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 13 fantasy football cut list?
Quarterbacks: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings
Rostered: 40%
I really don’t care that it’s only been six games. I’ve seen enough. J.J. McCarthy is not long for the NFL.
McCarthy completed 12 of 19 passes for 87 yards and two interceptions in a loss to the Green Bay Packers last week. Despite negative game script throughout, Kevin O’Connell refused to call pass plays because he is terrified of his quarterback, and rightfully so.
With that said, sometimes, bad real-life quarterbacks can be good fantasy quarterbacks. Given McCarthy’s mobility, there was a chance that it would be the case. We’ve seen him get by with rushing production a couple of times this season.
Regardless of what McCarthy might be able to do in a better matchup, the fact that the floor is this low puts him well off the fantasy radar. It’s a shame because the Week 14-17 schedule is very favorable.
Running Backs: Jordan Mason, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Rostered: 73%
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Ever since Aaron Jones Sr. returned from IR, things have not gone well for Jordan Mason. What was supposed to be a timeshare has turned into a starter/backup situation.
Mason averaged 15 carries per game while Jones was sidelined. He’s averaging 6.4 carries per game since Jones’ return.
Mason has run well the past two weeks. He’s turned 14 carries into 87 total yards. The problem is that it’s not doing anything for fantasy managers. That wouldn’t even be enough if it were one game. But it’s two.
There is still the contingent upside for Mason. If Jones were to go down, Mason would be an RB2 again. But he’s unstartable at the moment. So if you need to drop him, you can.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders
Rostered: 59%
Amazingly, a seventh-round rookie who couldn’t earn a combine invite is not actually that good at football. Who could’ve seen that coming?
Jacory Croskey-Merritt had his chance to take hold of the Washington Commanders’ backfield. Instead, he followed up his stellar 27-point outing in Week 5 by failing to reach that number in every game since.
Chris Rodriguez is the new starter and lead back. JCM still mixes in, but he’s merely there to ease the burden on Rodriguez. He has no fantasy value anymore.
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Running Backs: JK Dobbins, RB, Denver Broncos
Rostered: 46%
It had been such an excellent season for JK Dobbins serving as the Denver Broncos’ lead back. Now, it’s over.
Dobbins sustained a significant foot injury two weeks ago on an uncalled illegal hip drop tackle. The Broncos placed Dobbins on IR ahead of Week 11 and ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
There is some hope he might be able to play if Denver makes the Super Bowl, but that fact does not matter for fantasy purposes. Dobbins can be safely dropped.
Nick Chubb, RB, Houston Texans
Rostered: 45%
Game script is no longer a factor in the Houston Texans’ backfield. Rightfully so, the team has seen enough of Nick Chubb. This is Woody Marks’ backfield.
Chubb is averaging 4.1 fantasy points per game over his last six. He’s failed to reach double-digit fantasy points in any of them.
On Thursday night against the Buffalo Bills, Chubb carried the ball six times for 16 yards and caught one pass for -1 yards.
Chubb scored in Week 2 and Week 5. Outside of those two games, he’s failed to reach double-digit fantasy points in any contest. He hasn’t done nearly enough to justify a continued spot on fantasy rosters outside of deep leagues.
Wide Receivers: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Cleveland Browns
Rostered: 67%
In Week 10, Jerry Jeudy hauled in six of 12 targets for 78 yards and a touchdown. That game is sandwiched between two games where he had 3.7 and 0.0 fantasy points, and two where he had 5.1 and 2.9 fantasy points. Jeudy still has just two games all season with double-digit fantasy points.
With Shedeur Sanders presumably starting, it will be hard for anyone on this team to produce. Don’t let his Week 12 numbers fool you. He completed one downfield throw to Isaiah Bond and then hit Dylan Sampson on a checkdown that the running back took the rest of the way. You are never starting him.
