Dead Weight Report: Week 11 Fantasy Football Drop List
With under a handful of games to go before the fake postseason, it’s imperative to trim the fantasy fat from our rosters in order to maximize weekly output. While sometimes we get emotional attachments to players or feel like we’ll experience some sort of FOMO after they’re dropped, we have to shake it off and realize it’s for the betterment of the squad.
Here is this week’s list of players who are possibly weighing down your respective rosters as we head down the stretch. 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 11 Waiver Wire Watch
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB - Chiefs
The three-doored Jack-in-the-box at RB for Kansas City is a mess for fantasy purposes and will continue to drive managers insane for the remainder of the season. Spending a single-digit pick on Clyde Edwards-Helaire for him to turn into the odd-man out in this backfield is not the ideal outcome, but we have to adjust for success in fantasy sports.
CEH’s involvement in the offense has decreased with each passing contest, tallying just a 17% snap share in Week 9, followed by just 6% last week (four total snaps). He had zero carries against the Jags in Week 10 and wasn’t able to secure either of his two targets. There are 90% of Yahoo managers holding and praying, but Andy Reid is continuing to win games with this convoluted backfield approach, so don’t expect anything to change down the stretch. Some RBs on the waiver wire will benefit your rosters more moving forward, like Rachaad White, Gus Edwards, and even Jaylen Warren.
Taysom Hill, QB/TE - Saints
The ultimate flex player hasn’t been very fruitful in recent weeks, posting just 1.2 total half-PPR points over the last two contests on just four rushing attempts and one target. Game script hasn’t worked in Taysom Hill’s favor either, as the Saints continue to fall behind and are forced into pass-heavy situations.
I know that TE is tough to navigate, especially with bye weeks still on the docket, but if you need wins now, going for a more guaranteed floor may be the best option, like Cole Kmet if he’s there, Hayden Hurst, or Hunter Henry.
Eno Benjamin, RB - Cardinals FA Texans
I understand holding onto Eno Benjamin in the event James Conner sustains another injury, but we’ve reached the point in the fantasy season where our rosters need to be built for maximum output, and the Cardinals' run game isn’t cutting enough mustard for two RBs. I’ve never really thought about that expression before, but I suppose it means that if it’s not cutting through a liquid, then it’s pretty bad. So, Conner returned in Week 9 and has been productive, while Benjamin had four carries for 12 yards against Seattle and was on the field for just one snap last week with zero touches.
There are 44% of Yahoo users still rostering Benjamin, and he’s just not someone who’s going to help you hoist that championship trophy in 2022. Not only is he reduced to nearly nothing, but the Cardinals have a fairly tough road ahead for their run game, with tilts against the 49ers, Patriots, and Broncos on the horizon.
*Update: Eno Benjamin was surprisingly released by the Cardinals, so if you want to wait and see if he’s claimed off waivers by an RB-needy team and have the room to do so, that’s not the worst idea.
*Update to the Update: Benjamin was signed to the Texans which moves the needle a little, but not really.
Chase Edmonds, RB - Broncos
The 26-year-old gets the distinct honor of making this column on two different teams in the same season. Chase Edmonds was most likely dropped at some point in your leagues this year as a Dolphin and then picked back up again as a member of the Broncos in the hopes there’d be a better outcome.
Despite having nearly two weeks to get familiar with Denver's playbook and system and being added to an RB room that consists of 29-year-old Melvin Gordon, who's come down with a bad case of fumbleitis in 2022, along with 32-year-old Latavius Murray, Edmonds was still the lowest man in the pecking order in Week 10. He had two carries for nine yards and saw two targets which turned into zero output. The Broncos' offensive struggles aren’t going anywhere, and Edmonds is not adding anything to their roster or yours.
Mack Hollins, WR - Raiders
While Mack Hollins is only currently on 26% of rosters, he has been a frequent flier in the add-and-drop category over the last few weeks due to opportunity. With Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller on IR, Hollins has become the WR2 and second option in this passing game for Las Vegas, but it hasn’t mattered.
We haven’t seen a highly productive day from the WR since his crazy Week 3 8-158-1 output, and after the Raiders' Week 6 bye, Hollins is WR60 in half-PPR points per game with a mere 6.7. To make things worse, he’ll face Denver’s very stout secondary this week and then Seattle’s sixth-ranked unit in WR schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed or aFPA in Week 12.
Writer’s Note: Feel free to drop Kyle Pitts if you can stomach it. Trading the Atlanta TE is impossible at this point, but so is counting on him for fantasy points. He’s posted above 28 yards in just one game out of the last six, despite seeing an average of six targets per contest. I haven’t written him up as an actual drop this season due to the grossness of the TE position, along with not desiring the pitchforks at my door from Pitts lovers, but the writing is on the wall.
Injury Drops
On Thin Ice
- Chase Claypool, WR - Bears - He was very close to making the list this week, but let’s give him one more contest against the soft Falcons to see if Chase Claypool is more involved. The Chicago offense is the run-heaviest in the NFL, with 360 attempts on the season, and with this Cole Kmet breakout, I’m not so sure there’s enough air volume to go around.
- Nyheim Hines, RB - Bills - Things are not looking great for Hines in his new home in Buffalo, but they made that trade for a reason, right? Let’s hope so since he only played in six snaps in Week 10 and has just one catch for nine yards as a Bill in two contests. If he’s not more involved in this week’s tilt against the Browns, Hines is droppable, and feel free to do it now if there’s a better option staring at you on the waiver wire.
