While fantasy managers mostly stress about their studs not performing as expected or weekly start/sit decisions, it’s important to ensure you have the correct players on the end of your bench. Let’s take a look at the fantasy outlooks of a handful of players on the roster bubble and decide whether you should keep them or drop them from your fantasy football team.
Fantasy football players to drop
The fantasy outlook for these players is bleak, and you should consider dropping them from your fantasy team.
Elijah Moore, WR, New York Jets
The Jets’ rookie wide receiver was a popular late-round selection in 2021 fantasy football drafts. Unfortunately, the production hasn’t been there, and the fantasy outlook is only getting worse.
Elijah Moore’s snap share has decreased across every game this season. That is not the trajectory you want from a rookie who should be seeing his playing time increase.
Moore has 14.6 fantasy points on the season. Zach Wilson leads the NFL in interceptions, and the Jets can’t score points (they’ve scored 6 in their past two games combined). You can safely banish Moore to the waiver wire in favor of players with more upside.
Darius Slayton, WR, New York Giants
Darius Slayton entered the season as the WR3 on the Giants, so his fantasy outlook was never great to begin with. There was some hope that he could find his way into relevance after at least showing signs his first two weeks with 3-65 and 3-54-1 lines.
Then, heading into Week 3, there were questions about Kenny Golladay’s health and a chance for Slayton to splash. Instead, Slayton caught just 1 pass for 8 yards before exiting due to a strained hamstring. As a result, Slayton is likely going to miss at least a week or two. For those who took a chance on him, you can safely cut bait.
Ronald Jones, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This one shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Ronald Jones’ role with the Bucs was always going to present a challenge for him to be fantasy-relevant.
Leonard Fournette is the clear 1A when it comes to carries. Giovani Bernard is the clear passing-down back; Fournette is the second man up for those snaps. That leaves Jones with just a share of early-down work and no passing-game upside.
Through three weeks, Jones has carry counts of 4, 6, and 5, while catching just a single pass. He’s scored 5.1 fantasy points on the season. In order for his fantasy outlook to improve, Jones would need injuries to both Fournette and Bernard. Even then, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him cede work to Ke’Shawn Vaughn. You can safely drop Jones.
Mark Ingram, RB, Houston Texans
I completely understand why Mark Ingram warranted a pickup after Week 1, but no one should be surprised that it didn’t work out. His Week 1 performance notwithstanding, Ingram remains the same running back that John Harbaugh made a healthy scratch over the second half and playoffs of the 2020 season. Ingram is done.
Since his Week 1 explosion, Ingram has carried the ball 20 times for 62 yards. He played 31% of the snaps in Week 2 and 35% in Week 3. Ingram is a complete non-factor in the passing game, and the Texans are staring down the barrel of negative game scripts for most of the season.
I don’t understand why the Texans signed Ingram. I do understand why you added him to your fantasy roster, but it’s time to let him go.
Fantasy football players you should keep
These players are definitely candidates to drop from your fantasy team, but their outlooks may just be good enough to consider holding for a little longer.
Bryan Edwards, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
It seems like every week Bryan Edwards does just enough to warrant keeping as your final wide receiver. Edwards has yet to be targeted more than 5 times in a single game. But, defenses look to bracket Darren Waller, and Hunter Renfrow’s improved play threatens to force more attention his way.
Despite his low volume, Edwards has managed to hit 80 yards receiving in two of his first three games. He’s made some nice grabs and has an impressive 77% catch rate with no drops. His snap share has also increased in each game this season. Don’t drop Edwards from your fantasy football roster just yet.
Curtis Samuel, WR, Washington Football Team
Through three weeks, I think we can draw the conclusion that Washington is missing the explosiveness Curtis Samuel brings. With Samuel out, there’s not much for Taylor Heinicke to work with outside of Terry McLaurin and Logan Thomas. And no one would mistake Thomas for explosive.
In Samuel’s stead, it’s been Dyami Brown starting. Sadly, he’s just not it. Brown was a middling prospect with suspect hands/concentration issues. He was almost an every-down player over the first two weeks, but his poor play saw his snap share severely reduced in Week 3.
The writing is on the wall for Samuel to return over the next couple of weeks and reclaim his spot as this team’s WR2. Ron Rivera expects Samuel to return to practice this week, putting him on track to play either this week or next. Once he’s activated, he’s going to be a hot pickup. You’re better off already having him on your roster.
Michael Carter, RB, New York Jets
With just 18.7 fantasy points over his first three games, I can completely understand why you might want to drop Michael Carter from your fantasy football roster. But if you can afford to hang onto him, you might want to consider it.
Carter is still splitting time, but now it’s just Ty Johnson — Tevin Coleman has lost his role. Carter touched the ball 13 times in Week 2 and 11 times in Week 3. The Jets’ offense has been terrible, but they’ve also played the Panthers, Patriots, and Broncos. That’s three tough defenses.
However, the Jets’ next two games are against the Titans and Falcons, a much better outlook for fantasy. You should at least give him a chance to produce in those matchups. If Carter can’t get anything going against those teams, feel free to drop him from your fantasy football team.
