RADIO
Do you ever find yourself knowing exactly who you want to add to your team to make it that much more awesome, but you have not a single clue on who to give the boot? If so, you are in the right place as The Cut List--brought to you each week by All Stats A Salad's hosts Tony Peters and Ben Hamren--is here to provide you with both real and fictional reasons to drop the axe on a variety of players.
The football season waits for no human, don't get stuck with these fantasy stones blocking better options and keeping you from the throes of victory. All ownership rates are taken from Fleaflicker. Be sure to check out the weekly football (and NSFW) podcast, All Stats A Salad, by clicking here.
Editor's Note: Once you're done here, be sure to read about more Week 5 waiver wire recommendations, for all other positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - FAAB - CUTS
Week 5 Players to Consider Cutting or Replacing
Sammy Watkins (WR, BUF) - 74% Owned
WK4: Did not play
2016: 6-of-11 for 63 yards, zero TD
WK5: Doesn't matter
BEN: Foot problems for a speed guy usually spell doom. But in wide receiver Sammy Watkins' case, it means something else entirely: the final nail in the coffin of his immediate fantasy value as he is now officially ruled out until at least Week 12. But even when healthy, he's struggled with consistently at times under Rex Ryan's rule, including this season. With a new coordinator at the helm of the offense and quarterback Tyrod Taylor willing to throw to anyone he deems open, it muddies the waters of his return enough that fantasy players should consider letting him be someone else's headache, including the waiver wire's.
All stats a salad...the dude goes by "King Me" on the Twitter and I'm confused how he could openly request such a thing without another him to stack atop of himself. Maybe he could use this version of himself, the play caller he can finally respect.
Mohamed Sanu (WR, ATL) - 45% Owned
WK4: 2-for-3 for 22 yards, zero TD
2016: 13-of-20 for 152 yards, one TD
WK5: Broncos (last in points allowed to WR)
TONY: In a game where Falcons' quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 503 yards and five touchdowns, Sanu caught 2-of-3 targets for 22 yards and no touchdowns. Other than a promising Week 1 performance, he's been a complete dud and there's nothing his next two matchups against the Broncos and Seahawks are going to do to correct that. Oh, and I guess his shoulder is separated, but that seems like trivial information in this case.
All stats a salad...Sanu is making the drop list this week for squandering a pair of the most incredible cleats I have ever laid eyes on. Featuring the mutant bad-ass of all mutant bad-asses, Wolverine, in both his classic yellow and black costume and a maskless, Hugh Jackman-inspired form--with claw marks and blood splatter to boot--he should be beserker barraging defenders left and right and earning cool new nicknames like Weapon Sanu or Mohamed X. Should.
Connor Barth (K, CHI) - 42% Owned
WK4: 1-of-2 FG, 2-of-2 XP
2016: 2-for-4 FG, 8-for-8 XP
WK5: Colts (tied for second-most points allowed to K)
TONY: I'm not quite sure why we are even having this conversation, owners of kicker Connor Barth, but here we are. The 42% owned kicker just cracked the top 25 in kickers with 14 total points, nine behind 24th-place Cody Parkey (owned in 0% of leagues, by the way). Sure, the 1-3 Bears have been anything but an offensive juggernaut, but Barth has already squandered two field goals chances and over half of his points have come from extra point kicks. This situation, like Chicago's win-loss record, is never recovering this year, making him a burden in nearly all leagues.
All stats a salad...Barth is destined for a terrible fantasy season thanks to what can only be described as the "Robbie Gould Curse," as seen in action Sunday after he missed a field goal on a day when Gould's face was featured on game-day tickets. After the Bears unceremoniously jettisoned Gould--their franchise leader in points--this preseason against the wishes of Bears' fans, its reasonable to think the wily veteran left behind some sort of foot curse to keep his record forever intact and keep fans chatting his name long into the future.
