Fantasy football managers face tough decisions every week, and knowing when to cut bait on underperforming players can make or break your season. Some quarterbacks who looked promising earlier in the year have failed to live up to expectations, leaving owners wondering if it’s time to move on.
The roster percentage doesn’t always tell the full story about a player’s actual fantasy value. Sometimes the most difficult cuts are the ones that will ultimately save your season.
Cut: Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Rostered: 81%
Once upon a time, Kyler Murray was an elite fantasy quarterback. His career got off to such a strong start, averaging 18.9 fantasy points per game as a rookie, then 24.4. and 22.2 in his second and third seasons. Since then, though, he’s been unable to match those heights.
This year feels worse than ever… because it is. Murray is averaging 16.2 PPG and came into Week 6 as the overall QB22. Murray hasn’t had a total dud all season, but he’s yet to post a single game with at least 19 fantasy points.
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Meanwhile, from a real-life perspective, Murray appears to be getting worse. The Arizona Cardinals just matched their season high in points scored with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback.
Murray has not been a difference-maker all season. He’s almost certainly going to miss Week 8. Then, the Cardinals are on bye. Now, you probably want Murray for his Week 9 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. But if you can’t afford to hold him for two more weeks, he’s really not a must-roster player.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Rostered: 75%
Seeing Matthew Stafford this heavily rostered is mind-boggling, but it makes sense in the context of his recent performances and the Week 6 matchup. He was coming off back-to-back games of 25-plus fantasy points and set to face a Baltimore Ravens defense that can’t stop anyone.
So, what does Stafford do? He has his worst fantasy outing of the season, failing to reach double-digit fantasy points in a low-scoring game that the Los Angeles Rams were never in jeopardy of losing.
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Stafford has been what he’s been every season since he threw over 40 touchdowns in 2021 — he’s a matchup-based streamer. Without any rushing production, Stafford needs to throw touchdowns to return fantasy value. But the Rams want to run the ball with Kyren Williams.
Feel free to continue spot-starting Stafford when you need to, but he shouldn’t be any fantasy team’s primary quarterback.
