RADIO
If you are familiar with this column, you are probably used to seeing three or four players I dub droppable. For this week, I found that many players that fit the criteria (players owned in at least 30% of leagues) are either obvious drops, or that there just weren’t a whole lot of candidates I strongly felt about parting with.
As for players you should hold onto, that part is still juicy. Anyways, below are this week’s players you can safely drop, and those that you may not necessarily be starting, but that are still worth holding onto (for the time being). And as always, keep in mind that recommendations are made relative to situations current to the time of the writing.
In addition to these players to cut from rosters, be sure to also check out all of our other great weekly articles on free agents who are recommended waiver wire pickups for this week. Let's get to it!
Droppable Players
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
Boy, was I wrong with this one. Forget the fact that A.J. Green left Week 5 with a hamstring injury, that has nothing to do with the reason to suggest he is a replaceable player. Things have all but bottomed out since I suggested taking a wait-and-see approach with the former Pro Bowler.
While his production numbers (for this season) have never been the reason for optimism, at one point in time, Green not only led the team in targets, but was also among the league leaders in that category. Since then, however, his target share, and snap count has dropped. Something is up, and based on body language from last week’s game, Green isn’t happy. Remember, Green and the Bengals couldn’t agree on a long-term deal prior to the season, so he is playing on the franchise tag - $18 million! With that kind of money, and nothing to show for it, Green is a logical trade candidate.
It’ll be interesting to see if there is a team that believes he has something still left in the tank. A change of scenery could be what he needs to jumpstart production, but based on what he’s shown, I’m no longer a believer.
Marvin Jones Jr., Detroit Lions
During a team’s bye week, it is usually a time where players use that opportunity to recharge and mentally prepare for the remainder of the season, so it’s tough using this moment to recommend parting with Marvin Jones, but given the way things have gone this far into the season, there is little hope things get better.
While WR1 Kenny Golladay was out, Jones and Danny Amendola were entrusted to carry the load. It was a prime opportunity for Jones to again show what he can do, but he flat out flopped – which was disappointing to see given his strong 2019 season. Here were his targets to receptions differentials with Golladay out: 8/4, 6/4. Now, with Golladay back: 3/3, 2/1. He does have one touchdown for the year, but he has yet to top more than 55 yards in a game. Hypothetically, things should get better as teams will now focus more on stopping Golladay, but through two games, that hasn’t materialized. Don’t hold out too much hope that things will get better.
Hold For Now
Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans
Labeling Corey Davis a bust would be inaccurate, but because of where he was drafted, it’s fair to expect (a lot) more out of him. He should be a perennial pro-bowler, but he is not that. This year, however, prior to the coronavirus wreaking havoc in the Tennessee Titans locker room, he was having a nice start to the season. In three games he played, he averaged 11.4 fantasy points per game (Yahoo! Scoring); albeit a small sample size, and also not eye-popping numbers by any means, but he looked good doing it. He saw, on average, a healthy six targets through those games, topped 100 yards in one, and also scored a touchdown during that time.
Don’t get me wrong, this is still AJ Brown’s team, and I’m not saying he will be the leading receiver when it is all said and done, but this could be the year where he proves he is a strong number two option. Don’t believe me yet? He has graded out quite nicely per Pro Football Focus. Through the young season, he is the owner of an 80.1 receiving score, good for 11th out of 114 eligible players. All that said, keep in mind he is still out with COVID-19 designation, so it still is unknown when he will return, but when he does, he should still be an integral part of the offense.
Noah Fant, Denver Broncos
Noah Fant is currently out with an ankle injury. In Yahoo! Leagues, he also experienced a 14% drop in percentage rostered. I hope there is no correlation. While he is expected to miss this upcoming tilt against the New England Patriots, his injury is not expected to keep him out long-term.
Noah Fant has his limitations, as can be seen by his horrendous PFF pass and run block grades (29.5 and 41.5), but he is a talented pass-catcher (75.6 grade, which ranks 8th out of 62 tight ends), which is what obviously matters most in terms of fantasy relevancy. Once he is healthy, he will again assume top duties at tight end. Add that to the fact that he has Drew Lock throwing him passes, it bodes well for continued fantasy production – young, unproven QBs love looking for a security blanket in the middle of the field!
Henry Ruggs III, Las Vegas Raiders
Henry Ruggs is appearing on some lists as a waiver wire add, so if you got ‘em, hold on to ‘em. Things have not started the way he nor the Oakland Raiders had hoped (missing two games due to injury, and overall lack of looks), but he is a rookie overall, and if week five served a purpose, it was to remind us of the kind of weapon he is. The problem with Ruggs that can be a consistent thing, is inconsistency. He is a home run waiting to happen, but it’s not something that should be expected each time. Also, Derek Carr is not exactly known as a downfield passer, so that doesn’t help. Ruggs is someone you should hold onto should he develop into a consistent threat for Oakland, or depending on your needs, perhaps he can even become sell-high candidate prior to the trade deadline.
T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions
T.J. Hockenson hasn’t exactly given fantasy managers TE1 production, but he does have at least 53 receiving yards in three of four games. When looking at the box score for his last game (week four), you’ll see two catches on four targets and nine yards…hardly anything to get excited about, but one of the catches was a touchdown, and the other was a two-point conversion. In conclusion, although they were just two catches, they were meaningful catches. Coming off last week’s bye, Hockenson figures to be a big part of Detroit’s offensive game plan moving forward. Don’t get rid of him (at least not yet).
Other Options To Consider
- Sony Michel, New England Patriots
- D'Ernest Johnson, Cleveland Browns
- Carlos Hyde, Seattle Seahawks
- Jeff Wilson Jr., San Francisco 49ers
- Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons
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