Tue Jul 2nd 2024

Favorite Players I've Given Up On

One of the hardest things to do in dynasty is to give up on players you once believed could be stars, whether top prospects or back-of-the-roster hopefuls. Sometimes, I hold on to players a year or more longer than I should, and sometimes, I have the courage to cut them and move on. This year, these are the players I have decided to move on from or suspect I will when the roster is cut down before the season starts. I've held on too long and need to let them go.

---

Given Up On

Miles Sanders

• Sanders was my 2nd ranked player in the 2019 rookie class behind Josh Jacobs, and I drafted him in most of my leagues because I was higher on him than most analysts of managers in my class. He had a respectable rookie season, scoring 193 fantasy points, but he never built upon it. His next two seasons were worse, scoring 154 and 104 fantasy points before his modest bounceback in 2022 when he scored a career-best 206 fantasy points. When he signed with Carolina last year, my hope for Sanders renewed. Philadelphia loved to rotate their backs, so his touches were constantly capped. I thought he'd steal the RB-1 job right away from Chuba Hubbard, but Hubbard had nearly twice as many carries and more than double the fantasy points. Sanders' nail-in-the-coffin moment was when the Panthers drafted Jonathan Brooks in the second round. Sanders will be third on the depth chart when Brooks is healthy, bringing his dynasty value to its lowest point. He's currently my 62nd-ranked running back behind the likes of Rico Dowdle and Ty Chandler. It's time for me to part ways with Sanders. I'll cut him once the rosters get cut down before the season starts.

Sean Tucker

• Tucker was my favorite deep sleeper in last year's class, and I added him to many of my rosters last year. I thought his college production made him a top candidate to win a starting role over Rashaad White, even though he signed a UDFA contract after being diagnosed with a heart condition, which made his draft stock fall. I rostered him and stashed him on taxi squads all season, but now I have cut him from a few teams and know he won't make the roster in others when the cut day comes. His college tape reminded me of Nick Chubb's running style, and he was outstandingly productive at Syracuse with 3798 total yards and 31 touchdowns in three seasons. I was surprised that he could not climb the depth chart in Tampa Bay last season and was disappointed when the Buccaneers drafted Bucky Irving. Had they not drafted Irving, I may have stubbornly kept Tucker at the end of my bench, but now I have to face the fact that he will not become a starter in the NFL. I've cut him in a few leagues already and will have to in other leagues come cut time.

Israel Abanikanda

• Abanikanda was the player I had ranked right behind Sean Tucker in last year's rookie class. He was my 13th-ranked player before the NFL draft, but I dropped significantly after he was drafted by the Jets, who had Breece Hall ahead of him. His dynasty value dropped even further this year after the Jets drafted Brealon Allen and Isaiah Davis. After mini-camp reports said that Allen was the clear RB-2 running behind Hall, I moved on from Abanikanda. Ourlads now list him as the running back four on their depth chart. What a fall from where I had him ranked before the 2023 NFL draft. He was even dropped from a team in my deepest league with 14 teams and 462 players on rosters. That's a massive fall from his 1577-yard, 21-touchdown junior season at Pitt.

Samaje Perine

• Perine is a back-end player I've had on several of my rosters over the last few years. He had a few spot starts in backup roles with the Bengals and several with the Broncos last year after failing in his first few seasons with the then, Redskins. His absurd college production, 4443 yards and 51 touchdowns, didn't translate to the NFL, and he was quickly dropped off the Commanders' and dynasty rosters. When the Bengals picked him up off waivers, some dynasty managers did too, thinking he could play the RB-2 role behind his college teammate, Joe Mixon. He bounced from Cincinnati to Miami to Cincinnati again and then to Denver last season. Now he's fighting for a roster spot and is likely to get dropped or traded after the Broncos drafted Audric Estime and picked up Blake Watson as a UDFA after finding a gem in Jaleel McLaughlin as a UDFA last season. Simply put, Perine's time has run out in the NFL, so I need to drop him from my roster. I'd only consider keeping him now if he gets traded to a team with a weak depth chart.

Chris Rodriguez

• Rodriguez was my 56th-ranked rookie in his class last year, but I added him on several rosters last year in deep leagues after rookie drafts. I hoped he could make the Commanders' team and be more of a one-to-one backup with Brian Robinson on early downs while Anotnio Gibson would remain their passing-downs back. He had some opportunities last season but didn't prove enough to make me wish to hold onto him. I've already dropped him in most of my leagues, and he won't make the cut date for the others. He has a new coaching staff that did not draft him. The new staff signed Austin Ekeler to split the load with Robinson, keeping Rodriguez as the RB-3 even after letting Gibson go in free agency. Every RB-2 should be on dynasty rosters, but only a few RB-3s. I'll keep him on my watch list and add him back to rosters if Ekeler or Robinson gets injured, but he needs to stay on my watch list for now.

