Here are some players to put in your fantasy football drop zone
It might be time to drop Frank Gore and Baker Mayfield.
Making hard choices in fantasy football can be equal parts excruciating and satisfying. Laboring for hours over which debatably legitimate piece of your team is most “droppable’’ can easily be the most difficult decision of the week.
And yet, once the decision is made, it can feel freeing. Ditching an underachieving wide receiver — who’s frankly been coasting on his reputation since Week 3 — can be invigorating.
Too many players appear to have a big game “just around the corner.’’ If you could just give them one more week, your brain tells you, it will all work out. By and large, this is nonsense. That big week will never come, though a string of losses to your fantasy rivals is definitely in your future.
To avoid this impending doom, it’s time for bold action. Preempt the underachievement of your flex position and drop him now. Be your own fantasy football Marie Kondo. Does that player really spark joy in your lineup? Or is that merely wishful thinking?
Granted, there’s a built-in danger to this. Dropping the wrong player could eventually help your rival, a zero-sum mistake that might lead to your downfall.
But the cost of doing nothing is worse, in my opinion. First, because it could lead to the same result (you lose your matchup). And worse, the psychological damage of having foreseen Player X underachieving but not addressing it can be the worst kind of fantasy defeat.
In the end, it’s just more fun to be bold than not. And plus, it’s not like dropping Jason Witten in fantasy has any bearing on real-life Jason Witten (he’s doing just fine having left his lucrative ESPN job).
Enjoy the hard choices, embrace the chaos, and let go of the underachievers that have been weighing down your roster. Here’s a look at a few players to consider dropping, depending on the circumstances of your league:
■ Baker Mayfield, quarterback: Coming into the season, Mayfield was seen as a possible breakout candidate. After he showed tremendous potential in his rookie season, the Browns added Odell Beckham Jr., one of the premier wide receivers in the league.
Unfortunately for Browns fans (and those with Mayfield on their fantasy rosters), nothing has gone to plan for Cleveland. Mayfield has thrown twice as many interceptions (12) as touchdowns (6), and has a completion rate below 60 percent.
Though his schedule looks tempting down the stretch, Mayfield’s consistent lack of production in 2019 makes him a candidate to drop.
■ Frank Gore, running back: One of the most durable players of his generation keeps proving people wrong when they say he’s done, so there’s a chance Gore still has a few big games in him. But the fact remains that Bills rookie running back Devin Singletary is back from injury and is beginning to take over the Buffalo backfield.
When Singletary returned to action in Week 7, he was on the field for 39 percent of the offensive snaps, compared with Gore’s 54 percent. In Week 8, Singletary’s workload increased to 68 percent, while Gore’s fell to 29 percent. Part of that was due to the Bills falling behind against the Eagles and abandoning the regular rushing attack, but the danger of Gore losing carries remains.
Unless Singletary is sidelined again, Gore’s role could continue to diminish.
■ Marquez Valdes-Scantling, wide receiver: Standing 6 feet 4 inches, and periodically showcasing a big-play ability, Valdes-Scantling is a perpetually intriguing fantasy option. Yet in between the highlight touchdowns are much longer stretches of time when he isn’t involved in the Packers’ offense.
Added to that is the news that Green Bay’s best receiver, Davante Adams, returned to practice this week for the first time since his September turf toe injury. Valdes-Scantling has not been targeted more than four times in over a month, and Adams’s possible return means chances will grow even fewer.
■ O.J. Howard, tight end: As someone who drafted Howard in multiple leagues, this one hurts me. The signs in preseason seemed to be pointing toward a big year for the Buccaneers tight end. Bruce Arians’s prolific passing offense, coupled with other talent around him, seemed to be a sure sign of a breakout season.
Yet Howard hasn’t caught a touchdown pass this season, and is relatively uninvolved in the offense, especially when compared with wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. While it might be smart to hang onto Howard just in case, he’s a legitimate candidate to drop at this point.
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