Roster management is the single most crucial in-season task for fantasy football managers. Knowing which players to let go is just as important as adding the right guys. Which players find themselves on our Week 2 fantasy football cut list?
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Who Should You Cut in Fantasy Football in Week 2?
It’s a bit of a light cut list for Week 2. There are some definitive conclusions we can draw. There are others that I want to draw but will exercise caution, given that it’s been just one week. We are still getting to know who these players are for this season.
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Baltimore Ravens (83% Rostered)
Just throwing J.K. Dobbins’ name on here as a reminder of his unfortunate fate. Dobbins tore his Achilles on Sunday, ending his season. You know what needs to be done.
Skyy Moore, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (71% Rostered)
If you read my preseason outlook on Skyy Moore, you know I really liked Moore as a prospect. But one of the most important skills in being a good fantasy football manager (and analyst) is the willingness to change your opinion based on new information.
Based on Moore’s rookie season, there really was no justification to be bullish on him in 2023. The primary argument in his favor was “there’s no one else.” Maybe that can work at running back, but talent matters at the wide receiver position.
My July tweet summarizes my position on Moore entering this season.
Will do just that. Skyy played 16 games and amassed a whopping 250 receiving yards and no TDs while playing with a QB who threw for 5,250 yards and 41 TDs. Rookie Day 1/2/3 WRs who fail to reach 500 yards have had a hit rate of sub 10% since 2011. Skyy will probably never matter.
— Katz (@jasonkatz13) July 17, 2023
The Kansas City Chiefs have played one game. By no means does one game automatically affirm everything I believe. But it’s hard to take anything positive away from Moore’s Week 1 performance.
Moore played 70% of the snaps as the Chiefs unsurprisingly rotated receivers, lacking any true alpha. He ran 29 routes, third-most on the team, and commanded all of three targets, catching none of them.
Moore couldn’t break through in a WR room where the best options were JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Smith-Schuster and Hardman both left, and Moore still couldn’t do anything. I’ve been out. Drop him.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, New England Patriots (75% Rostered)
I am ready to cut ties with the former dynasty WR1. 2018 was a very long time ago. We haven’t seen JuJu Smith-Schuster even be a WR2 since 2020. It is now 2023.
Last season, Smith-Schuster managed just 11.6 ppg and a WR35 finish playing with Patrick Mahomes.
MORE: News Tracker | Week 2 Waiver Wire Rankings
Although he’s still just 26 years old, Smith-Schuster’s knee is reportedly on its last legs. In Week 1, he was outsnapped by Kendrick Bourne and Kayshon Boutte. He ran the same amount of routes as Demario Douglas. And this was with DeVante Parker inactive.
As the season progresses, I fear Smith-Schuster’s role will only continue to decrease. He hasn’t really mattered in fantasy in three years. Unfortunately, the days of him mattering at all appear over.
Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens (68% Rostered)
I can’t say I necessarily expected Rashod Bateman, at age 23, to be relegated to part-time player. Yet, here we are.
Even in this supposedly new and improved Baltimore Ravens offense (that was anything but in Week 1), Lamar Jackson is not going to support three fantasy-relevant WRs. He’s really not even going to support two.
MORE: 2023 Dynasty WR Rankings
Zay Flowers is the clear top target-earner so far, with Odell Beckham Jr. as the guy playing the most snaps. Bateman played just 40% of the snaps and ran a mere 17 routes. He is a distant third.
Fantasy managers should not feel bad about taking the shot on him late in fantasy drafts. But it was missed. Don’t hold him at the expense of taking other shots.
Devin Singletary, RB, Houston Texans (24% Rostered)
There was definitely some ambiguity in how the Houston Texans would deploy their running backs as we entered the season. It was possible Devin Singletary was taking every third drive or so and playing on passing downs. Week 1 put all of that to bed.
Singletary was a pure backup. He only came in when Dameon Pierce was tired. Singletary was outsnapped by Mike Boone, who operated as the third-down back.
On his seven carries, Singletary amassed a whopping 15 yards. Even if Pierce were to go down, I would not feel good about starting Singletary. That’s when you know it’s time to let go.