We’ve reached the critical moment of fantasy football season. Fantasy managers aim to lead their teams to the playoffs and must overcome numerous obstacles to win the championship.
Some of those obstacles include bye-bye weeks for multiple teams and difficult starting-em and sit-em decisions. The most underrated part of championship roster construction is the difficult add/subtract decisions fantasy owners face each week during the stretch run.
It’s not always easy to cut unproductive players, especially those who have been on the roster for a long time. But more often than not, the final weeks of a fantasy season are handcuffed to quality depth pieces and the waiver wire. Parting ways with a faltering big name for an unproven but opportunistic young cannon can sometimes pay off, as these players can emerge as league champions.
This doesn’t mean you should blindly release players after a bad game, but finding ways to turn struggling players into productive personnel is the best way to win championships.
Here are five players who will be cut after Week 10 of the fantasy football season, including several players who are part of a struggling offensive line.
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Waiver wire players dropping: Week 10
Hopes that Williams might emerge as a quality fantasy asset in the right matchup are fading as the regular season continues. The rookie failed to score a passing touchdown in three straight games, the most recent of which saw Chicago lose 19-3 to the New England Patriots.
Until the Bears’ offensive line is healthy, Williams’ chances of scoring will remain slim. Chicago was without three of its top offensive tackles against the Patriots, and the young quarterback didn’t look comfortable playing behind a makeshift, backup-led blocking unit.
Until Williams has some confidence in his ability to consistently lead in scoring, his ownership should be limited to players in super-flex and 2QB leagues. As of now, that may not happen until his second season.
Any hope that Williams would return to his pre-injury form in 2024 appears to have been lost. He was given just one carry in the Broncos’ 16-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9. In comparison, rookie Audric Estim gained 14 carries for 53 yards, so Sean Payton seems ready to trust his new backfield leader in Denver.
Williams entered Sunday’s game averaging just 3.8 yards per carry, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Payton continue to roll with Estime. Perhaps Williams could eventually re-emerge as part of Denver’s running back rotation. Still, even if that happens, he’ll need to improve dramatically to become anything more than matchup-based, flexible play.
Chiefs remain undefeated: Kansas City blocks last-second field goal, defeats Broncos
Moore is a big-time wide receiver, but he hasn’t produced much in 2024. He had 105 yards and two touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, but averaged only 4.4 catches and 36.6 total yards per game, and one total touchdown. his other eight games.
Moore has recorded 33 or fewer receiving yards in four of his last five games and was unable to connect with Williams early in their time together. Keenan Allen and Roma Odunze seem to be having more success in that area, and unless fortunes change, it seems unlikely that Moore will become Chicago’s No. 1 receiver like fantasy owners had hoped. is.
That’s not to say owners should blindly dump Moore. But with Williams struggling and the Bears not scoring, a team with deep receiver depth could feel free to let Williams go in order to add depth at another position.
Olave suffered a concussion in the Saints’ Week 9 loss to the Carolina Panthers and was placed on IR before Week 10. At 3-7, the Saints are unlikely to make the playoffs, so they are almost certain to play it safe at their top wide receiver.
So fantasy managers looking to earn a playoff spot and need roster space can feel free to drop Olave. The player won’t be healthy until the fantasy playoffs at the earliest, and it’s unclear if he will return during the 2024 NFL season. Dropping him may be too much of a risk for some to accept, but it might be worth it to grab this week’s quality waiver wire pickups like Estim and Ricky Pearsall.
Kincaid was expected to emerge as a top target for Buffalo’s offense in his second season. That hasn’t happened despite the Bills being without top targets Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman.
In the Bills’ 30-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10, Kincaid caught just two passes for 24 yards. Kincaid was targeted five times, but he and Josh Allen couldn’t connect even when the talented tight end was wide open. Kincaid ranks No. 1 among NFL tight ends with 11 elusive targets.
Additionally, with Kincaid suffering a knee injury against the Colts, it may be time to cut him off if they can get a quality replacement.