Hot Seat - Sending Warning Signals
Alshon Jeffery (WR, CHI) - 100% Owned
WK4: 3-of-5 for 46 yards, zero TD
2016: 17-of-25 for 317 yards, zero TD
WK5: Colts (26th in points allowed to WR)
TONY: After a rather pedestrian Week 3 performance against the Cowboys, it came out that wide receiver Alshon Jeffery is not at full-health as a knee injury had been holding him back. In-between then and Week 4's game, he added a hamstring injury to the mix, both of which tag-teamed to limit him to three catches and 46 yards Sunday. When healthy--as in the first two games of the season--he's as good as any receiver in the league. But until Jeffery takes time off to heal proper, he is establishing a disturbing trend of non-WR1 production.
All stats a salad...besides the aforementioned Bears-related curse above, Jeffery is drawing my ire this week for letting his stockholders down, down, down. Despite person investment site Fantex paying out a record $2.74mm in cash dividends according to a September press release, investors in Jeffery only received $0.31 per share, behind quarterback EJ Manuel ($0.37), defensive tackle Michael Brockers ($0.61), tight Vernon Davis ($1.50) and fellow cut-lister Sanu ($3.60).
Duke Johnson (RB, CLE) - 72% Owned
WK4: eight rushes for 45 yards; 6-of-8 for 31 yards; 1 FUM
2016: 24 rushes for 148 yards; 18-of-25 for 115 yards; 1 FUM
WK5: Patriots (18th in points allowed to RB)
BEN: With the departure of Terrence West to Baltimore, the future was looking bright for Duke. But then Isaiah Crowell took his decent year last year and stormed through the gates of this year to effectively rain all over the hopes and dreams of Duke and his owners alike. This is the one position on the field where Terrelle Pryor won't steal your job as well as the only other spot locked up. Shallow leagues, worth a cut; deep leagues, worth a bench.
All stats a salad...this dude can't catch a break. Johnson has a fumble lost even though he recovered it. The refs thought that it would be funnier to give the ball to Washington though Duke was holding the ball and Washington never had it. That's the Browns, folks.
Stash and Pray
Jay Ajayi (RB, MIA) - 30% Owned
WK4: six rushes for 33 yards; 2-of-2 for 13 yards
2016: 18 rushes for 75 yards, 6-of-6 for 44 yards
WK5: Titans (29th in points allowed to RB)
BEN: Miami is a hotbed for nonsense, and Miko Grimes isn't even stirring the pot this time. With the tragic-yet-predictable injury to Arian Foster, the backfield is now wide open and the Dolphins have committed to no one. Both Ajayi and upstart Kenyan Drake were "benched" in favor of second upstart Damien Williams. Ajayi's still the most productive of the lot and Coach Adam Gase is aiming to thin the running back herd, so if he can get anything going against a resilient Titans run defense, he should build himself a buffer against the fate of obscurity as part of running committee.
All stats a salad...the words "sulk and struggle" may have been used to describe Ajayi after he was named the back-up to Foster to start the season. But in reality, this London-born running back just needs his pickle juice. He might say it was a one-time thing he did in college, but that face shows he enjoyed it. Free the pickle!
Eric Ebron (TE, DET) - 77% Owned
WK4: 4-of-5 for 42 yards, zero TD
2016: 18-of-25 for 210 yards, one TD
WK5: Eagles (last in points allowed to TE)
BEN: A tight end with upside is a terrible thing to waste. A tight end with ankle and knee injury issues might be. Hopes were high that Eric Ebron would be one of the benefactors following the departure of Megatron. More targets for everyone now, right? Apparently, quarterback Matthew Stafford has found his new paramour, and it's Marvin Jones. Ebron has four-plus receptions in each game this season, but he needs to maximize those chances because Marvin will. Then there's that thing about the Eagles fresh off their bye, but at least Ebron won't be penalized for Stafford's interceptions.
All stats a salad...he gives up on blocking for running backs not named Ameer Abdullah, giving up on a play in the fourth quarter Sunday while blocking for Theo Riddick. With his love for his injured friend clouding his judgement--and I don't blame him based on these thoughts on Boy Meets World's Topanga--the man is going to disappoint more than just fantasy players.
Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!
