Dead Weight Report: Week 7 Fantasy Football Drop List

With four teams getting to watch from their respective couches this week and the insane amount of injuries around the NFL, this week’s Dead Weight Report was not easy to write. However, I found some expendable players we can exchange for waiver wire love because we should always be looking to improve our fantasy rosters.

If you’re looking for some players to stash for future use, I have you covered there as well.

Editor's Note: Check out the Week 7 Waiver Wire Watch

Elijah Moore, WR - Jets

This move has been building over the last few weeks, but after Week 6 has become crystal clear. Elijah Moore is an afterthought in the present version of the Jets’ offense, as he’s seen just eight total targets in the three games since Zach Wilson returned as the signal caller. On Sunday against the Packers, the sophomore wideout ran only 14 routes with not one ball thrown his way.

Moore is averaging a mere 5.6 half-PPR points per contest in 2022 as the WR86 in that category and has not found the end zone in six games thus far. Even with bye weeks in full swing, there are better options for the 60% of you still hanging onto the 22-year-old WR.

Cam Akers, RB - Rams

Even before Cam Akers and the Rams started going through whatever it is they are dealing with that we’ve received limited details about; the RB was entering droppable territory. It’s been a very inefficient and unproductive campaign for Akers thus far in 2022, with a yards-per-game average of just 33.8 from scrimmage with just one touchdown.

It’s tough to see a team paying much for the struggling RB and if no trade comes to fruition, he’ll most likely be waived by LA in the coming days. While it may seem appealing to wait and hold to see where Akers lands, his production so far after the Achilles injury hasn’t been worthy of a fantasy roster spot, and we need all the help we can get as we enter preparing-for-playoff mode. There are 69% of Yahoo managers still not ready to rip off that band-aid, but I’m here to assist you all, set Akers and your mental anguish free.

Russell Gage, WR - Buccaneers

With all the Twitter discourse over the offseason on whether Russell Gage is good or not, we’re in Week 6 and sadly still don’t know the answer to that question. Even with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin sidelined at various points so far, Gage has only eclipsed 28 receiving yards once with just one score, and that was the same contest in Week 3 where he produced a 12-87-1 line against Green Bay.

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers are struggling, rendering Gage’s floor nearly nonexistent. I understand wanting to keep Gage in the event any of the Bucs’ weapons go down again, but if you need wins now, it’s time to move on to better-producing WRs like Rondale Moore or Alec Pierce.

Zach Wilson, QB - Jets

Some of you most likely grabbed Zach Wilson off the waiver wire ahead of Week 4, hoping for some sort of spark for your fantasy squads or as an injury or bye-week fill-in. He may have kept you in a matchup or two, but the truth is the Jets - and maybe your fantasy teams - are winning in spite of Wilson’s on-field performances.

In three games so far in 2022, the sophomore QB has only thrown one touchdown pass, and his weekly attempts have gone down with each outing from 36 in Week 4, down to 21 in Week 5, then only 18 on Sunday against the Packers. Wilson is nothing more than a desperation streamer in single QB leagues and has a tough stretch in front of him heading into the Jets’ Week 10 bye with the Broncos, Patriots, and Bills on tap.

Will Dissly, TE - Seahawks

Well, we had a nice run with Will Dissly from Weeks 1-4, but Seattle seems to be living the committee life at TE which does us no good for fantasy purposes. Noah Fant has out-targeted Dissly 12 to four in the last two contests, and even Colby Parkinson is in on the action with two looks.

Most of Dissly’s fantasy goodness was due to three touchdowns in the first four weeks, but he’s been shut out since, and with this timeshare, has been relegated to a dismal floor. While the fantasy TE landscape certainly lacks depth, there are some better options out there without positional competition, such as Robert Tonyan and Daniel Bellinger.

On Thin Ice

• Tyler Conklin, TE - Jets - He really could be in here this week, but I didn’t want three of my five drops to be Jets. Conklin’s usage has fallen off with Wilson under center, but with byes and injuries, he’s not the worst TE to hang onto for one more week.
• Antonio Gibson, RB - Commanders - His usage is baffling, and now Carson Wentz is out, which may help or may not. The RB streets are tough right now, so I’d hang tight for at least one more week.