Dead Weight Report: Week 2 Fantasy Football Drop List

Sep 12, 2023

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

We all had players who underperformed in Week 1, regardless of whether they were in our starting lineups or safely on the bench. Should you keep them for another week or cut them loose now?

In this weekly article, I’ll sort through the weak and meager 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, just to name a few. All will be taken into consideration when determining each week’s dead weight.

Editor's Note: Check out the Week 2 Waiver Wire Watch

You won’t find any monster names on here yet since one week is just not enough time to bail on a high draft pick, but there will be bigger names in the coming weeks. If you're looking for players to stash, I've also got you covered there.

Rashaad Penny, RB - Eagles

All summer long we were wondering if Rashaad Penny’s ADP was too low. It turns out it wasn’t low enough. The drumbeat for Kenneth Gainwell by members of the Eagles media got louder as we got closer to the season and hopefully, most of you heard it and drafted the 24-year-old over Penny. If not, there’s still time to rectify your roster by sending the former Seahawk to the waiver wire.

Penny was not the team’s starter or leading rusher on Sunday, in fact, he had as many carries as you reading this column right now. The Eagles RB was inactive for their game against the Patriots and it’s pretty clear he’s the odd man out of this crowded backfield. Penny will be involved in some way at some point but if you need help now, swap him for Gainwell, Kyren Williams, Tyler Allgeier, or Justice Hill.

* UPDATE: Gainwell hasn't practiced this week yet so you may want to hold off if you need Penny.

Michael Gallup, WR - Cowboys

While it was understandable to be excited about Michael Gallup’s potential this season, his floor just may be too low on a weekly basis to keep him on the roster. The fifth-year WR saw just two targets on Sunday night and ended with a measly 1.5 half-PPR points. Gallup may have better days, but he’s clearly behind CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Jake Ferguson, and even RB Tony Pollard in the target pecking order.

Greg Dulcich, TE - Broncos

Despite his incredible hair, Greg Dulcich is tough to roster for the foreseeable future. He sustained a leg injury, which is likely a hamstring issue, during Denver’s Week 1 tilt with the Raiders, and is a member of an offense that didn't appear to take a huge step forward from last year’s debacle. Hopefully, Sean Payton will have them up and running sooner rather than later, but for now, with Dulcich’s timetable still unknown and the Broncos not appearing to be much better, let him be someone else’s problem and grab yourself a healthier and more promising TE like Luke Musgrave, Hayden Hurst, or Hunter Henry.

Isaiah Likely, TE - Ravens

I’m fairly certain dropping Isiah Likely won’t be very painful for those of you who started the TE in Week 1. With Mark Andrews sidelined with a quad injury to kick off the season, Likely was a popular grab and start based on his productive history in the same position last season, along with the lack of options at TE. Likely saw just one ball against the Texans which he caught for just four yards. Andrews will hopefully be back on the field for Week 2 but even if he isn’t, comb that waiver wire in search of a more involved TE.

Chase Brown, RB - Bengals

There was plenty of hype surrounding Chase Brown this summer as the potential replacement for Samaje Perine, who departed for Denver. The rookie didn’t have a particularly productive preseason but made the Bengals’ final roster. Brown was a healthy scratch for Week 1’s debacle against the Browns and is parked at the bottom of a three-man log jam behind Joe Mixon with Chris Evans and Trayveon Williams. Unless you have a super deep bench and want to wait him out, it appears Brown won’t surface for fantasy production anytime soon.

Alec Pierce, WR - Colts

Despite a pass-heavy game plan for Indy after falling behind in the second half, Alec Pierce was a distant fifth in targets with just three on the day. He may have some big weeks ahead in this new-look offense, but there will also likely be some stinkers. With WRs like Zay Jones, Romeo Doubs, and Puka Nacua out there on your waiver wires, send Pierce packing and improve your WR corps moving forward.