Roster management is the single most crucial in-season task for fantasy football managers. Knowing which players to let go is as important as adding the right guys. Which players find themselves on our Week 16 fantasy football cut list?
All roster percentages are taken from Yahoo.
Players You Should Cut in Fantasy Football
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs (99%)
There are two weeks remaining in the fantasy season. That’s the same number of weeks in which Patrick Mahomes has eclipsed 20 fantasy points.
Mahomes has scored between 14 and 16 fantasy points in three straight. Now, he’s dealing with a high ankle sprain that will likely keep him out a game or two, as the Kansas City Chiefs should opt to play it safe, having the inside track to the No. 1 seed in the AFC. There’s no reason to continue rostering him.
C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans (87%)
C.J. Stroud’s ability to remain on fantasy rosters this entire season needs to be studied. He has one game over 20 fantasy points. Since Week 7, he’s scored more than 15 fantasy points just once.
That Week 17 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens does look juicy, but what has Stroud shown to suggest he can beat easy matchups? He’s had plenty of them and failed to produce.
Stroud is still a good quarterback, but the fantasy star we saw last season is not about to suddenly appear over these final two weeks.
Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers (80%)
The past three weeks have been a dream stretch for Justin Herbert. He got to face three bottom-half pass defenses, including two of the easiest opponents he’ll have all season. He’s failed to reach 15 fantasy points in any of them.
Now, Herbert has to play the Denver Broncos, a team that held him to under 15 fantasy points in their first meeting. You’re not starting Herbert this week. If you made it this far with him, drop him for someone you can start.
Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks (56%)
This is really unfortunate, as the Seattle Seahawks have the Minnesota Vikings on tap in Week 16. That could be a high-scoring affair, and the Vikings are a pass-funnel defense. Unfortunately, Geno Smith hurt his knee in Sunday night’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, and that changes the math.
Coming off five straight games with under 17 fantasy points, including four under 14 and one under six, Smith is simply not a fantasy starter. He may be a viable streamer if he can go next week against the Vikings. But if you’re not starting him, you can just drop him.
David Montgomery, RB, Detroit Lions (98%)
Unfortunately, David Montgomery sustained an MCL injury in the Detroit Lions’ loss to the Buffalo Bills. While he was able to return to the game, it turns out his injury is more serious than initially believed.
There are people in the Lions’ organization who believe that David Montgomery will be lost for the season with his sprained MCL, but there are additional tests to go through. Either way he’s out indefinitely, if not for the season. https://t.co/goW9OE3em9
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 16, 2024
Sadly, Montgomery is, in fact, done for the season.
Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns (78%)
There was already an argument in favor of dropping Nick Chubb due to his offensive environment and performance. Now, there’s no doubt.
Chubb broke his foot in the Cleveland Browns’ loss to the Chiefs. He is obviously done for the season. Jerome Ford will take over as the primary RB and is worth adding everywhere he’s available.
Gus Edwards, RB, Los Angeles Chargers (52%)
Somehow, Gus Edwards is a touchdown-dependent RB3, not even RB2. Typically, pure two-down grinders reliant on scores reach RB2 value. Even when Edwards does score, he can’t even reach double-digits.
Edwards carried the ball eight times for 23 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has not hit double-digit fantasy points all season. You’re never starting him.
Braelon Allen, RB, New York Jets (49%)
Braelon Allen is a perfect example of why we don’t overdraft handcuffs for our own running backs. For most of the season, he looked like the clear and unquestioned RB2 behind Breece Hall. We were sure that if Hall went down, Allen would be the guy. Well, Hall missed a game, and what happened? It was Isaiah Davis who was the more valuable fantasy back.
Hall returned after a one-game absence, and this backfield became a three-man committee. Allen carried the ball two times for five yards. That’s it. Hall should be good for Week 16, which means you’re not starting Allen. You don’t need to sit on him, hoping he gets a chance to get outperformed by Davis in Week 17.
Patrick Taylor Jr., RB, San Francisco 49ers (26%)
Well, that was fun for the zero days it lasted. Patrick Taylor Jr. was maybe going to get the start if Isaac Guerendo couldn’t go last Thursday. Instead, Guerendo wound up playing and saw his usual workload. Taylor did not touch the ball.
Taylor remains a speculative handcuff for Guerendo heading into the penultimate week of the fantasy season with Guerendo healthy. He does not need to be held.
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR, San Francisco 49ers (95%)
Early last week, Deebo Samuel Sr. tweeted a since-deleted comment that he was not struggling, just not getting the ball. Well, we got the squeaky wheel game from Samuel. The 49ers gave him nine opportunities to touch the ball. He turned two carries into three yards and seven targets into three catches for 16 yards.
I have no idea what happened to Samuel. It looks like the Monstars have Space Jam’d his talent.
Whatever the reason, Samuel is as far away as it gets from being a fantasy starter. He hasn’t scored more than 6.1 fantasy points since Week 10. His highest receiving yardage total in his last five games is 22.
When I first put him on the cut list about a month ago, I suggested that you should actively drop him on purpose, even if you can afford to hold him, because a potential opponent might unwittingly pick him up and start him, creating a poison-pill scenario. Hopefully, someone out there listened and won because of that. If you still have the opportunity to try this strategy out, do it.
Tank Dell, WR, Houston Texans (83%)
Another week, another disappointing performance from Tank Dell. The talented (I think?) sophomore wide receiver simply isn’t part of the offense.
Dell saw just two targets, which came one week after he saw four targets and two weeks after he saw five. The volume isn’t there. The production hasn’t been there all season. I can’t imagine you’re starting Dell in Week 16.
Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks (44%)
One of the most underrated receivers of the past decade, Tyler Lockett appears to have succumbed to Father Time. Lockett has a total of one reception in his last two games. He hasn’t seen more than three targets in a game since before the Seahawks’ Week 10 bye. It’s time to let go.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, Tennessee Titans (33%)
It probably took Nick Westbrook-Ikhine a few weeks of scoring touchdowns to convince fantasy managers to put him in lineups. By the time they did, the magic wore off.
No one really bought Westbrook-Ikhine as a viable option, but as he kept scoring touchdowns, some fantasy managers felt like they were missing out. Well, NWI has posted exactly 2.9 fantasy points in two straight games. The dream is over.
Cade Otton, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (77%)
Back in Week 9, Cade Otton caught eight passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. That was the second-to-last game Mike Evans missed. Since Evans returned in Week 12, Otton has posted outings of 4.0, 6.0, 10.0, and 4.4. He’s caught a total of eight passes.
Otton’s increased usage was a product of there being no one else for Baker Mayfield to throw to. With his main guy back, Otton is a complete afterthought. Any target he gets is an accident. Under no circumstances can you start him in Week 16.
Evan Engram, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars (65%)
Unfortunately, Evan Engram suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery. He is done for the season and can be dropped.
Dallas Geodert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles (57%)
For those fantasy managers still hanging onto Dallas Goedert, he is on IR and is done for the fantasy season. He cannot return until Week 18, which does us no good … and he’s not likely to return then, either.
Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys (76%)
Even before his two-game absence due to a concussion, Jake Ferguson’s role was already diminishing. It’s now been since Week 9 that he’s scored more than 6.2 fantasy points.
In his two games playing with Cooper Rush, Ferguson has posted lines of 3-32-0 and 2-23-0. His snap share was under 60% against the Carolina Panthers. This does not look like a trustworthy fantasy tight end.