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 3 fantasy football cut list?
Quarterbacks: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Rostered: 100%
There is no complex analysis on this one. It is easily the worst part of fantasy, and the type of player I hate having to put on the cut list the most.
Joe Burrow is an elite QB1 who would only ever be considered for dropping if he gets hurt. Unfortunately, that is what happened.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ starting quarterback sustained a more serious version of turf toe (compared to the one Brock Purdy is dealing with) that will require surgery. The estimated recovery time is three months.
The reported three-month return timeline for Joe Burrow is very optimistic. While there’s some hope since the turf toe is on his front foot, this type of injury is effectively season-ending. pic.twitter.com/akIDn2zCzo
— David J. Chao – ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) September 15, 2025
That gives Burrow a shot to return for the postseason, should the Bengals make it. But it ends his season for fantasy purposes.
You can let Burrow linger in your IR spot for as long as you want. As soon as you need it, though, feel free to cut him loose.
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
Rostered: 40%
Both quarterbacks playing in Sunday Night Football were very disappointing. JJ McCarthy easily could’ve been on the cut list as well. The only reason he’s not is because fantasy managers should hang onto him for next week’s game against the Bengals.
McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr. are both young, hopefully ascending talents. There may come a day when they are every-week QB1s. We are not there yet. Not even close.
At this point, Penix is nothing more than a matchup-based streamer. This week, the matchup against the Carolina Panthers projects to be another one where the Atlanta Falcons can pound Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.
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Penix was merely a passenger on Sunday night, attempting 21 passes en route to 135 scoreless yards. The Falcons’ QB1 offered nothing on the ground, his only rushing attempt coming in the final kneel-down to end the game.
The next spot Penix might be a viable option is in Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills, which comes after the Falcons’ Week 5 bye. There is no reason to hold Penix that long.
Running Backs: Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders
Rostered: 45%
Much like Joe Burrow, this one has nothing to do with performance. Austin Ekeler wasn’t lighting the world on fire, but he still had a fantasy-relevant role.
One of the true good guys in the sport, it would be really sad to see this be the end for the once elite RB1. Ekeler tore his Achilles in last week’s loss to the Green Bay Packers. Given his age, this may end his career.
Ollie Gordon II, Miami Dolphins
Rostered: 26%
We are inching closer and closer to the end of the Mike McDaniel era in Miami. The Miami Dolphins lost again, falling 33-27 to the New England Patriots. They are almost certain to lose at Buffalo in Week 3. If they fall at home to the lowly New York Jets in Week 4, that will likely be it for their head coach.
The point in bringing this up is that the team is in disarray. Ollie Gordon II is the presumptive handcuff to De’Von Achane. But he has no standalone value. The only scenario in which Gordon could be useful is if Achane gets hurt. Even if that happens, are we really that confident in Gordon as a fantasy starter?
You can certainly hang onto Gordon if you have the spot. His name is on the cut list more to let fantasy managers know this pure handcuff — this speculative handcuff — does not absolutely need to be on fantasy rosters.
Braelon Allen, New York Jets
Rostered: 65%
Would you look at that? It turns out talent does matter.
One week after Breece Hall had to suffer through a 50% snap share, the Jets realized he’s their most talented running back, and it isn’t close. Hall’s snap share shot up to 63% against the Bills.
More importantly, Hall dominated touches. He only saw 10 carries because the Jets weren’t even remotely competitive. But Braelon Allen was limited to just two.
If Hall were to go down, Allen would be the starter. But he wouldn’t step into Hall’s role. This would be a committee between him and Isaiah Davis.
Allen is worth holding because he has Flex potential in the event of a Hall injury, but he’s not someone fantasy managers should feel wrong for dropping if necessary.
Kaleb Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Rostered: 74%
It is so incredibly over for Kaleb Johnson…and it hasn’t even begun. Typically, I would caution against dropping rookies early in the season, especially ones we knew we’d have to wait on. I am willing to make an exception for Johnson.
The third-round pick was always going to need time to earn a role. The problem is that, over the past two weeks, not only has he not made progress, but he’s actually gone in the opposite direction.
In Week 1, Johnson was given a single carry. It went for negative yardage. In Week 2, Johnson’s lone carry went for one yard, but that’s not important. What is important is how he proves himself to his coaches.
A great way to avoid this is muffing a kickoff and then not knowing the rules, leading to him ignoring the live ball behind him and allowing the Seattle Seahawks to recover the ball in the end zone, gifting his opponents six points. You have to imagine the rookie got an earful from Mike Tomlin on the sidelines after that one.
