Roster management is the single most crucial in-season task for fantasy football managers. Knowing which players to let go is as important as adding the right guys. Which players find themselves on our Week 4 fantasy football cut list?
Quarterbacks: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Rostered: 74%
This one is a carryover from last week. Typically, I will include players for multiple weeks until their roster percentage declines enough. That has yet to happen with Joe Burrow, as fantasy managers may be clinging to hope he can return late in the season. There are two reasons not to do that.
First, we’re talking about a three-month recovery timeline in the best-case scenario. Burrow might be able to return in Week 15 or 16. That’s the fantasy playoffs. Presumably, if you’re still playing, you made it with someone else at quarterback. Are you really about to throw an ice-cold Burrow into your lineup when it matters most?
Second, there is exactly a 0% chance Burrow returns this season unless the Cincinnati Bengals are still in the playoff hunt. Forgive me for being highly skeptical that this team, led by Jake Browning, who just lost 48-10 to the Carson Wentz-led Minnesota Vikings, won’t be mathematically eliminated multiple weeks before Burrow might be able to play.
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Rostered: 61%
Remember when C.J. Stroud had one of the greatest rookie seasons by a quarterback in NFL history? It seems so long ago. Stroud was being drafted as a top-eight fantasy quarterback just one year ago. Now, he shouldn’t even be on fantasy rosters.
The Houston Texans’ signal caller has been nothing short of abysmal to open his third professional season. Stroud has more interceptions than touchdown passes and has a season high of a mere 207 passing yards.
There was hope that a matchup against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars would help get Stroud back on track. No such thing occurred. The Texans fell to 0-3 and will, at best, be 1-4 heading into their Week 6 bye.
Yet to so much as reach 15 fantasy points, the days of Stroud being viewed as a potential fantasy QB1 are over. Similarly, the days of Stroud being on your fantasy rosters should be over.
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
Rostered: 35%
It’s ironic how things have come full circle. Last season, fantasy managers were begging for Michael Penix Jr. to supplant Kirk Cousins to save Drake London’s fantasy value. Now, we are hoping for the reverse.
The box score is one thing. Watching the games is another. But regardless of which you look at, the takeaway is the same. Penix looks awful.
The sophomore signal caller hasn’t thrown a touchdown since Week 1. He’s posted passing yardage totals of 135 and 172 yards in each of his last two games. In Week 3, Penix couldn’t lead a single scoring drive against the lowly Carolina Panthers’ defense.
Penix was missing wide-open receivers all afternoon. It was the type of performance coaches should show future quarterbacks on how not to play the position.
The Atlanta Falcons will likely lose to the Washington Commanders in Week 4. Then, they go on bye. When they return, there’s a nonzero chance we get the Captain back in the chair.
Running Backs: James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
Rostered: 97%
A most unfortunate end for one of the NFL’s true good guys. James Conner is a player I didn’t embrace until very late in his career. He was always so much better than I gave him credit for. He was also somewhat unfairly labeled injury-prone.
Well, Conner proved the haters correct with what is very obviously a freak injury. Conner’s leg got trapped under him on a tackle, and he destroyed his ankle. It took mere hours for Adam Schefter to report that Conner was set to undergo surgery and his season is over.
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It will likely take a couple of weeks before Conner’s roster percentage dips low enough to be removed from the cut list. For the worst reason possible, though, he needs to be led go.
Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns
Rostered: 53%
Even though Dylan Sampson is better than Jerome Ford and would be the back-to-roster in Cleveland without Quinshon Judkins, he’s the odd man out while Judkins is leading the charge.
The Browns’ other rookie played all of five snaps against the Green Bay Packers. Judkins is the clear RB1 and looks like an every-week must-start RB2. Jerome Ford is not startable, but he’s the more trusted back in pass protection, which keeps him on the field. Sampson has no role.
At this point, Sampson is nothing more than a low-upside speculative handcuff. You don’t absolutely have to drop him because there is a plausible path to upside. But if you need the roster spot, he can go.
Kaleb Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Rostered: 51%
One week after not knowing the rules of football directly led to the opposing team scoring a free touchdown on a muffed kick return, Kaleb Johnson didn’t play a snap, not even on special teams.
Jaylen Warren’s grip on the lead back role continues to increase. He is looking like one of the best picks in fantasy. Meanwhile, Kenneth Gainwell is solidified in his change-of-pace role. There is no role for the third-round rookie and not even an inkling of that changing.
