The Fantasy Basketball Cut List - Who to Drop or Hold After Week 2

Thunder Dan Palyo offers advice on which players to drop in fantasy basketball leagues after two weeks of games. He helps managers make those tough decisions on who to cut in order to add breakout players off the waiver wire.

Welcome back to the second installment of the Fantasy Basketball Cut List. The decision to cut a player from your team isn't always an easy one, so I'm here to help you make those tough calls and keep your roster stocked with as many healthy and productive players as possible.

We are only a few weeks into the season, but we can already start to see how the rotations are shaking out for most teams and what roles players are slotting into for this season. Those dynamics are constantly changing, and we would be foolish not to adapt to how much playing time or usage players are getting on a nightly basis.

This article identifies players who can be safely cut in standard 12-team leagues. If you're making cuts, then you are probably looking for players to add, so check out my weekly waiver wire article. Alright, let's roll up our sleeves and make those tough decisions—who's already getting cut from our fantasy basketball teams?

Highly Rostered Players to Consider Cutting

All roster percentages are courtesy of Yahoo!

Anfernee Simons, PG/SG - Boston Celtics (87% Rostered)

I'm coming right out of the gates with what some might view as a hot take, but here it goes. You can absolutely cut Anfernee Simons, and you'll lose no sleep over it. Yes, he's a highly rostered player, but let's consider what he's actually doing to help your fantasy team.

Simons is ranked outside the top 150 right now as he's averaging 14.3 points on just 41.2% shooting. He's always been a volume-based scorer who does little else, but his role as the bench-scorer in Boston has only made that even more obvious.

Simons is adding 2.8 threes per game, but does absolutely nothing else to help you win other categories. He's averaging just 2.0 boards, 1.6 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks, and his 83% from the free throw line is only 1.3 attempts per game, so it's not boosting your average much.

There are a dozen players on the waiver wire who can give you these types of stats. If you replace his name with someone lesser-known, he'd be 20% rostered. These are the types of players we should purge from our teams, hollow scorers who offer little upside elsewhere.

CJ McCollum, PG/SG - Washington Wizards (57% rostered)

The 34-year-old McCollum has been a 20-point scorer in the league for the last 11 seasons, but that run looks to be coming to an end as he's already being phased out of the Washington rotation as the Wizards look to develop their younger players. McCollum is technically still starting, but has played 24 minutes or fewer in four straight games.

The Wizards are the second-youngest team in the league with an average player age of 23.8 years old. It's a bunch of young bucks and then McCollum and Khris Middleton as the aging former stars.

We should have seen this coming. Why would Washington prioritize minutes for McCollum when they are clearly not competing this year? If he's still on your roster, just move on, as it's highly unlikely that CJ is going to be a valuable asset this season without a change of scenery.

From Last Week...

Bradley Beal, SG/SF - Los Angeles Clippers (74% Rostered)

Just checking on Bradley Beal - how did he do since last week's column?

Well, he played two games but managed just 20.5 minutes per game, scoring nine and 12 points in those contests with barely any peripheral stats, and then he rested in the second half of a back-to-back. What are we doing here, people? His rostership has dropped 7-8% but get this guy off your teams!

Dereck Lively II, C - Dallas Mavericks (70% Rostered)

Lively hasn't returned from injury yet, but do you know who has? Daniel Gafford - and he's looked pretty good. Anthony Davis is going to return sooner rather than later, too. I still don't see the case for holding Lively.

Lightly Rostered Players to Consider Cutting

Reed Sheppard, PG/SG - Houston Rockets (28% rostered)

I'm officially moving Sheppard from the "be patient" list to the cut list this week. He's played 18 minutes or fewer now in four straight games, and that's just not enough for most players to maintain value in standard leagues.

I do think he could end up back on our rosters later in the season if there's an injury in Houston that shakes up their rotation, and I am still bullish on him becoming a good NBA player in time. But right now, he can safely be cut in standard leagues. We are wishcasting him more minutes that simply aren't there now and don't appear to be coming any time soon.

Klay Thompson, SG/SF - Dallas Mavericks (17% Rostered)

Klay finally got bumped to the bench last night and ended up tying his season-high in scoring with...wait for it...11 points. Yeah, it's been a disaster of a season for Klay in Dallas, and anyone still holding out hope that the former "Splash Brother" will have a renaissance with the Mavericks can put those pipe dreams to rest.

He's only managing 20 minutes a game and is shooting 34% from the field. It's sad to see him go out like this, but Thompson's days of being an elite scorer have been over for some time.