The Seahawks just recovered a kickoff in the end zone for a touchdown!
SEAvsPIT on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/0J1gEbqx4r
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
Johnson is still a young player with plenty of time to earn a role. He’s just so far away right now. If you can’t afford to sit on him for what could be two months, if it ever happens at all, you can drop him.
Tank Bigsby, Philadelphia Eagles
Rostered: 57%
When the Philadelphia Eagles traded for Tank Bigsby, the first thing they said was they viewed him as a quality kick returner and special teamer. Yet, some people jumped to the immediate conclusion that he would be the RB2 and the handcuff to Saquon Barkley.
It made perfect sense for fantasy managers who drafted Bigsby to wait and see what would actually happen. Now that we know, Bigsby is an easy drop.
The Eagles’ real RB2, Will Shipley, missed last week’s contest with an oblique injury. If ever Bigsby were going to be able to establish himself as the handcuff, it would be when all he has to do is beat out AJ Dillon. He could not. He didn’t play a single offensive snap. Nothing more needs to be said.
Jaydon Blue, Dallas Cowboys
Rostered: 22%
Javonte Williams dominated the Dallas Cowboys’ backfield in Week 1. But he didn’t exactly tear it up on the ground. That left the door open for another underwhelming outing in Week 2 to convince coaches that Jaydon Blue should be active in the near future.
Instead, Williams stepped it up. He carried the ball 18 times for 97 yards and a touchdown, while adding a stellar six receptions for 33 yards. The former Bronco saw 25 opportunities.
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Miles Sanders remains a very poor RB2. But if the best-case scenario for Blue is that he is active to be Williams’ backup, that is not someone fantasy managers need to hold.
At this point, Blue feels very far away from relevance. This is Williams’ backfield. If he gets hurt, it will be Sanders’ backfield. The more “and thens” you need to come up with to explain how a guy becomes fantasy relevant, the less you need to roster him.
Brian Robinson Jr., San Francisco 49ers
Rostered: 63%
The following two players on the cut list are not guys fantasy managers absolutely must drop. Unsurprisingly, there is no room for anything else behind Christian McCaffrey. Fantasy managers knew this coming into the season. There has never been a running back with standalone value behind CMC.
We know what Brian Robinson Jr. is. He is the McCaffrey handcuff. For now, McCaffrey looks fully healthy and his usual dominant self. He is the best player in fantasy. How long will that last? Hopefully, the entire season.
If McCaffrey were to go down, Robinson would immediately be a weekly RB2. For that reason, you should hang onto him if you can. But in the event you need a roster spot for players that can actually go in your lineup now, Robinson is not one of them and can be let go.
Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
Rostered: 93%
There is no sugarcoating it. This is bad. Really bad. Isiah Pacheco isn’t mired in a committee where he’s not as valuable as fantasy managers had hoped, but still a viable starter. He 100% needs to be planted on fantasy benches until further notice. There is nothing even remotely resembling fantasy relevance here…but you can’t drop him. Not yet.
The Kansas City Chiefs have had a rough start to the season. Travis Kelce took out Xavier Worthy three plays into a difficult Week 1 road game against a divisional opponent. Then, the Chiefs were forced to face the Philadelphia Eagles’ elite run defense in Week 2. Things should be much easier against a New York Giants’ defense that just allowed the Dallas Cowboys to score 40 points against them, and Williams to amass 130 yards from scrimmage.
Pacheco’s role was a bit better in Week 2. He played 58% of the snaps. However, he only saw 12 opportunities. Pacheco has now turned 18 touches into 57 scoreless yards through two weeks.
Isiah Pacheco has to be more patient or only run him between the tackles. He doesn’t have the burst to outrun angles against most defenses, and here, he has to follow Creed pic.twitter.com/lr36QCTHKD
— Daniel Harms (@InHarmsWay19) September 15, 2025
10-12 touches per game is enough for RB3/Flex value if they are the right type of touches. Unfortunately for Pacheco, he is exclusively getting the ball on early downs and between the 20s.
Kareem Hunt is the passing-down back and the goal line/short-yardage back. How exactly is Pacheco supposed to score fantasy points? The answer is he doesn’t.
Nevertheless, it is too early to cut bait on a player who was a legitimate fantasy RB1 when he had a feature role to open the 2024 season. We need to see what this offense looks like against a weaker opponent. We need to see what this offense looks like when it isn’t missing its two best offensive weapons (outside of Patrick Mahomes).
