Logan Thomas. I still believe in the talent, but the production through five weeks has been brutal.
Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals – 48% Rostered
Unlike Dotson, Tyler Boyd was never expected to be a breakout candidate this year. However, being the No. 3 option on a passing attack as potent as the Bengals', he appeared as though he could be a quality bench player for fantasy managers. That just hasn't been the case through five weeks. Some of that can be attributed to Joe Burrow's calf strain, but with Tee Higgins out this past week, it was Trenton Irwin who stepped up for Cincinnati this past weekend. He had 10 targets and finished with eight catches for 60 yards.
Boyd on the other hand, was held to less than 40 yards for the fourth time this season. He has yet to score double-digits in half-PPR scoring in any games this season. If fantasy managers cannot start Boyd in a game where Higgins doesn't play and Burrow throws for 317 yards and three touchdowns, what's the point of rostering him? Fantasy managers can safely move on from Boyd.
Brandin Cooks, Dallas Cowboys – 47% Rostered
Brandin Cooks was another player that I was high on entering the 2023 season. I was optimistic that Cooks still had something left in his tank. I hoped and believed catching passes from Dak Prescott and being the Cowboys' No. 2 receiver would be enough to give him a chance at being a WR3 this season. Through five weeks, nothing could be further from the truth. He has just 73 receiving yards through five games. He's on pace for 248 yards over 17 games.
Some of this can be attributed to odd game scripts for the Cowboys, but that doesn't cover up the fact that Cooks has been terrible. He has just a 15.3% target share and is averaging a pathetic 3.8 yards per target. There were several fantasy analysts who were worried about the loss of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, and those concerns have been proven correct through five weeks. While I expect Cooks to be better than this, the amount of improvement he needs to become fantasy-viable is significant.
Skyy Moore, Kansas City Chiefs – 42% Rostered
Here is another player some fantasy analysts expected to have a second-year breakout season. Like Dotson, that has not been remotely accurate. While he's had plenty of opportunity to make a difference this season, he has absolutely failed to do so. He has run 132 routes this season and has been targeted on just 17 targets. It's not just his target-earning skillset that should have fantasy managers wanting to send Skyy Moore to the waiver wire. His efficiency on those targets has been just as bad.
All WR/TEs by YPRR [minus Busted Coverage]
1 Tyreek Hill (5.33)
2 Brandon Aiyuk (5.04)
...
12 Rashee Rice (3.19) [60 routes run]
...
128 Marquez Valdes-Scantling (0.71) [137 routes]
129 Skyy Moore (0.70) [120 routes]
...
Worst / 136. Randall Cobb (0.31)— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) October 9, 2023
Moore is simply just a guy running routes out there. It shouldn't be surprising if at some point Moore starts to lose his playing time. If you can't earn targets and get open, you're not going to play very long. If when you do get targets, you're inefficient with them, you're not going to play very long. Fantasy managers can move on from Moore.
Tight Ends to Cut in Week 6?
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams – 76% Rostered
From Weeks 1 to 4, Tyler Higbee was the TE11 averaging 6.9 half-PPR points. From Weeks 2 to 4, Higbee saw 23 targets in total. With the return of star receiver Cooper Kupp in Week 5, Higbee recorded just three targets. Higbee has long been an inefficient pass-catcher, but fantasy managers flocked to Higbee due to his volume and his limited target competition. However, now with rookie receiver Puka Nacua, Kupp, and Tutu Atwell, the volume that once just barely kept Higbee fantasy-relevant is evaporating before our eyes. Kupp and Nacua registered 23 targets out of Matthew Stafford's 37 attempts in Week 5.
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns – 51% Rostered
The Browns were on a bye in Week 5, but there have been very few positives for David Njoku this season. In three out of four games, he's been held to four or fewer targets. He has just one game with more than five half-PPR points and has yet to score more than eight half-PPR points. His 13.4% target share ranks just 21st among tight ends. His target per route run rate of 15.4% ranks even worse, coming in at 25th. Even when he is targeted, it barely matters because his average depth of target is just 3.4 yards, which ranks 34th. Njoku has not done a good job at commanding targets and when he has been targeted, he's done very little to argue he deserves more targets.
On The Hot Seat
QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys – 89% Rostered
If there's a better option on the waiver wire, I don't blame you for wanting to cut Dak Prescott. He's been pretty terrible through five weeks. He has two games with less than seven points and two others where he failed to break 15. He has yet to score more than 20 points in any games this season. The only reason Prescott is on the hot seat as opposed to the cut list is because of the game scripts the Cowboys have had. They have won three games by a score of 108-13. They lost another game 42-10. They've played zero games that finished within 10 points.
If there's another reason to give Prescott a little breathing room, it's because they lost their offensive coordinator this offseason, and head coach Mike McCarthy has taken over play-calling. That change sometimes requires a little time before the quarterback and offense get comfortable.
WR Tutu Atwell, Los Angeles Rams – 61% Rostered
From Weeks 1 to 4, Tutu Atwell had eight or more targets in all four games. He had five or more receptions, as well as 50 or more yards in three out of four games. He also scored 15 half-PPR points in three out of four games to start the season. Atwell was performing as a legit WR2 in the Los Angeles offense.
However, in the first game of Cooper Kupp's return, Atwell registered just five targets and finished with just two receptions and nine yards. It's hard to drop a player who has performed as well as Atwell has, but the return of Kupp is significant. Nacua and Kupp absolutely dominated the team's target share in their Week 5 loss to the Eagles and that is unlikely to change. Fantasy managers do not need to drop Atwell, but expectations definitely need to be adjusted. He's likely now just a boom or bust WR4. With that kind of value, it's possible there are better options on the waiver wire.
Hold On
WR Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos – 84% Rostered
Plenty of fantasy managers are frustrated with the production or rather lack thereof of Jerry Jeudy, but fantasy managers need to be patient. Week 5 was the first time Jeudy played more than 80% of the team's snaps, as he's still been somewhat limited by a preseason hamstring injury. However, the production is starting to come. He's recorded 50 or more receiving yards in three straight games and has recorded seven targets and five or more receptions in two out of the last three games. He's starting to operate as Russell Wilson's clear No. 1 receiver.
Jerry Jeudy last 3 weeks:
* 23% target share
* 46% air yards shareAlso set a season high with a 95% route rate in Week 5.
— Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) October 9, 2023
Wilson has been quite good to start the 2023 season. The Broncos are 11th in passing yards and third in passing touchdowns. Wilson has been immensely better than last season and that should give fantasy managers optimism that once Jeudy is fully unleashed we'll start to see him produce like he did to finish the 2022 season.
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