Dead Weight Report: Week 4 Droppables
Whether they’ve made the starting lineup or have been hanging out on the bench, we all have players who’ve underperformed so far in 2019. Should you hang on to them for another week or cut them loose now?
In this weekly article, I comb through the weak and underwhelming performances to see who’s droppable in favor of some waiver wire magic. There are many variables in determining a player’s remaining worth including their own production, offense, and health among others, and all will be taken into consideration when determining each week’s dead weight.
Corey Davis, WR – Titans
Sorry Davis aficionados, the time has come. If it’s too painful to straight-up drop the Tennessee wideout, you can certainly try to deal him to another disillusioned Davis lover for something in return. Either way, you need to make room for a player with greater potential on this season, as Davis has yet to hit double-digit fantasy points. In fact, he’s averaging just 4.7 PPR points a game thus far in 2019. The Titans are clearly going for a run-first approach on the season and Davis’ value has plummeted as a result.
Latavius Murray, RB – Saints
This one hurts. A lot. You might not be able to stomach dropping Murray after just three weeks, but you should at least give it some thought. The idea of him filling Mark Ingram’s role in New Orleans is not coming to fruition, well, because he’s not Ingram. Murray has carried the ball 13 times for a meager 52 yards, and has just 16 touches to Alvin Kamara’s 59, making him clearly just a backup to the stud back. His role was reduced to just 12 snaps in Week 3—not good for anyone hanging onto the former Viking. Do yourself a favor and at least contemplate grabbing an emerging back like Darrel Williams or even the ageless Frank Gore and let Murray go.
Nyheim Hines, RB – Colts
Hines has just one touchdown since Week 12 of last season, and he may not need to brush up on his end zone dances at all in the coming weeks. He’s averaging just 5.3 touches per game. Even when Marlon Mack was a tad limited in Week 3, the Colts used Jordan Wilkins instead of increasing Hines’ usage. He may see a small uptick in targets with T.Y. Hilton injured but I don’t think it will be enough to continue to warrant a roster spot.
Jimmy Graham, TE – Packers
A whopping 44% of Yahoo! fantasy managers are still hanging onto Graham and I can’t really understand why. He’s extremely touchdown dependent and is now part of a more run-heavy offense under coach Matt LaFleur. I get that the tight end position is feast or famine, but there are options with greater upside than Graham sitting on the waiver wire right now, like Will Dissly or Jason Witten. The 32-year-old Graham has posted a goose egg in his last two games and there’s nothing changing in the foreseeable future, so cut him loose and move on with your tight end life.
Keke Coutee, WR – Texans
Still hanging onto what Coutee could be if totally healthy? You’re certainly not alone, but it may not be worth that bench spot to find out. In his two games back from an ankle injury, Coutee has seen four targets—all in Week 2. It appears he’s fallen behind Kenny Stills in the Texans’ wideout pecking order. With the position as deep as it is in the NFL, there are better producers probably on your waiver wire as I type this, like D.J. Chark or Preston Williams.
Mike Davis, RB – Bears
Chicago’s Week 1 backfield split may have led you to keep Davis on your roster in the hopes he’ll get more work. After two games with a total of three rushing yards, it is time to part ways with the fifth-year back. Sure, the Bears run game has been sort of a head-scratcher at times during each of their contests, but Week 3 proved he’s been phased out of their offensive plan. Go find yourself a player with the potential for stand-alone value and ditch the guy who may or may not see the field each week.