Jared McCain, PG/SG - Philadelphia 76ers (19% Rostered)

This was a late addition to the article, and I realize that we have only seen one game from McCain since he returned from injury. In that game, he played 15 minutes and failed to score a single point while adding one board and two assists.

There was a lot of buzz about adding him off the wire this week, and I was trying to tell folks to temper their expectations, as I didn't see McCain getting enough minutes with the Sixers having a healthy backcourt.

McCain was then rested in the second half of a back-to-back. That's no bueno, I am sorry, folks. If you grabbed him expecting him to replicate last year's stats, it's not happening this season without an injury to Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecomb, or Quentin Grimes.

Others Who Can Be Cut:

• Bobby Portis (26%)
• Nikola Jovic (18%)
• Ace Bailey (17%)
• Sam Hauser (13%)
• Jaylen Wells (12%)
• Khris Middleton (11%)
• Chris Paul (10%)

On the Hot Seat

Cameron Johnson, SF/PF - Denver Nuggets (79% rostered)

Another bad game from Cam Johnson last night, and it's one day closer to what I may fear is the end. I have been preaching patience with Johnson, but another week of this level of production and it's going to be...

If you've already run out of patience, I get it. He will be hitting the wire in a lot of leagues. I am just going to wait a little bit longer. I am wondering if his shoulder injury is affecting him or if he's just an afterthought on offense as the fifth option, and that won't change.

Kel'el Ware, PF/C - Miami Heat (60% Rostered)

Ware had a double-double last night in a game where Bam Adebayo left with an injury just eight minutes into it. That's the only reason he's on the watch list this week instead of the cut list! He was trending down in a big way, turning in more duds than good games to start the year.

He's coming off the bench, but playing just 20 minutes a night. He does have an elite rebounding rate and the ability to stretch the floor and hit threes, but we were hoping for closer to 25 minutes a game to make him viable in standard formats.

Hold him for now until we get more news about Bam, but he's a guy that I don't mind cutting down the road when Miami gets healthy if they continue to keep him in a reduced role.

Malik Monk, SG - Sacramento Kings (33% rostered)

Monk also gets a reprieve from the Cut List this week, courtesy of a good game last night. He played 25 minutes off the bench and scored 21 points for the Kings in a game where they rested both Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis. He had missed two straight games and was making managers anxious with his absence.

The issue with Monk isn't his game; it's his role on the Kings this season. They brought in Dennis Schroder and Russell Westbrook, muddying up the minutes in the backcourt. Monk is back to his bench scorer role, but is doing little other than score with just 1.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 steals.

At least he's shooting 53% from the field, but that's also not likely sustainable. I would be a hypocrite if I told you to cut Simons for being a hollow scorer without telling you to do the same with Monk. But for now, I'm willing to give him another week to see how this messy rotation in Sacto plays out.

Underperforming Players to Hold

Desmond Bane, SG/SF - Orlando Magic (97% rostered)

This one cuts deep because I was high on Bane coming into this season. He has a few good games, but overall, he's been trending down in production and minutes. He was ejected from his last game for a flagrant foul, so let's not read into those minutes, but it's still a concerning trend.

Don't cut Desmond Bane! He will be better. I am not sure he'll be as good as I thought he'd be, but this is likely rock bottom for him, and he's way too good a player not to get it figured out soon.

Devin Vassell, SG/SF - San Antonio Spurs (89% rostered)

The Spurs' backcourt is a mess and will be overcrowded at some point. But right now, Dylan Harper is out for a few weeks, clearing a spot for De'Aaron Fox to return from his injury any day now. Vassell can slide over and play small forward, and the Spurs need another reliable shooter out there on the floor besides Harrison Barnes.

He's shooting just 40% to start the season, but is a career 44% shooter. We'd like to see a few more steals, but Vassell is finally healthy and viewed as a key piece of this Spurs team. Hang in there a bit longer, I think his play will stabilize.

John Collins, PF/C - Los Angeles Clippers (85% rostered)

Collins' role in L.A. so far has not been ideal as he's playing just 24 minutes off the bench behind Derrick Jones Jr. at power forward. I think I understand what the Clippers are trying to do with keeping Collins on the second unit with Brook Lopez, but it's led to a career-low number across the board.

Collins looked rejuvenated in Utah last year and is still just 28 years old, so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. He also doesn't hurt you anywhere, as he's a relatively low turnover player who shoots well from the field and the free-throw line. A bigger role could be coming, and Collins is still a solid fantasy asset when getting enough minutes.

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