If you’re anything like me, players like Jordan Mason and Christian McCaffrey heading to the IR truly dashes your playoff hopes, but this article isn’t about the aforementioned obvious players that should be dropped from your roster. This is about the players that you’re still holding out hope for, but you need one little nudge to make the move. It’s almost playoff time. There’s no more room for hope. Let’s lock in.
We know tendencies, we know snap counts, but most of all, we know who we were right about and who we were wrong about. At the end of the day, you can only roster so many players, so it’s time to discuss three players you can drop at this point in the season. We know winning your leagues takes a lot of work. But don’t fear! FantraxHQ is doing the work for you. Whether it’s matchups to exploit, injury replacements, or flat-out hot takes, we’ve got your fix. In this article, we’ll highlight three potential players you can drop from your roster to give way to new talent.
Week 14 Players You Can Drop
Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars
I drafted Etienne as the 2nd starting running back on several of my fantasy rosters. I felt pretty smart getting him for value after the first few games of the season (as he returned 10+ fantasy points each week). However, part of the reason I loved Etienne to start the year was the idea that the Jaguars were going to be playoff contenders with positive running game scripts. That…has not panned out. Their head coach has the hottest seat left in the NFL. Their starting QB is now concussed, but before that, barely looked like a starting QB. And most importantly, Etienne has battled injuries and been OUTPLAYED by Tank Bigsby this season.
Here are Travis Etienne’s snap counts over the season:
- Week 1: 37
- Week 2: 43
- Week 3: 49
- Week 4: 30
- Week 5: 22
- Week 6: 11
- Week 7: Out
- Week 8: Out
- Week 9: 17
- Week 10: 30
- Week 11: 36
- Week 12: Out
- Week 13: 37
I’ve had enough. It’s time to admit I was wrong and move forward. Hopefully it’s not too late for you. Considering his ~87% ownership, you’d be one of the very few who have come to this realization with me.
Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens
I might be telling on myself, but almost every year, I draft Justin Tucker about a round higher than his ADP, just so I can have the peace of mind that I have a kicker that I don’t have to worry about s*#!ing that bed. It turns out Justin Tucker is human. At least this year. I think the talk of the Ravens cutting Tucker in real life is crazy, considering his body of work, but in terms of your fantasy season, I think the writing is on the wall. He still gets called to kick 50+ yarders, but he’s kicking at a career low 70% field goal percentage at the moment. Not only are we at the point where the Ravens will consider not trotting him out there for the 50+ yarders, but there’s risk that they no longer consider Tucker a guaranteed three points from 45 yards in. That means the Ravens will go for it more on 4th down, and Tucker’s floor is even lower (on top of his career-worst efficiency). He’s 80% owned on almost all platforms, but I’ll try my hand elsewhere. Sometimes streaming a kicker is the difference between winning and losing a matchup. You should leave no stone unturned.
Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
Tyler Lockett is someone I’ve always never sought out to draft, but every time he ends up on my team, I feel lucky to have him. He’s a tremendous depth receiver in fantasy football, who has a history of giving his managers 20+ point fantasy weeks with the regularity of several wide receiver 1’s. However, this season is different. The Seahawks seemed to have found Smith-Njigba as the best compliment to DK Metcalf as a #2 receiver. JSN’s route tree has blossomed. He plays in the slot and on the outside. And Geno Smith LOVES to target him. This has left Tyler Lockett the odd man out in the target club. Lockett hasn’t seen more than four targets since Week 7 of the season. He also hasn’t eclipsed 15 fantasy points once this year. I think it’s safe to say he’s a waiver wire fantasy player this year, and while it’s not indicative of his talent, the results are the results. You can find a better option elsewhere. Don’t be part of the 60% of managers that still have him on their roster.
Check out Lockett’s snap counts this season:
- Week 1: 36
- Week 2: 57
- Week 3: 36
- Week 4: 64
- Week 5: 49
- Week 6: 61
- Week 7: 36
- Week 8: 40
- Week 9: 71
- Week 10: Out
- Week 11: 47
- Week 12: 41
- Week 13: 29
Make sure to check out all of our Week 14 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
Got a beef with Bradlee’s Week 14 Drop Candidates? Let him hear about it in the comments below!