Players to Drop in Week 12

How is the fantasy season almost over? Every year it seems to take so long to get here and in an instant, it is over.

As the playoffs approach, I always like giving other fantasy players tips. For many of you, this is your first time in the playoffs and maybe your first season playing fantasy football.

One tip I would give you is to try and change the formation of your bench. After Week 12, the BYE weeks are over and every team will have a game every week, which means all your players will be available. That said, it is a perfect time to drop your backend bench players that you no longer need.

Your starting roster will need to be pretty set in stone in order to accommodate this, but if you can you should add one or two additional D/STs and only one(s) that have good matchups during your playoffs. So there is a small amount of research involved since you will be forecasting upcoming games and comparing them to other teams.

This strategy works for two reasons: you obviously can play them and strategically improve your chances of winning or secondly, block your opponents from having them. If you choose the latter option, I would not add more than two additional D/STs. Either strategy you deploy, this is a great method as you head into the playoffs and one that can be the difference-maker.

Now more than ever, your roster decisions are as important as they will ever be. Determining who to cut versus who to save can be tough and each decision should be thoughtfully carried out.

Before dropping anyone, make sure to put your team into perspective. Just because your player is listed in this cut column, it does not automatically mean you should drop him, especially if you are in a dynasty league.

You also need to weigh your waiver-wire options. If someone tells you to drop a player, it does not necessarily mean the move is right for your team.

For your team to improve, you have to be able to add a player that will make your team better, immediately or down the road, compared to the player to be cut. With this being one of the last weeks of the regular season, you certainly can become more liberal with your cuts, but still make sure to think through them.

Here are some names you should consider dropping going into Week 12.

Players to Drop in Week 12

Adrian Peterson (RB, WAS)

What a career it has been for Adrian Peterson, who is now 34 years young. Peterson has, for the second consecutive year, became a fantasy asset but that now comes into jeopardy as we head into Week 12. When Washington went to Dwayne Haskins as their starting quarterback we knew that the few fantasy assets left in D.C. would have shaky floors and capped ceilings, which has all come to pass.

But the biggest hit to Peterson’s value came when teammate Derrius Guice was activated off injured reserved. In Week 11, Guice was able to score more fantasy points than Peterson, but he did not out-touch him (8 to 11 respectively). What we can see from this small sample size is that Peterson is no longer a running back to roster in most fantasy leagues.

Cutting Peterson makes sense simply because this Washington offense is not good enough for Peterson, or Guice for that matter, to split work and simultaneously put up healthy and consistent fantasy numbers. Look to move on from Peterson, although Guice is not someone I would let go of.

Ty Johnson (RB, DET)

Ty Johnson is a great lesson to be learned from fantasy football: nothing is guaranteed. When Ty Johnsons’ teammate Kerryon Johnson went down for the year, everyone wanted a piece of the Ty Johnson show. And who could blame fantasy owners for wanting Ty Johnson, especially with the shallow depth at running back for fantasy football.

While Ty Johnsons’ role may have expanded, he has yet to reach double-digits in a single week. Since his increased usage, his PPR finishes were 9.7, 4.8, 6.6, 2.9 and 1.6. This is likely due to the Lions’ coaching staff choosing the infamous “running back by committee (RBBC)” approach. Not only that, but the RBBC is a rotating door, this week it’s Ty Johnson, two weeks ago it was J.D Mckissic and last week it was practice squad signee Bo Scarbrough.

The volatility in this backfield makes for week-to-week headaches and you should want to avoid that altogether. Look to drop Johnson and move on.

A.J. Green (CIN, WR)

After weeks of patiently waiting for A.J. Green to return, it seems that he will not find himself healthy enough to play in 2019. Call this situation what you want, an injury or an athlete making a business decision with his impending free agency.

Both arguments can be made, but the Bengals’ medical staff did announce that Green suffered a setback to his ankle. With the news of this setback, if I have A.J. Green sitting on my bench and I am continuing to hold him, his free agency is something I would marinade on. This is 2019 and athletes everywhere are prioritizing their bodies more, you see it in college football, the NFL and other professional American sports.

To narrow down even further, athletes prioritize their bodies more when their team has no ability to contend. That is just my take on Green’s situation, but as aforementioned, both sides can be argued.

As for the fantasy season, most leagues’ regular season ends after Week 12 with some extending into Week 13 or 14. No matter the format your league’s season is, Green hasn’t made it through a week’s worth of full practice this year and with your limited time left to play Green, his roster spot could serve you better with a waiver wire pickup (D/ST strategy I opened this column with). Even if Green returned this Week, which I highly doubt, he would be a dart-throw flex-play at best. So that means you are likely going to have to play him in the playoffs.

Are you going to start A.J. Green in your playoffs? The answer should be “no” until he proves you otherwise, which is impossible to do if he misses this week. On top of this, the Bengals have been debating about shutting down Green altogether. Even if they don’t, the quarterback situation is a nightmare. I know you may have held onto Green for a long time, but unless your roster is stellar Green looks to be someone to drop.

T.J. Hockenson (TE, DET)

The second Detroit Lion on the column this week, however, this probably hurts more than Ty Johnson.  While the tight end landscape is abysmal, Hockenson comes into Week 12 as a borderline drop. In Week 1, the rookie burst onto the scene and put up a huge 27.1 PPR finish. His next two weeks saw limited production, but in Week 4 Hockenson looked to be back on top of the tight end landscape. Except, that is all Hockenson has done this year for his fantasy owners.

Further, as of Week 10, he lost Matthew Stafford which hurts all pass catchers in Detroit. As for the backup quarterback Jeff Driskel, his ability to scramble out of the pocket dampens the touchdown upside of Hockenson which was already minuscule. Hockenson is not a must-cut since it seems that a Driskel-lead offense can score points, but I would not strain my roster to hold the rookie tight end.