Roster management is the single most crucial in-season task for fantasy football players. Just as important as adding the right players is knowing when players need to go. Which players find themselves on our Week 2 fantasy football cut list?
Who should you cut in fantasy football in Week 2?
The Week 2 fantasy football cut list consists of a number of running backs and wide receivers. There are five rookies in total on this week’s cut list, including three RBs, who once carried much preseason hype.
All roster percentages are from Yahoo.
Fantasy football cut list | Running backs
Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons listed Tyler Allgeier as eighth on their depth chart. That sure looked like hyperbole and typical “make the rookie earn it” type behavior. At least that was the case until the team made him a healthy inactive in Week 1.
Thirty-year-old journeyman former UDFA Damien Williams was the “starter” with Cordarrelle Patterson leading the backfield in opportunities. Meanwhile, 2021 fifth-rounder Avery Williams, who didn’t touch the ball last season, was active ahead of Allgeier.
The reality is Allgeier was a Day 3 pick and Day 3 picks rarely matter. It seems as if that’s the case with Allgeier.
James Cook, Buffalo Bills
The award for lowest-scoring fantasy running back this week goes to James Cook. He scored fewer fantasy points than literally every RB in the NFL. (That includes running backs who didn’t see the field.)
Cook touched the ball one time on Thursday night and fumbled. For Buffalo, he’s the clear RB3, well behind Devin Singletary and Zack Moss. Cook is likely two injuries away from relevance, and as a result, finds himself on the Week 2 cut list.
Mike Davis, Baltimore Ravens
While J.K. Dobbins works his way back to full health, some people (myself included), thought Mike Davis would be the primary back. Instead, it was Kenyan Drake. Davis played just seven snaps all game, fewer than Justice Hill. There’s absolutely no reason to continue rostering him.
Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
This is Chase Edmonds’ backfield. Raheem Mostert played fewer than 50% of the snaps and only touched the ball six times. This was a game where the Dolphins played in positive game script throughout. Fantasy managers can cut Mostert loose.
Isaiah Spiller, Los Angeles Chargers
When the Chargers released their unofficial depth chart last week, Isaiah Spiller was listed fourth. There was no one listed third.
Spiller was widely expected to be a Day 2 pick in the NFL draft until a poor Combine performance. Even then, no one thought he’d fall to Day 3. But he did and for good reason.
Spiller was unable to beat out Joshua Kelley or recently signed Sony Michel for backup duties to Austin Ekeler. Spiller is miles away from getting on the field, and by the sounds of it, even if he did, it wouldn’t mean much. Fantasy managers cannot afford to burn a roster spot on a guy with no chance of breaking out and who is not even active on game days.
Fantasy football cut list | Wide receivers
Kenny Golladay, New York Giants
There’s really nothing positive I can say about Kenny Golladay’s fantasy value. He’s rostered in 19% of Yahoo leagues, and that’s 19% more than he should be rostered in.
Golladay is completely checked out. I still think he was once a very good wide receiver, but that was a long time ago. He saw just two targets in Week 1, and that’s about what we can expect from him weekly. There will never be a situation where you’re comfortable starting Golladay. Cut him.
Skyy Moore, Kansas City Chiefs
In my Skyy Moore player outlook, I said the following:
“I believe Moore will open the season as the Chiefs’ WR4. As a result, if I’m correct, anyone drafting him will be forced to decide whether to keep an unproductive wide receiver on the bench for an unknown period of time or drop him and potentially give a useful second-half receiver to another team.”
On Sunday, Moore saw just one target. He wasn’t even the WR4. He was the WR5, playing fewer snaps than even Justin Watson. I still believe Moore will emerge into a very productive NFL player. But we are ways away from that moment. Outside of deeper leagues, you just can’t keep burning a roster spot on Moore.
DeVante Parker, New England Patriots
I completely get taking a shot on DeVante Parker. Jakobi Meyers was the presumptive WR1, but it was possible Parker could’ve been involved enough to have fantasy value.
Parker did lead all Patriots receivers in snaps. However, he only ran two more routes than Meyers and saw just two targets. On a low-volume passing offense, Parker doesn’t need to be rostered.
Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys’ starting wide receivers behind CeeDee Lamb were Noah Brown and Dennis Houston. Full disclosure — I had no idea who Dennis Houston was until yesterday. These are the players that were active over Jalen Tolbert.
I don’t know how we went from reports of Tolbert being the presumptive WR2 to being a healthy inactive. Yet, here we are.
James Washington and Michael Gallup will return sooner rather than later. If Tolbert can’t even get on the field now, I don’t see a world where he plays at all this season, absent significant injuries to Cowboys receivers. He can be safely released from fantasy rosters.
Sammy Watkins, Green Bay Packers
So much for Week 1 Sammy Watkins. In a game where Allen Lazard did not play, Watkins only saw three targets. The answer to which Packers receiver to target in fantasy may very well be none of them.
No receiver reached 40 yards, nor did one catch more than four passes. Aaron Rodgers appears as if he’s going to just spread the ball around. Watkins was never all that appealing to begin with, but given the ambiguity in the Packers’ receiving corps, he was worth a dart throw. That dart appears to have missed.