There may come a time when Pacheco needs to be cut. It may come soon. We are not quite there just yet.
Wide Receivers: Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
Rostered: 58%
This is a tricky one. Jayden Reed has a broken collarbone and is going to miss about two months of action…but his season isn’t over. At the same time, Reed is not a weekly fantasy starter. He’s not someone who, when he returns, fantasy managers know they confidently reinsert into lineups.
If you have an open IR spot, of course, put Reed in it and don’t worry about it. Never drop anyone unless you absolutely have to. But if your IR spots are filled, it’s easy to make a case to cut Reed.
Here is the play on which Packers WR Jayden Reed broke his collarbone. pic.twitter.com/8PnRMA9IRk
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 12, 2025
He may be the most talented wide receiver on the Green Bay Packers, but Reed is just a cog in their machine. The Packer wide receiver rotation from last year is continuing this year. Reed only played 38% of the snaps in Week 1 and ran a mere 12 routes. That’s the type of player he is.
Reed has the talent to splash any given week. He is a boom/bust player. But that’s not someone fantasy managers need to have on their roster. If you can’t afford to wait it out, Reed can go.
Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers
Rostered: 82%
This was going to be the year the Packers finally committed to a true alpha wide receiver…and it was going to be…Matthew Golden, apparently. If you read my offseason article on Golden, his early-season performance would not be a surprise. Golden was a very questionable prospect. His archetype is one we’ve seen fail over and over again.
By no means am I writing off Golden as a bust. However, I would be lying if I said I didn’t expect to be doing so at the end of the year. Even so, I am actually including Golden’s name to tell managers not to drop him.
Historically, rookie wide receivers perform much better over the second half than the first half. They take time to get acclimated. Not everyone can be Justin Jefferson or Malik Nabers. If you drafted Golden, you had to know you weren’t going to be able to start him early in the season. You have to wait it out.
Of course, it’s incredibly disconcerting that Golden couldn’t earn more targets in a game where Reed went down in the first quarter. A first-round rookie should be able to easily command volume ahead of the likes of Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. Golden has yet to prove he is capable of doing that.
But we must be patient. Week 3 is too soon to cut bait on a Round 1 wide receiver, regardless of what anyone thinks of his talent profile.
Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos
Rostered: 32%
Remember when Marvin Mims Jr. was going to be the Denver Broncos’ WR2? I remember.
As a rookie, Mims couldn’t get on the field for more than 40% of the snaps on a roster that featured very little in the way of wide receiver competition behind Courtland Sutton. As a sophomore, Mims’ snap share dropped even further to 27% in a similar situation. What would have been the impetus for change in year three?
Mims saw a 51% snap share in Week 1. That fell to 36% in Week 2. He’s simply not a full-time wide receiver, and we have no reason to believe he ever will be.
Sure, Mims can catch a long touchdown. He is fast and has big-play ability. But fantasy managers cannot be rostering, let alone starting, a wide receiver who is being out-snapped by Trent Sherfield.
Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens
Rostered: 38%
Through two weeks, the Baltimore Ravens have scored 40 points twice. Lamar Jackson is lighting it up. Mark Andrews is completely finished, having a mere two catches for seven yards on the season. Yet, amidst all of this, Rashod Bateman has managed to earn exactly four targets and catch exactly two passes in each of his first two games.
Bateman’s best season came last year when he averaged a whopping 10.3 fantasy points per game. If he could do that again, he’d be worth rostering, but still not worth starting unless you’re in a bind. So far, we’ve seen no evidence that Bateman isn’t reverting to the seldom-used receiver he was in the preceding years.
Bateman is still technically the WR2, but there’s not much room behind Zay Flowers. He played just five more snaps than Tylan Wallace. That’s not someone who needs to be on fantasy rosters.
Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears
Rostered: 14%
Typically, I wouldn’t bother including players who are only rostered in 14% of leagues. However, Luther Burden III was one of the most dropped players on Sleeper, which warrants discussion.
Burden is the Chicago Bears’ WR4. He has no chance of unseating DJ Moore or Rome Odunze in two receiver sets. His best-case scenario is that he overtakes Olamide Zaccheaus as the WR3. To that I say…so what? Do we really want the WR3 in a Caleb Williams offense?
