Admin November 25, 2024
Andrew Whitworth helps us break down the latest NFL storylines
Andrew Whitworth stops by to talk all things NFL and tells us about his new partnership with Tide.
Sports Seriously
Fantasy football managers, rejoice. The first “Byemageddon” is behind us, and it will be easier to make key start ’em, sit ’em decisions during Thanksgiving week, when all 32 of the NFL’s teams will be in action.
Of course, there will also be plenty of quality streaming options on the waiver wire in Week 13 because of the lack of byes. That will leave fantasy owners with some difficult decisions about who to keep on their rosters and who to release.
Players like Jonathon Brooks have remained on fantasy rosters for most of the 2024 NFL season, so it can seem strange to consider releasing him after he finally made his long-awaited debut. The same can be said of Audric Estime, who was just a popular waive wire addition a couple of weeks ago.
But managing a fantasy roster requires a certain amount of ruthlessness, and those hoping to make playoff runs will need to navigate some tough add/drop decisions to go on a championship run.
Here’s a look at five players to cut after Week 12 of the fantasy football season, including some touted draft picks who haven’t lived up to the hype.
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Waiver wire players to drop: Week 12
Brooks made his long-awaited NFL debut in Week 12. It wasn’t the explosive outing for which many fans and fantasy owners had hoped.
Brooks had just two carries in his first game with the Panthers. He turned those totes into 7 yards and he didn’t log a reception. Comparatively, Chuba Hubbard had 17 touches for 60 yards, and Carolina trusted him late to score a game-tying touchdown and two-point conversion combination.
The Panthers might increase Brooks’ role as the season continues, but they could also look to develop him with an eye toward next season. That could involve keeping Hubbard entrenched as the team’s No. 1 back while allowing Brooks an opportunity to get his feet wet. If the latter scenario plays out, Brooks won’t be anything more than a high-upside handcuff.
For a second consecutive week, Mostert was out-touched by De’Von Achane and rookie Jaylen Wright in a Dolphins win. His relegation to the third string has unsurprisingly come with a decline in production, as Mostert has just eight total touches for 34 yards over his last three outings.
Fantasy managers with Achane can feel free to roster Mostert as a solid handcuff. But for everyone else, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Mostert doesn’t have much fantasy value.
It seemed like Estime was emerging as Denver’s lead back when he handled a career-high 14 carries and generated 53 rushing yards against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10. Since then, he has logged just eight combined carries and was out-worked by both Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sean Payton appears content to use a hot-hand approach at running back, so that could allow the rookie to post some quality stat lines. At the same time, it will be hard to predict when he might have those big outings, so he doesn’t figure to be a major fantasy asset down the stretch.
Slayton established himself as Daniel Jones‘ favorite downfield threat over the first three months of the 2024 NFL season. Slayton didn’t appear to have the same chemistry with Tommy DeVito, who targeted him just twice during New York’s 30-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Slayton was unable to log a reception with DeVito at quarterback and appears to be behind Malik Nabers and middle-of-the-field threats Wan’Dale Robinson and Theo Johnson in the Giants’ pecking order. Perhaps Drew Lock would have better luck connecting with Slayton on some deep passes, but as long as DeVito is starting, Slayton can be written off as waiver wire fodder.
Schultz was a strong tight end in fantasy football during C.J. Stroud‘s rookie season. That hasn’t carried over into 2024, and now, it appears that rookie Cade Stover might be taking some of the TE1 work away from Schultz.
Below is a look at the stat lines of Schultz and Stover respectively against the Tennessee Titans:
- Schultz: 2 targets, 2 catches, 20 yards, 0 touchowns
- Stover: 4 targets, 3 catches, 26 yards, 1 touchdown
Even if Stover’s game was a one-off performance, Schultz still isn’t getting a high volume of opportunities. Stroud has preferred targeting his wide receivers, like Nico Collins and Tank Dell, this season. Unless that changes, Schultz will remain difficult to trust, so fantasy owners can feel free to shop around for a higher-upside player at the position.
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