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Updated weekend fantasy football cut list rankings for Week 5 of 2025. The top fantasy football players to drop and cut from rosters including Tre Tucker, Travis Hunter, Joe Mixon, Geno Smith, more.
Welcome back RotoBallers to our weekend Cut List Rankings for fantasy football Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season. With Thursday night Football behind us and injury designations set, it might be time for fantasy managers to make some last-minute moves before the in-game lock on Sunday.
Last weekend, fantasy managers saw several high-end players suffer serious injuries and have either already been ruled out or are in danger of sitting out. As a result, stashing the right player becomes even more important. However, when looking to stash a high-upside pot, an underperforming player must be cut.
So, which injured or disappointing players is it time to get rid of for fantasy football lineups? Read about our top players to cut for Week 5 of the NFL season. Good luck, RotoBallers!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Who To Drop for Fantasy Football Week 5?
The top players to consider cutting for fantasy football, in priority order. Players at the top of the list should be dropped first and replaced on the waiver wire:
| Rank | Player Name | Pos. | % Ros. | Baller Move |
| 1 | Tyreek Hill | WR | 35 | Drop in All Leagues |
| 2 | Malik Nabers | WR | 35 | Drop in All Leagues |
| 3 | Braelon Allen | RB | 35 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 4 | Trey Benson | RB | 55 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 5 | Joe Mixon | RB | 55 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 6 | Chris Boswell | K | 45 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 7 | Green Bay Packers | DEF | 45 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 8 | Dylan Sampson | RB | 25 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 9 | Los Angeles Chargers | DEF | 35 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 10 | Tre Tucker | WR | 45 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DEF | 35 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 12 | Geno Smith | QB | 35 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 13 | Brian Robinson Jr. | RB | 40 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 14 | Tyquan Thornton | WR | 35 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 15 | KaVontae Turpin | WR | 15 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 16 | Marquise Brown | WR | 50 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 17 | Evan Engram | TE | 75 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 18 | Cooper Kupp | WR | 65 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 19 | Darnell Mooney | WR | 35 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 20 | Calvin Ridley | WR | 80 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 21 | Kareem Hunt | RB | 40 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 22 | Travis Hunter | WR | 80 | Hold |
| 23 | Josh Downs | WR | 50 | Hold |
| 24 | Isiah Pacheco | RB | 80 | Hold |
| 25 | Matthew Golden | WR | 75 | Hold |
Fantasy Football Drop Candidates
Read the recent news and fantasy outlooks of some of the top cut candidates:
Tyreek Hill, WR - Miami Dolphins (Cut List Ranking No. 1)
The Miami Dolphins officially placed All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill (knee) on season-ending Injured Reserve on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Hill dislocated his knee in Monday night's win over the New York Jets and also tore multiple ligaments in his knee, including his ACL. His 2025 season is officially over, and although he's planning on being ready for the start of the 2026 season, it won't be a guarantee that he'll be ready for Week 1.
The Cheetah had surgery on his knee on Tuesday. In redraft fantasy leagues, Hill can safely be dropped for reinforcements. In his absence, Jaylen Waddle will be Miami's new WR1, with Malik Washington and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine also moving up the depth chart. Tight end Darren Waller, who had two touchdowns in his 2025 debut on Monday night, should also be heavily involved in the passing attack for Miami going forward, with Hill done for the year.
Braelon Allen, RB - New York Jets (Cut List Ranking No. 3)
According to head coach Aaron Glenn, New York Jets running back Braelon Allen (knee) could miss 8-12 weeks with the MCL sprain he suffered in Week 4's loss to the Miami Dolphins. Reports were that Allen would miss more than the minimum number of required games, but it now appears he'll be out until at least December, with surgery still an option.
In the 21-year-old's absence, teammate Isaiah Davis will take over the Jets' RB2 duties behind starter Breece Hall, and the newly-acquired Khalil Herbert will handle the RB3 role with Kene Nwangwu (hamstring) still tending to injury. Fantasy managers can safely drop Allen in all redraft formats as the likelihood of him making an impact to close out the 2025 season remains low.