Burden does have the injury out. If he can jump Zaccheaus and one of Moore or Odunze gets hurt, then we’re talking about a relevant role. But that’s very speculative and requires multiple “and thens.”
If you drafted Burden, you knew you’d have to sit on him for a while. For that reason, it’s fine to hang onto him. But we are so far away from any possible impact. If you need to drop him to add more immediately impactful players, do it.
Tight Ends: Evan Engram, Denver Broncos
Rostered: 85%
This is as bad as it gets. Evan Engram isn’t even the TE1 for the Denver Broncos. Supposedly brought in to be Sean Payton’s “joker,” Engram has been nothing but a joke.
Through two weeks, the former Jaguar and Giant has seen a whopping six targets. In Week 2, he played a mere 42% of the snaps, running a route on fewer than 60% of Bo Nix’s dropbacks.
Does Evan Engram even exist?pic.twitter.com/itUNpBCPZX
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) September 14, 2025
While Engram led the Broncos’ tight ends in routes run, he played 12 fewer snaps than Adam Trautman. That’s just not a tenable situation. Fantasy managers who drafted Engram not only should cease starting him, but they should drop him entirely.
Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Rostered: 96%
Last season, it took me four weeks to admit it was over for Mark Andrews. After back-to-back zero-catch games, I finally relented and put the Baltimore Ravens tight end on the cut list. He thanked me by scoring a touchdown in just about every game the remainder of the season and posting weekly TE1 numbers.
Admittedly, Andrews will score some touchdowns this year. The difference this time is that he has no excuse for his failures.
Isaiah Likely missed the first two weeks of the season as he recovered from a broken foot. As a result, Andrews’ snap share is up over 80%. He is on the field plenty. He is running routes. He’s just not earning targets.
As a reminder, targets are a skill statistic. Good players demand the ball. Andrews, unfortunately, is no longer a good player.
Is Mark Andrews washed?
pic.twitter.com/mJYiTWukRm— Red Raider Man🌵 (@redraiderman1) September 14, 2025
Andrews has seen four targets through two weeks. He’s caught two passes for a total of seven yards. This occurred in two games in which the Ravens scored 40 points. It is over for Andrews.
Jonnu Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers
Rostered: 37%
Let’s go over what Jonnu Smith is this season. He is in a tight end timeshare on a run-first offense that features an alpha WR1 in DK Metcalf and a 42-year-old washed quarterback. What exactly is the appeal?
Is Smith even the TE1 for the Pittsburgh Steelers? The data certainly doesn’t suggest that.
Smith played four more snaps than Pat Freiermuth in Week 2. He ran one fewer route. They both saw four targets. To Smith’s credit, he’s caught all but one pass thrown his way this season. In Week 1, he scored a short touchdown. But his usage is not indicative of a player fantasy managers would ever want to start. He can be cut
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
Rostered: 31%
Brenton Strange is one of the most fascinating players in fantasy. He’s not a difference-maker or a league-winner of any sort. But he’s simultaneously a cut candidate and a weekly streamer…every week.
Strange’s role is awesome. He’s playing 90% of the snaps and is the clear TE1 for his offense. Last week, he was second on the team in routes run behind only Brian Thomas Jr. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ TE2, Johnny Mundt, ran a total of five routes. This is clearly Strange’s job. Unfortunately, the target volume isn’t there.
The best fantasy tight ends are their team’s first or second priority. Strange is behind Thomas, Travis Hunter, Parker Washington, and Dyami Brown. That’s not going to work with any quarterback, let alone a bottom-10 starter in Trevor Lawrence.
Yet, Strange will never get you zero. That makes him a viable desperation streamer if you need a warm body. But that’s all he should be. Pick Strange up when you need him. Drop him when you don’t.
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
Rostered: 58%
There were two tight ends taken in the first half of the first round in the 2025 NFL Draft. They are not the same. While Tyler Warren already looks like the next Sam LaPorta/Brock Bowers type rookie, Colston Loveland is as far away from relevance as you can get.
The Chicago Bears’ rookie played 53% of the snaps last week. Meanwhile, Cole Kmet was at 89%. Loveland is the TE2, which puts him approximately sixth in the target hierarchy. He is behind DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Olamide Zaccheaus, D’Andre Swift, and Kmet.
We know not every rookie tight end can be like Bowers, LaPorta, or Warren. Most of them take time. However, there are so many hurdles that Loveland has to overcome before he can even be considered for fantasy lineups. You do not need to hold him, hoping that they happen sooner rather than later.