Tank Bigsby, Philadelphia Eagles
Rostered: 42%
Another carryover from last week, Tank Bigsby’s trade to the Philadelphia Eagles erased all of his fantasy value. There is no speculative hold here. Bigsby went from part of a three-man rotation in Jacksonville to purely a special teamer in Philly.
Bigsby has yet to play an offensive snap as an Eagle, and there is no realistic path to playing time. He is behind AJ Dillon, Will Shipley, and Saquon Barkley. That player does not need to be on the roster.
Najee Harris, Los Angeles Chargers
Rostered: 34%
It was a brutal week for injuries. Watching this game live, everyone knew immediately that Najee Harris’ season was over the second he went down.
Harris crumbled to the ground without being contacted. The whole world knew it was a torn Achilles, which was confirmed after the game. His season is over.
Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills
Rostered: 21%
Last year, James Cook missed one game. Ray Davis filled in for Cook and established himself as one of the league’s best backups. He came into this season in what we thought was the same role. If Cook goes down, Davis will be the feature back and capable of producing almost 100% of the starter’s efforts. After three weeks, it’s impossible to feel the same as we did in August.
Davis played all of four snaps last week and did not touch the ball. He’s firmly behind Ty Johnson on the depth chart to the point that Johnson appears to be the more likely beneficiary of a Cook injury than Davis. With nothing even close to resembling standalone value, the sophomore running back does not need to be rostered.
Wide Receivers: Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos
Rostered: 27%
Who could have possibly foreseen a wide receiver who saw a 40% snap share as a rookie and a 26% snap share as a sophomore not being a full-time player in his third year?
Marvin Mims is playing more this year than last year, but that’s not saying much. He’s still purely a situational deep threat/gadget guy.
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There will inevitably be weeks where Bo Nix’s deep shots to Mims connect and he posts monster fantasy days. It happened last year. But those are neither predictable nor reliable.
Mims now has six receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown through three games. Basically, he’s given you low-end WR1 production if you combine all of his games. That’s…not going to get it done.
Between the Broncos’ improved run game, Nix’s struggles, Troy Franklin’s emergence, and Courtland Sutton’s clear WR1 status, there is no path for Mims.
Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots
Rostered: 23%
That 6-103 Week 1 effort feels like it was ages ago. Since then, Kayshon Boutte has seen four total targets, catching three for 44 yards and a touchdown.
If there is a silver lining, it’s that Boutte has established himself as the New England Patriots’ WR1. He ran the most routes among wide receivers, by far, in Week 3. The problem is Drake Maye is content to spread the ball around. He doesn’t lock in on anyone.
Between Boutte, Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, and Hunter Henry, the passes could go anywhere. That makes all of them difficult to start because there’s no telling who might be the top fantasy scorer any given week.
You’ll never feel confident starting Boutte. It’s okay to drop him.
Joshua Palmer, Buffalo Bills
Rostered: 22%
One of my favorite late-round dart throws, I am waving the white flag on Joshua Palmer.
The Buffalo Bills have scored at least 30 points in each of their first three contests. Joshua Palmer has accounted for none of them.
Purportedly their primary X receiver, Palmer has seen four total targets over his last two games, catching three passes for 52 yards. Against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night, he had one catch for five yards.
Palmer ran a mere 15 routes, falling well behind Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman. With Josh Allen content to spread the ball around, there’s never going to be a scenario in which Palmer is a viable fantasy option.
Tight Ends: Evan Engram, Denver Broncos
Rostered: 63%
Fantasy managers are starting to move on from Evan Engram. It needs to pick up the pace, though.
The veteran tight end’s injury only furthers the justification for dropping him. It’s not the main reason, though. Even when healthy, Engram does not have a fantasy-relevant role.
Between Weeks 1 and 2, Engram saw a total of six targets, catching four passes for 33 yards. His snap share in those games was 35% and 42%. He’s behind Adam Trautman. That is untenable for fantasy managers.
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
Rostered: 42%
It’s always risky to give up talented rookies, especially first-rounders. But it’s getting increasingly complex to make a case for hanging onto Colston Loveland.
The Chicago Bears’ first-round tight end has been unable to vanquish Cole Kmet, raising immediate concerns about his fantasy viability in the short term. He caught two passes for 12 yards in Week 1 and then went catchless in Week 2.
It’s impossible to know how Week 3 would have gone had he not suffered a hip injury shortly after his 31-yard reception. But it happened. Loveland played a mere six snaps before departing.
Between the injury, the rise of Rome Odunze, the presence of Kmet, and the flashes being shown by Luther Burden III, it’s hard to see a path for Loveland anytime soon. If you cannot afford to burn the roster spot, by all means, send him to the waiver wire.