Joe Mixon, RB - Houston Texans (Cut List Ranking No. 5)
Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (foot/ankle) remains away from team facilities as he continues to recover from an offseason injury, and recent developments suggest a return this season is becoming less likely. The team has not indicated any expectation of seeing Mixon on the field in 2025, and rookie Woody Marks appears poised to take over as the lead back for the foreseeable future.
Mixon made an immediate impact in his first season with Houston, rushing for 1,016 yards on 4.1 yards per carry and totaling 11 touchdowns. With his absence looking long-term, fantasy managers and Texans fans will need to pivot toward Marks and the team's committee approach in the backfield, leaving Mixon's once-promising fantasy potential on hold indefinitely.
Geno Smith, QB - Las Vegas Raiders (Cut List Ranking No. 12)
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith has endured a rough start to the 2025 campaign, throwing a league-high seven interceptions in just four games. Despite flashes from the Raiders' rushing attack, including Ashton Jeanty's breakout performance last week, Smith continues to force throws into tight coverage, resulting in costly turnovers.
Head Coach Pete Carroll has maintained confidence in his veteran signal-caller, but with Kenny Pickett waiting on the bench, the leash may not be endless if the mistakes persist. A tough Week 5 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts looms, and fantasy managers should approach Smith with extreme caution.
At this point, he should only be considered in superflex or very deep 16-plus team formats, as his turnover issues make him a risky play in standard leagues.
Darnell Mooney, WR - Atlanta Falcons (Cut List Ranking No. 19)
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (hamstring) suffered a hamstring injury Sunday in Atlanta's win. Still, with the bye coming up, he likely doesn't have to miss any games, sources say. Mooney exited Sunday's contest in the third quarter and had just one catch (on one target) for 15 yards.
The Falcons have a bye week approaching in Week 5, which allows for an extra week of recovery for Mooney as the Falcons prepare to host the Buffalo Bills in Week 6. If Mooney were to miss any time, Ray-Ray McCloud III, Casey Washington, David Sills, and Jamal Agnew would likely step up in Mooney's absence, although none of them should be on fantasy managers' radar at this point.
Thus far this season, Mooney has disappointed a bit, with only 79 receiving yards and seven receptions in three games played. However, he should remain the No. 2 option in this pass-heavy attack, which makes him worth holding in most standard leagues.
Travis Hunter, WR - Jacksonville Jaguars (Cut List Ranking No. 22)
Jacksonville Jaguars rookie first-round wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter's snaps on both sides of the ball will likely remain fluid on a week-to-week basis moving forward. When asked about how the team decided on Hunter's usage in the Week 4 win over the San Francisco 49ers, head coach Liam Coen said it was "a decision we all made together.. wanted to give some guys some opportunities, given what we felt their game-plan was gonna be, [and then it] ended up becoming more of a passing game."
Coen added that Hunter's snap count in Week 5 on Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs will be determined "as we go." Hunter played 64% of the offensive snaps in the season opener, which has been his highest number through four weeks. He played 56% on Sunday and caught three of five targets for a season-high 42 yards.
It's hard to imagine Hunter's snaps on offense drastically increasing anytime soon, making him a boom/bust WR4/flex in fantasy lineups. Despite this, his upside remains elite and should be held in all standard leagues ahead of Week 5.
Waiver Wire Articles
After diving into the cut list rankings, read about some waiver wire pickups to consider instead:
- Week 5 waiver wire pickups (all positions)
- Week 5 FAAB waiver wire bids
- Week 5 running back waiver wire pickups
- Week 5 wide receiver waiver wire pickups
- Week 5 tight end waiver wire pickups
- Week 5 quarterback waiver wire pickups
- Week 5 defense (D/ST) streamers and pickups
- Week 5 kicker streamers and pickups
Each week, our NFL team puts out a complete array of fantasy football waiver wire articles to compliment our slick Who Should I Pickup? Waiver wire player comparison tool. Bookmark it!
In addition, be on the lookout for our other waiver wire articles all season long. We will be releasing weekly waiver wire articles for each position, FAAB bidding recommendations, streamers and more throughout the week.
More Waiver Wire Analysis
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Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
