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 13 fantasy football cut list?
Who Should You Cut in Fantasy Football for Week 13?
We are now entering the final playoff push of the fantasy season. Fantasy managers need to be cutting players who are either not going to help them get to the postseason or not help them during it.
Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks (69% Rostered)
As long as Geno Smith’s roster percentage remains this high, he will continue to appear on the cut list. Similar to last week, it’s not as if you absolutely need to get rid of him. That matchup against the Eagles in Week 15 is mighty juicy. But the rest of them? Not great.
The Seahawks play the Cowboys, 49ers, Titans, and Steelers in their other four games. Smith will not be a recommended start in any of them.
It’s not easy to find startable quarterbacks. You may not see one clearly better than Smith. But just know that if you want to drop him, it’s okay to do so.
Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans (69% Rostered)
As with any backup running back, you don’t absolutely need to drop any of them. Dameon Pierce still has some contingent upside if Devin Singletary were to get hurt. But Singletary would need to get hurt in order for Pierce to have any fantasy value. Even then, what exactly is the upside?
We saw Pierce as the lead back earlier this season, with Singletary as the pure backup. It did not go well for Pierce or anyone starting him in fantasy.
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After he got hurt, Singletary took over as the lead back and played better than Pierce had all season. Naturally, the Texans left him in the lead-back role.
After returning, Pierce played just 18% of the snaps to 82% from Singletary. There’s no semblance of fantasy value for Pierce as long as Singletary is healthy. In fact, Pierce’s time as an NFL starting RB has almost certainly come to an end. He’s headed down the path of countless other Day 3 and UDFA running backs who have a good year or two. It so rarely lasts.
Pierce doesn’t need to last on your fantasy team, either.
Ty Chandler, RB, Minnesota Vikings (47% Rostered)
After seeing 29 touches over his previous two games, there were reports the Vikings intended to continue featuring Ty Chandler in an increased role behind Alexander Mattison. Well, the opposite happened.
Chandler played just 33% of the snaps. There was no “your turn, my turn” game with Mattison. Chandler was a backup. He saw four carries and two targets, which he turned into a whopping 11 yards.
Chandler still has value as the handcuff to Mattison, but it’s clear he has no standalone value. With the Vikings on bye this week, if you’re fighting for a playoff spot and need to drop someone to make a key move, don’t feel compelled to hang onto Chandler.
Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (64% Rostered)
When Tee Higgins went down, Tyler Boyd was well worth picking up as the new WR2 opposite Ja’Marr Chase. But when Joe Burrow went down, that spelled the end of any fantasy value for any pass catchers other than Chase.
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Boyd has caught exactly three passes for 22 and 23 yards over his last two games, respectively. Jake Browning is barely good enough to sustain Chase’s waning fantasy value. There’s no real hope for Boyd. You can safely drop him.
Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons (86% Rostered)
Someone, please make it make sense. Kyle Pitts is more heavily rostered than Logan Thomas, Trey McBride, Taysom Hill, and Isaiah Likely. Cade Otton is rostered in 29% of leagues. Tyler Conklin is rostered in just 16% of leagues. All of these players are superior in every way to Pitts.
Last week, Pitts caught two passes for 22 yards. He commanded all of two targets. Why? Talent. I am fed up with hearing Pitts described as talented. If he was this uber-talented player, he would command targets. Drake London commands targets. Bijan Robinson commands targets. Why doesn’t Pitts? The answer, of course, is because he’s not capable of doing so.
Pitts has now failed to reach 50 receiving yards, failed to catch more than four passes, and failed to reach double-digit fantasy points in nine of 11 games this season. He has scored one touchdown and has earned more than five targets just three times.
There is nothing more we need to see. Pitts is so far removed from being a startable fantasy tight end. He has been droppable for months.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!