Every Fantasy Football manager enters their draft with a plan to come away with the best roster possible. However, even when everything goes your way on draft night, things don’t always play out as you had hoped once the regular season rolls around.
Every year there are players who exceed expectations and others who fall short. Figuring out when it is time to cut bait on the players who are not cutting it isn’t the easiest thing to do. As we head into Week 4 of the 2023 season, there are some players who should be heading to the waiver wire this week.
One player who should be dropped is Washington Commanders running back Antonio Gibson. Week 3 was a chance for him to shine given the game script but it is clear he isn’t heavily involved in the team’s plans going forward.
Gibson has yet to top three carries or receptions in a game this season as Brian Robinson Jr. has taken over as the clear lead back. The only value Gibson possesses is as a handcuff for Robinson in case of an injury. Otherwise, it is safe to cut bait as there isn’t weekly value.
Another running back who has played his way off your Fantasy Football team is Dalvin Cook. There was a lot of hype surrounding Cook when he signed with the New York Jets, but he has looked like a shell of himself.
New York has started scaling back Cook’s playing time as Breece Hall is seeing his role expand. That has been bad news for Cook, who has totaled 25 yards on 12 carries with four receptions for 16 yards in the last two weeks.
With his snap percentage and production decreasing, Cook looks like someone you can safely drop. Without Aaron Rodgers under center, the value of all the Jets’ skill position players has cratered.
A third running back who has done himself no favors in the world of Fantasy Football is AJ Dillon of the Green Bay Packers. Despite Aaron Jones missing the last two games, Dillon has failed to make any positive impact on the field.
Dillon isn’t involved much in the passing game, which caps his value in Fantasy Football. Holding Dillon until a final designation is made on Jones is okay, but he isn’t a viable starter when the Packers’ starter is back in the lineup or without him playing.
At wide receiver, JuJu Smith-Schuster has proven to not be an asset in Fantasy Football. The New England Patriots wide receiver is going to be on a lot of waiver wires as his usage in the offense just hasn’t been there.
The Patriots are rotating players when in 11 personnel as Smith-Schuster is splitting time with Demario Douglas. Even when on the field he isn’t getting much action as Mac Jones targeted the prized free agent only three times, catching one pass for five yards.
Three games into the season and yet to top the 35-yard mark, Smith-Schuster is just taking up space on the bench at this point. Another player who has failed to take off yet in 2023 is New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson.
Touchdown dependency makes for a risk in Fantasy Football, but with Jimmy Graham back in the fold, Johnson isn’t seeing as many looks. Chris Olave, Michael Thomas and Rashid Shaheed are all healthy, limiting his opportunities as well. Tight end has been tough to navigate in the early season, but you can do better than Johnson at this point.
