Fantasy football Week 14 drops: 5 players you need to consider cutting

Admin December 9, 2024

The fantasy football playoffs are arriving in Week 15 and with it will come the most difficult lineup decisions fantasy managers have faced to date.

There aren’t any bye weeks to worry about, but start ’em, sit ’em decisions will be magnified with most leagues embracing a do-or-die playoff format. There will also be plenty of difficult roster decisions as fantasy football owners assess which streamers they want on their roster.

Add/drop decisions don’t get as much attention as start/sit choices, but they are just as important late in the season. It’s hard to part with struggling players who may have contributed to the success of one’s fantasy team, but moving on from them can be the difference between winning and losing one’s fantasy league.

Here’s a look at five players to cut after Week 14 of the fantasy football season, including some struggling stars and streamers whose value has faded.

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Waiver wire players to drop: Week 14

Kirk Cousins, QB, Atlanta Falcons

Cousins showed signs of improvement against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14, throwing for 334 yards and giving the Falcons a lead early in their 42-21 loss. However, he continued his troubling trend of being unable to account for touchdowns, failing to pass for one for a fourth consecutive game.

Even more troubling? Cousins has thrown eight interceptions over that four-game span. That has rendered him a complete fantasy non-factor while the Falcons have fallen out of contention in the NFC South.

With the fantasy playoffs coming up, it’s impossible to trust Cousins as a starter, even with favorable matchups looming against the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants. Keep him as a backup if you must, but feel free to cut him for a more consistent quarterback option.

Ameer Abdullah, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Abdullah emerged as a nice fantasy pickup when he scored a touchdown against the Denver Broncos in Week 12, the Raiders’ first game without Alexander Mattison and Zamir White. Since then, he has seen his opportunities dwindle as Sincere McCormick has overtaken him in Las Vegas’ running back pecking order.

McCormick handled 17 touches and racked up 89 yards in Las Vegas’ 28-13 Week 14 loss to the Buccaneers. Abdullah had just 2 touches and combined for negative 2 yards. Abdullah won’t have much fantasy value if things keep trending in McCormick’s direction. That will be especially true when either Mattison or White returns from injury.

Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers

Brooks unfortunately suffered a serious-looking, non-contact injury early in the Panthers’ 22-16 Week 14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. It isn’t clear exactly how long he’ll be sidelined because of the injury, but the Panthers are 3-10, so they may shut the rookie down for the season.

Brooks was already largely working behind Chuba Hubbard, so he was just a high-upside handcuff.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, Tennessee Titans

Westbrook-Ikhine has been a surprisingly good fantasy receiver this season, thanks to his eight touchdowns in 12 games. However, fantasy owners learned how low his floor can be in Week 14, as he had just one catch for 19 yards on two targets against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He has just 21 catches through 13 games this season. That’s good for an average of just 1.6 per game, so if he doesn’t grab a touchdown, odds are he will be a fantasy bust. He can be kept as a decent backup or a boom-or-bust flex play, but more consistent receivers are available than Westbrook-Ikhine.

Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons

In five games since Pitts’ two-touchdown game against the Buccaneers, he has just seven catches for 89 yards. He has been targeted 18 times in that span but isn’t connecting consistently with Cousins.

Tight end may not be a deep position, but there are more options at the position who are more consistent than Pitts. That will be especially true as Cousins’ struggles continue.

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