There are some fantasy players to drop each week that won’t keep you up at night — your second TE, a handcuff RB etc. But as the season progresses, bye weeks and injuries will force your hand and create some difficult choices. We’re here to help you make the move you won’t regret later.
Players to Drop in Week 5
Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans
Held without a reception against the now 1-3 Minnesota Vikings, Cooks has largely been a nonfactor for the Houston Texans offense, despite being a key off-season acquisition to replace DeAndre Hopkins.
Cooks had a nice Week 2, when he caught 5 passes for 94 yards against the Baltimore Ravens, but has failed to reach 25 receiving yards in any of the Texans three other games this season. Averaging 5.25 targets a game, it is clear that Will Fuller V is Deshaun Watson’s number one target, and with the Texans in a general state of disarray, there hasn’t been enough offense to make more than one receiver on the team truly reliable as a fantasy asset.
Putting Cooks in your starting lineup is a baseless play with the gambler’s hope that he finds the end zone or breaks off a long catch. You should already have better starting options on your bench, and there should be a better option on the waiver wire.
Curtis Samuel, WR, Carolina Panthers
In a wildly weird offseason, the Panthers got lost in the NFL news shuffle. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady were all the rage in the NFC South, despite Carolina hiring new Head Coach Matt Rhule, offensive coordinator Joe Brady, and starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
In addition to Rhule, Brady, and Bridgewater, the Panthers also signed WR Robby Anderson to a two-year contract. Anderson, who was coached by Rhule at Temple University, has been the Panthers number one receiving option through the first quarter of the NFL season.
While Samuel was primed as a breakout candidate, building off of a solid first two NFL seasons, he has yet to top double digits in PPR fantasy. Available for just 47% of the Panthers offense snaps this Sunday against the Cardinals, and averaging 4.5 targets a game, Samuel has been utilized as the Panthers third receiving option. Samuel does not have the volume, nor penchant for explosive plays, to warrant a roster spot.
Jared Goff, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Averaging a blistering 6.3 yards per attempt (sarcasm alert), Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams set the world on fire with an offensive explosion resulting in a 17-9 beatdown of the New York Giants this past Sunday. Shredding the Giants through the air to the tune of 200 yards and one touchdown, the Rams, and Goff, feel as boring as ever.
Through four weeks, its clear the Rams are entirely content on the leaning on their run game to win football games. Unless the game gets pushed off-script (like the Rams being down 28-3 in the third quarter), we won’t see another game from Goff like he had against the Bills for awhile. This is a perfectly fine strategy to win actual football games as the Rams are now 3-1, but we aren’t playing actual football.
Goff can be a successful streaming candidate at quarterback, but there is no reason to hold him on your roster as a backup for such an occasion.
Players to Drop: Not Quite Yet, But Getting Close
Mark Ingram, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Despite the second round draft pick of running back JK Dobbins, Ingram still was considered to be a bankable fantasy running back due to the Ravens run-heavy offensive philosophy. Through four weeks of the season, it is becoming more and more apparent that unless Ingram scores a touchdown, he is anything but bankable.
Ingram boasts a season-high of 10 carries, and a season-high of 55 yards. The carries came week one in which he ran for 29 yards, averaging a whopping 2.9 yards per carry, and the 55 yards came in Week 2, when he broke off a 30-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. Ingram’s snap count has dwindled over the last three weeks from 42%, 32%, and finally, to 25% against the Washington Football Team.
Even more concerning for Ingram’s fantasy prospects is that he has been consistently less efficient and productive than Gus Edwards. Through four weeks, Edwards has totaled 167 yards on 27 carries, averaging a fantastic 6.18 yards per carry. Ingram, however, has totaled 148 yards on 34 carries, averaging 4.35 yards per carry. The yardage and efficiency numbers suggest Edwards is the better player in 2020, and the Ravens may agree, as Edwards out-snapped Ingram 39 to 25 percent this past Sunday.
Ingram managed to find the end zone Week 4, and has scored in two of the Ravens four games this season. Coming off one of his better fantasy games, see if you can trade Ingram before he becomes truly droppable. Outplayed by Gus Edwards, and generally a non-factor in the passing game, Ingram has never been more touchdown-dependent for fantasy relevance.
Adrian Peterson, RB, Detroit Lions
Peterson found the end zone twice in Week 4, resulting in his best fantasy performance of the 2020 NFL season. The Lions after going up 14-0 in the first quarter, found themselves trailing for most of the game, limiting Peterson’s touches and effectiveness.
The Lions, now 1-3, are a dumpster fire of a team, and it should be troubling (for Lions fans) that the 35-year-old Peterson is playing ahead of 2018 second-round pick Kerryon Johnson and 2020 second-round pick D’Andre Swift.
As Matt Patricia is fighting for his job, he may view Peterson as the “safer” of the three choices. You know what you are going to get from Peterson in his 14th NFL season. However, the efficiency from Peterson has dipped over the last two weeks, as he has averaged a putrid 3.36 yards per carry.
The Lions are headed into their bye week and may want to use the extra time to work the explosive Swift more into the offense. Coming off his best fantasy game to date, look to sell high on Peterson, before he becomes a droppable player from your roster.
