Dead Weight Report: Week 4 Droppables

With so many injuries this season, it’s not the easiest to evaluate who to drop and when to actually do it. However, we need to evolve and make roster improvements, especially after some of the soul-crushing performances of Week 3.

Here are my recommendations for some players to cut loose ahead of Week 4, or at least keep a short leash on moving forward. If you're looking for players to stash, I've got you covered there as well.

Laviska Shenault, WR – Jaguars

This could be a bitter pill to swallow for many in the fantasy football community, but it doesn’t appear this is the year for Laviska Shenault’s coming out party. After a WR46 finish in half-PPR points per game last season, Shenault is currently WR71 in that category, with outings of 9.4, 0.7 and 6.8, respectively, so far in 2021.

The sophomore wideout has yet to eclipse 50 yards in a contest and did not even see an uptick in volume with James O'Shaughnessy out this past week. Shenault is the third option in an offense that has shown it can’t be trusted for fantasy purposes in 2021. Things won’t get much easier for this squad as four of their next six opponents rank 16th or better in WR schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed (aFPA). It may hurt for just a second a la ripping off a band-aid, but your roster will be better off without having to decide what to do with the 22-year-old receiver each week.

Ronald Jones, RB – Buccaneers

Pour another one out for an industry favorite, but Ronald Jones is a non-factor and it’s time to make room on your roster for an RB who’s not constrained by the walls of a large, concrete dog house. After a few errors in both Week 1 and Week 2, it’s apparent the coaching staff’s faith in Jones has waned and he’s now the third choice behind both Leonard Fournette and Giovani Bernard in this Tampa Bay backfield.

With a paltry 4.6 total half-PPR points through three contests, it’s time to cut ties with RoJo in favor of an RB in a much better situation like his teammate Bernard, Zack Moss or Cordarrelle Patterson. Of course, Chuba Hubbard is a great pickup temporarily, but he’ll cost you this week.

Jonnu Smith, TE – Patriots

We knew heading into this season that the tight end duo of Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry could either cannibalize each other or perhaps pull off the elusive two-fantasy-relevant-tight-ends-on-the-same-team thing. It appears the former is happening, but Henry may still be worth keeping for now. Smith leads both in targets 16-13. However, last week in negative game script, it was Henry who ran 39 pass routes to Smith’s 15, which could be a more consistent issue moving forward with this struggling Patriots offense most likely playing from behind.

I know it’s pretty ugly out there in the tight end streets, but there are some guys on the waiver wire outproducing Smith like Gerald Everett, Tyler Conklin and Dawson Knox.

Elijah Moore, WR – Jets

It’s been a rough NFL debut for Elijah Moore, and sadly, what we thought was going to be a much improved Jets offense in 2021 looks a lot like last year’s version in terms of production. Moore is averaging just 5.3 half-PPR points per tilt and things don’t look more fruitful in the coming weeks, as Moore suffered a concussion in the third quarter of Week 3, plus Jamison Crowder will return at some point to muddle up this already inefficient offense.

With the WR position so deep, admit Moore was a miss in his rookie season and replace him with some waiver wire goodness in the form of Emmanuel Sanders or Henry Ruggs.

Mark Ingram, RB – Texans

I get it, you spent FAAB or a good waiver wire priority spot on Mark Ingram after Week 1 and don’t want to let him go, but life was different then. Tyrod Taylor was at the helm of the Houston offense, and they were able to sustain drives and appear somewhat multi-dimensional. Since Davis Mills took over, Ingram’s carries went from 26 to 14 to just six in Week 3, which does not bode well for any type of fantasy relevancy moving forward.

It’s looking like Ingram is someone who’ll be touchdown dependant this season in an offense that will be playing from behind more often than not. Send the 31-year-old back packing and grab someone in a better spot to add consistent points to your roster.

A Week Away from Dropsville:

• Kyle Pitts, TE – Falcons: I really wanted to include Pitts this week but figured I’d avoid the pitchfork riots directed towards me for one more game.
• Robby Anderson, WR – Panthers: Anderson gets one more outing to make something happen, but it’s not looking good for a fantasy-relevant role despite Carolina’s success and his reunion with Sam Darnold.