Special to Yahoo Sports
Dropping any kind of weight is never an easy feat, but it’s always worth it in the end. Assessing who to let go from your fantasy teams after five contests is getting a bit easier as we have more of an idea of usage and output, but it’s still a leap of faith.
Here is this week’s list of players who are potentially droppable in favor of guys who are in better spots to perform and add more to your roster moving forward. If you need some players to stash for future use, I have you covered there, as well.
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Chase Edmonds, RB – Dolphins (87 percent rostered on Yahoo)
The RB landscape is getting grimmer by the week, with a constant flow of injuries creating chaos at lineup-setting time. Edmonds is actually healthy, which makes this decision even worse. Miami was down to their third-string QB in Week 5, a spot where you’d think they’d deploy multiple RBs, but instead, Raheem Mostert saw 19 touches with just one for Edmonds.
Mostert seems to be their RB of choice when in tough matchups, as the touch count is 36-8 over the last two weeks, including being in comeback mode in both contests. With Tua Tagovailoa hopefully healing up for a return in the near future, it’s tough to see coaches going to Edmonds with Mostert putting up the decent numbers he has thus far (4.6 yards per attempt).
Now of course, I’m obligated to mention the history of injury that has plagued Mostert in his NFL career. He’s only played an entire season once from 2015-2021, so I get wanting to hang onto Edmonds for the 87% of you who have, but if you need wins now and bodies that will score actual fantasy points, say goodbye to the Miami RB and don’t look back.
Matt Ryan, QB – Colts (30 percent rostered)
If you made it through the entire game on Thursday night between the Colts and Broncos, you’re either a fantasy degenerate, a glutton for torture, or perhaps a die-hard fan of either franchise. Russell Wilson was on my drop list in a previous edition, which I’m still standing behind, and this week Matt Ryan has earned a spot in this column.
Father Time never loses when it comes to human football players (Tom Brady is a robot or alien or something), and Ryan clearly looks 37. The Indy QB leads the NFL in interceptions with seven, has a whopping 11 fumbles through five contests, and sits as QB22. Ryan offers no mobility either, which just adds to the need to move on, especially in one-QB leagues. You can certainly do better at this point in the season than Ryan’s deteriorating arm, as Geno Smith and even Daniel Jones offer more upside.
I’d be lying if I said Chase Claypool was not on the long list for this column for the last few weeks, but he’s finally hit the big time or low time, or whatever. The 24-year-old is averaging an abysmal 5.1 half-PPR points per game as WR72 right now and has yet to find the end zone in 2022.
The QB change to Kenny Pickett did improve Claypool’s volume in Week 5 to his highest number of targets on the season (9), but after Diontae Johnson and rookie star-in-the-making George Pickens, there’s just not enough quality work for Claypool to be deemed fantasy relevant. He’s still on 46% of Yahoo rosters, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that he shouldn’t be.
Josh Palmer, WR – Chargers (29 percent rostered)
The 23-year-old showed a spark in Week 3 with 99 yards on six receptions but has since disappeared, not topping 25 yards in either game over the past two weeks on just seven total targets. The door was open with Keenan Allen out the last four weeks, and even Gerald Everett banged up, but Palmer is fading away, like our hopes for fantasy prowess from the young WR.
Palmer gets a stout Denver secondary this week, then the Seahawks before the Chargers’ Week 8 bye. It’s likely Allen will be back shortly, sending Palmer even further into fantasy purgatory. There are 29% of Yahoo managers still rostering the wideout, but it’s time for some waiver wire love to shuffle up your squads.
DeVante Parker, WR – Patriots (29 percent rostered)
It was a fun mini-pertinency for the eight-year veteran in Weeks 3-4, but Parker is back to non-rosterable status with the return of Jakobi Meyers. The New England passing game has a little juice with Bailey Zappe at the helm, but not enough to support multiple fantasy wideouts.
Parker saw zero targets on his nine routes run and left anyone who started him in Week 5 with a big fat bagel. Seek out a WR in a better situation moving forward like Alec Pierce or Rondale Moore.
On Thin Ice:
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Elijah Moore, WR – Jets: He was close to making this list after another dud, but let’s see how Moore does against the Packers in Week 6.
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Cam Akers, RB – Rams: His usage is certainly puzzling, but Akers doesn’t even look good when given the opportunity. With injuries a daily thing and bye weeks on the horizon, hang tight but be ready to let go.
Writer’s Note: You’re still stuck with Kyle Pitts so just keep hoping something changes.
This article was originally published on 4for4.com
More from 4for4.com: 8 stash candidates ahead of Week 6
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A proud alumna of the UGA Grady College of Journalism, Jennifer Eakins has been working in the sports industry for well over a decade. She has had stints with CNN Sports, the Atlanta Hawks and the Colorado Rockies. Her first fantasy football draft took place in 1996 where she selected Ricky Watters with the first overall pick, and she has been a fantasy degenerate ever since.