Dead Weight Report: Week 2 Droppables

Whether they were chosen for the starting lineup or parked on the bench, we all had players who underperformed in Week 1. Should you hang on to them for another week or cut them loose now?

In this weekly article, I’ll 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, to name a few. All will be taken into consideration when determining each week’s dead weight.

Matt Breida, RB – Dolphins

For those hoping Miami’s offense would be better in 2020, you may be in for a long one, but it is still early. However, Matt Breida’s role in Week 1 was troublesome, to put it mildly. Jordan Howard started and was granted the goal-line touchdown attempt, while Myles Gaskin and even Patrick Laird saw touches before Brieda got into the game. He ended with a 5-22-0 stat line, earning the former 49er a measly 2.2 fantasy points.

With other backs emerging with more volume on better offenses, cutting bait with Breida now and grabbing someone like Malcolm Brown, Nyheim Hines or even Peyton Barber could be beneficial to your roster moving forward.

Irv Smith Jr., TE – Vikings

Fantasy managers really wanted Irv Smith Jr. to be a thing in Minnesota, but if Week 1 is any indication, it may be a bit longer before that happens. The sophomore tight end saw just one target, which was fewer than incumbent tight end Kyle Rudolph and Tyler Conklin, and three fewer targets than Alexander Mattison.

It’s pretty apparent the Vikings offense goes through Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook, so it’s already time to get rid of Smith Jr. in favor of better depth for your bench. That’s assuming you weren’t starting the Minnesota tight end. If you were, grab a guy who can help you now like Dallas Goedert or Greg Olsen.

Baker Mayfield, QB – Browns

Despite being listed as QB20 in 4for4’s rankings heading into the season, 57% of Yahoo! managers pulled the trigger on the third-year signal-caller. Maybe they're all Cleveland fans, or perhaps they believed that under new coach Kevin Stefanski, he’d improve upon his third-worst passer rating in the league from last year. Either way, it was an ugly start for Mayfield as he struggled to connect with Odell Beckham, and found himself on the ground a few times.

I understand wanting to keep Mayfield in larger leagues and Superflex formats, but in leagues where you start only one quarterback, it’s probably a good idea to let him hit the waiver wire and secure more depth. If he’s your QB1, go with someone a bit more dependable who should be available like Ryan Tannehill, Kirk Cousins or even Gardner Minshew.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR – Cardinals

Picking Larry Fitzgerald for nostalgia purposes, or if you failed to do any research this summer and grabbed a familiar name, may not have been the best plan. The 37-year-old receiver has been a perennial fixture in Arizona's offense and is still their No. 3 receiver, but he’ll struggle to be fantasy relevant this season.

DeAndre Hopkins saw a 40% target share in Week 1, with Fitzy seeing just five balls thrown his way against the 49ers. We all know about Father Time’s record, and the Cardinals offense is getting younger around the 18-year veteran.

Justin Jefferson, WR – Vikings

The former LSU wideout was drafted by 45% of hopeful fantasy managers out there, thinking he’d be the next Stefon Diggs in Minnesota. After one game, it’s relatively apparent he’s far behind Adam Thielen and Olabisi Johnson as the team’s third receiver. Jefferson saw three targets, which he converted to two catches for 26 yards.

The thing is, this offense is run-first by design and doesn’t use many three-wide receiver sets. Where does that leave Jefferson? On the waiver wire for a player destined for more work like Allen Lazard, Robby Anderson or Russell Gage.

Auden Tate, WR – Bengals

The 23-year-old Tate found himself a first-car seat on the hype train during training camp in fantasy circles and was drafted by many as a WR3/WR4. He saw zero targets in Week 1, therefore, scoring a big, fat goose egg for those who decided to start him in both redraft leagues and DFS. With plenty of wideouts out there with more defined roles across the league, take the loss and send Tate packing.