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 wide receivers find themselves on our Week 12 fantasy football cut list based on roster percentages from Yahoo? We take a closer look below.
If you’re looking for all other positions, head over to our Week 12 Fantasy Cut List, which covers quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end.
Jaylen Waddle | MIA
Rostered: 89%
Name value is a powerful thing. It’s the only explanation as to why a wide receiver who has not scored above 8.6 fantasy points since Week 1 is still on 89% of fantasy rosters.
I don’t really know what more needs to be said. Jaylen Waddle is not the second option in this passing game. He’s not even third. At best, he’s fourth behind Tyreek Hill, De’Von Achane, and Jonnu Smith.
The fact that Waddle led all WRs in routes run doesn’t matter if he’s not earning targets. Since the Dolphins’ Week 6 bye, Waddle is averaging 3.8 targets per game. No player seeing that little volume is worth rostering.
Diontae Johnson | BAL
Rostered: 69%
Shame on me for thinking a wide receiver getting traded from Bryce Young/Andy Dalton to Lamar Jackson would be good for his fantasy value. Why did the Ravens even bother trading for Diontae Johnson?
It’s now been three weeks and Johnson has seen snap shares of 30%, 8%, and 18%. He has one reception for six yards as a member of the Ravens. Johnson’s eight-catch, 122-yard, one-touchdown elite WR1 outing from Week 3 seems like a lifetime ago.
We hear you loud and clear John Harbaugh. You feel good with the pieces you have. If you’re not going to use Johnson, neither are we.
Demarcus Robinson | LAR
Rostered: 29%
The Los Angeles Rams are back. All the way back. This is once again the Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp show, and that leaves very little for anyone else.
Demarcus Robinson has three catches for 42 yards over his last two games. Now, to be fair, he did post lines of 6-94-2 and 2-35-2 in the two games before that. There will still likely be games he pops, but his role in this passing game is purely accidental at this point. Therefore, you don’t need to hang onto him.
Xavier Worthy | KC
Rostered: 72%
Considering Cutting? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t.
It’s only fitting that one week after I finally put him on the cut list, with JuJu Smith-Schuster returning against a good pass defense, Xavier Worthy finally balls out. The Kansas City Chiefs rookie caught four passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. The first play of the game was a designed carry for Worthy.
There was a deliberate effort to involve Worthy early in the Chiefs’ loss to the Buffalo Bills. However, once again, there was a missed connection between Patrick Mahomes and Worthy where the speedy WR could not keep his feet in bounds on a long reception where he easily should have been able to do so. This is at least the third time what should have been an easy reception wound up being incomplete.
Ricky Pearsall | SF
Rostered: 46%
Considering Cutting? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t.
After trending upward for three straight games, Ricky Pearsall vanished in the San Francisco 49ers’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The rookie saw a mere two targets, catching neither of them. Fantasy managers who started him in desperation got literally nothing.
There is some good news, though. Pearsall did run as the clear WR3. Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel Sr. were the top two in routes run, but Pearsall was third. I think he’s worth holding to see if this was a blip or a trend. If it happens again, he’ll be in the main section of the cut list next week.