We have reached the unofficial halfway point of the fantasy football regular season, and managers are now preparing their teams for potential playoff pushes. That will require fantasy owners to trim dead weight from their rosters.
These add/drop decisions won’t necessarily be easy. Many fantasy owners like to hold onto high-quality handcuffs and potential-packed receivers behind their top producers. With injuries and bye weeks thinning options for owners at key positions like quarterback and tight end, parting with players who are either underproducing or don’t have big roles is necessary for maintaining a competitive lineup.
That’s not to say that managers should cut players indiscriminately after one bad week. It’s all about assessing a player’s situation and the opportunities they will have moving forward.
Here’s a look at five players to cut after Week 7 of the fantasy football season, including a handful of early-season flex plays who no longer have much fantasy value.
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Singletary returned from a two-game absence against in the Giants’ Week 7 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, but his role looked a lot different than it did early in the season. Instead of handling the lion’s share of New York’s backfield snaps, Singletary split carries with Tyrone Tracy Jr. and often played second-fiddle to the fifth-round pick.
Tracy handled nine touches compared to Singletary’s six in the blowout, and it wasn’t just because of the score. The Giants seem content to let Tracy compete with Singletary for touches, and that dynamic seems unlikely to change as the rookie continues to gain his footing.
Add in that the Giants’ offensive line lost its best blocker, Andrew Thomas, to a season-ending foot injury before Week 7 and Singletary looks like a low-upside flex right now. Maybe he will emerge as an intrigue pre-deadline trade candidate, but barring a change of scenery, he is no longer a player who needs to be rostered in fantasy leagues.
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Gibson was a popular pick-up after Rhamondre Stevenson endured some fumbling issues and missed Week 6 with a foot injury. The thought was that Gibson could be a strong flex play against the Jacksonville Jaguars if Stevenson was unable to suit up.
However, Stevenson was able to play and resumed his role as the team’s top running back. Meanwhile, Gibson got banged-up during the contest and was outplayed by third-string running back JaMycal Hasty, who caught five passes for 49 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots may consider giving more passing-down work to Hasty which would further cut into Gibson’s already small workload.
You can probably extend this piece of advice to all Browns running backs not named Nick Chubb. Cleveland’s backfield leader returned from a year-long absence Sunday and immediately resumed his role as the backfield leader. He handled 11 carries and scored a touchdown while Foreman and Pierre Strong combined for just five carries.
Chubb’s workload may still be limited, but even if it is, it seems like the Browns are content to spell him with a committee approach. That will prevent Foreman, Strong and Jerome Ford (when he returns from a hamstring injury) from getting the volume and goal-line carries needed to be valuable fantasy assets.
Watson has had some solid showings during the 2024 NFL season, including his three-catch, 68-yard, one-touchdown performance against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6. He has also had plenty of performances like his Week 7 contest against the Houston Texans, which saw him catch just one pass for nine yards.
Making matters worse, five players saw more targets than Watson, who had two, during the game. That group of five includes three wide receivers: Romeo Doubs (10), Dontayvion Wicks (6) and Jayden Reed (4).
Watson has size, speed and talent, but he won’t be anything more than an inconsistent flex play in fantasy football. Stick to playing him in DFS lineups as a low-ownership wild-card rather than trusting him in weekly fantasy formats.
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Mason Rudolph attempted 40 passes against the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. Only one of them went in Hopkins’ direction and he caught it for a two-yard loss. Comparatively, Calvin Ridley was targeted nine times, Tyler Boyd saw five targets and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine saw four balls come his way.
Feeding Hopkins doesn’t appear to be a priority for the Titans, and they could consider trading the veteran ahead of the NFL trade deadline. That could make Hopkins a more valuable fantasy asset, but don’t wait around to find out if that will happen. Feel free to cut him in favor of some higher-upside bye-week fillers or streamers at QB, D/ST and kicker.
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