Rashid Shaheed, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Rostered: 68%
Rashid Shaheed’s trade to Seattle has not been great for his fantasy value. He saw nine targets in his final game with the New Orleans Saints. He had seen a total of 30 targets across his last three games with the Saints. Since joining the Seahawks, Shaheed has posted lines of 1-3, 2-27, and 0-0. He has more carries than receptions.
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There may be games where Shaheed hauls in a long score. That’s where his value lies. But when that doesn’t happen, he will struggle even to reach 5.0 fantasy points. Shaheed is no longer a must-roster player.
Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets
Rostered: 81%
You do not absolutely have to drop Garrett Wilson. He’s currently on IR and is expected to miss another three weeks. Wilson will likely be healthy enough to return this season. But will the New York Jets have any incentive to bring him back?
The Jets are playing out a lost season. By the time Wilson can return, it will be Week 15. Head coach Aaron Glenn said he thinks Wilson will play again this year, but then qualified that statement by saying it will be up to the doctors. Those doctors may very well conclude that it’s not worth it for Wilson to attempt a return for games that don’t matter.
If you need the roster spot, it’s okay to let him go.
Keon Coleman, WR, Buffalo Bills
Rostered: 49%
It is pretty incredible how Keon Coleman continues to be on so many rosters. The 25.2 fantasy points he scored in Week 1 were a very, very long time ago. Since then, Coleman caught more than three passes in a game just once.
The situation with Coleman hit rock bottom last week, when he was deactivated for missing a Friday morning meeting.
There have been two, maybe three weeks all season in which fantasy managers would have been glad to have Coleman in lineups. Regardless of whether Coleman plays next week, he doesn’t need to be rostered.
Matthew Golden, WR, Green Bay Packers
Rostered: 43%
Not every Round 1 wide receiver can pan out. In every draft class, there will be busts. Sometimes, they are surprising. Other times, they are Matthew Golden.
In one of the most predictable flops in recent memory, Golden just isn’t an NFL-caliber wide receiver. This isn’t revisionist history. I wrote about it in August.
Everything about Golden’s prospect profile screamed bust. Sure enough, here we are more than halfway through the season, and Golden has shown absolutely nothing.
The rookie’s slow start is to be expected. There was a brief period where we thought maybe he might be starting to put it together. It turns out that was just the two worst defenses in the league making him look moderately competent.
Over his past four games, Golden has had a total of 13 targets, 10 receptions, and 74 yards. Christian Watson’s return provided more competition from a superior talent.
Golden has been on this list for several weeks now, but he is still on far too many rosters. Let’s correct that this time around.
Tight Ends: Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons
Rostered: 83%
Making his second consecutive appearance on this list, everything I said last week still applies.
It’s the same old Kyle Pitts. The former first-round pick has not improved. He just had a couple of games where he saw some volume.
We are now through 12 weeks, and Pitts has a total of four games with double-digit fantasy points, something he hasn’t accomplished since Week 8.
Pitts’ roster percentage actually ticked up a bit from last week, almost certainly because Drake London is hurt, with fantasy managers expecting more involvement from the tight end. Instead, Pitts commanded just five targets, catching two for 25 yards.
Last week, I said the following: “Drake London is likely to miss time with his knee injury, but that doesn’t even move the needle. With Kirk Cousins set to start in place of an injured Michael Penix Jr. and the Atlanta Falcons playing out a lost season, there’s little incentive to roster anyone on this team outside of London and Bijan Robinson.”
I guess Darnell Mooney is worth rostering. But Pitts has proven he is not.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings
Rostered: 71%
Another repeat tight end. It’s astounding how dismal T.J. Hockenson’s production has been. Everything about the Minnesota Vikings’ offense is down this season compared to last year. It may not entirely be Hockenson’s fault.
Regardless of the reason, the numbers do not paint a pretty picture. Hockenson has not caught more than four passes in a game since Week 7. He’s hit double-digit fantasy points just twice all season.
A distant third option in the passing game behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, JJ McCarthy isn’t good enough to feed any receiver, let alone three. You may not have a better option, but if you do, don’t feel compelled to hold Hockenson.
