Fantasy football managers know the most challenging part of the season isn’t drafting — it’s deciding who to let go. As the year hits its midpoint, patience with a few once-promising names is wearing thin. Some high-profile players simply aren’t producing or can’t get on the field. It’s time to face tough choices before the stretch run begins.
Cut: Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns
Rostered: 77%
Jerry Jeudy was a popular bust candidate heading into this season. I certainly won’t be taking a victory lap on getting this one correct. It wasn’t exactly a bold claim. But I will not profess to have expected anything like what we’re seeing.
The Cleveland Browns don’t exactly have a loaded pass-catching corps. It’s not just that Jeudy isn’t producing; he’s not even earning targets.
Jeudy saw a mere four targets in the Browns’ demolition of the Miami Dolphins last week. It marked the third time in his last five games that he saw five targets or fewer. While he did see 13 targets two weeks ago, he only caught five of them for 43 yards. Those 9.3 points represent his second-highest output of the season.
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The last time Jeudy hit double-digit fantasy points was back in Week 1. He barely got there with 11.6. Through half the fantasy season, Jeudy has been barely startable once. It’s hard to justify continuing to roster him.
Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills
Rostered: 57%
The Buffalo Bills were on bye last week. So, perhaps you forgot about Keon Coleman. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
The last time we saw him was another dismal effort from the sophomore. Coleman caught three passes for 11 yards, so he’s now failed to score more than 7.5 points in four of his last five games. If not for a fluke touchdown two weeks ago, it would’ve been five straight. Even with injuries to Dalton Kincaid, Curtis Samuel, and Joshua Palmer, he couldn’t get going.
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Coleman had a rough rookie season and has shown no improvement as a sophomore. He cannot separate and thus does not earn targets. His Week 1 explosion was purely a product of the sheer amount of plays the Bills ran in negative game script. There is no upside with Coleman. Drop him.
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
Rostered: 41%
The fantasy regular season is now at its midpoint after. Yet, we are no closer to a Brandon Aiyuk return than we were back in August. The best update we have is that head coach Kyle Shanahan expects to have a more concrete timeline “soon.”
You figure that even when the announcement of Aiyuk’s return comes, we’re still at least three weeks away from him playing football beyond that. So maybe in the best-case scenario, we get him back in Week 11.
There will be a ramp-up process and heavy target competition with Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings, Christian McCaffrey, and, apparently, Kendrick Bourne. Maybe you’re compelled to use Aiyuk in Week 12. But, again, these dates really are ambitious.
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The San Francisco 49ers have a Week 14 bye. How worth it is it to hold Aiyuk for the potential to use him for a week or two in the fantasy regular season? Then, if he doesn’t quite look like himself, which it’s unlikely he will, are you trusting him in the first round of the playoffs?
All of this is to say the scenario in which Aiyuk contributes anything meaningful this season gets less likely by the week. If you need the roster spot, feel free to move on.