Joshua Kelley

• Kelley was my 36th-ranked rookie in the 2020 class, which was right about the consensus, but I was able to add him to a few teams in rookie drafts. A year or two later, after he failed to meet expectations, I added him more often, hoping he could still become the RB-2 behind Austin Ekeler or even compete for the starting job as Ekeler got older. Neither hope came true, and now he remains an unsigned free agent. NFL teams have given up on him, and so have I. He's been dropped from all of my teams.

Elijah Moore

• Moore was my 8th-ranked rookie in the 2021 class. I was far higher on him than more analysts and managers, and I added him to many of my rosters. He had an incredible stretch of production in his rookie season, and it looked like he would meet my expectations. In his second year, he fell out of favor with the Jets and underperformed on the field. When he was traded to Cleveland, I thought the new opportunity was just what he needed. When training camp reports told of him becoming one of Deshaun Watson's favorite targets and how the coaching staff planned to use him in multiple ways in the offense, I got excited about Moore all over again. I traded a 2023 second-round pick in two different leagues to add him to more of my teams. After a disappointing season last year, I deeply regretted those trades. Cleveland traded for Jerry Jeudy this off-season. Plus, reports from mini camp claim that Moore is not even running with the first team in practices, claiming that Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, and Cedric Tillman are the starters. He's one of the players I've been most wrong about in recent years. It's time for me to cut ties with him.

Isaiah Hodgins

• Last year at this time, Hodgins was my most rostered player, after adding him on the waiver wire in eight of my nine leagues. Now, I don't have him on a single roster. He had his chance to break out on the very weak Giant's depth chart last season, but he couldn't do it, even when other receivers were injured. The Giants finally drafted a true alpha receiver in Malik Nabers, and their other receivers with higher draft capital, Wandale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt, are healthy again and will start ahead of Hodgins. He was always a guy on the roster bubble in my dynasty leagues. Since the end of last season, he has moved off of all of my rosters. Last season was his last chance.

Brevin Jordan

• Jordan was my 30th-ranked player in the 2021 class and my third-ranked tight end behind Kyle Pitts and Pat Freiermuth. I drafted him in one league and added him off the waiver wire in a few other leagues last year. Some managers dropped him after the Texans signed Dalton Schultz last year. I picked him up late in the season last year, knowing that Schultz's contract was only for one year. I wanted to see if the team would trust Jordan to become their future starter on their young and up-and-coming offense. Instead, they re-signed Schultz and drafted Cade Stover. That was enough to tell me it was time to move on from Jordan. I've since dropped him from all of my rosters.

Greg Dulcich

• It will be hard to give up on Dulcich since, after two years, we've hardly seen him play. The only hope I have for him clings to where I had him ranked in the 2022 class. He was my 22nd-ranked player that year. I was higher on him than other managers, so I drafted him four times. I traded him away in one league for a third-round pick this season. I still have him in the other three leagues, but he will not make the cut. I hate to give up on a player I liked so much and have hardly seen play in the NFL, but I have proven tight ends ahead of him in all of those leagues. Dulcich's continued battles with injuries and coach Peyton's praise of Lucas Krull make me willing to drop Dulcich.

---

Almost Given Up On

These are the players I should move on from, but I have some doubts about. They are on the last seat of my benches, and I am considering cutting them, but it hurts to do so.

Treylon Burks

• Burks was my 2nd ranked rookie overall in the 2022 class, just behind Breece Hall. Thankfully, I was only able to draft Burks in one league. He's been a complete bust. Now he has a new coaching staff who did not draft him and added Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd in free agency. Burks is no longer a starter in their eyes. As a first-round pick, they have to give him one more good look this year or send him away in a trade. Those are the only two reasons to hope for Burks.  It's enough to make me keep him on my teams, at least through the early season games, to see if he has a role with the team or not. Admittedly, it's also painful to admit you whiffed on a first-round rookie pick. Dropping him will be the final admission.

Xavier Gibson

• I added Gibson to a few of my deep leagues after watching him on Hard Knocks last year. I kept him on my rosters, hoping he could develop into the WR-2 role next season. However, the Jets signed Mike Williams and drafted Malachi Corely, making this possibility far more unlikely. I dropped him from all of my rosters after these transactions. However, I'm considering adding him back to my squads in deep leagues, where I could drop one of the above players to add him. At the end of mini camp, reports said not to sleep on Gibson and that he could very well hold off Corley for that role. That news and knowing that Mike Williams is often injured makes me willing to add Gibson back in my deep leagues where five to seven receivers can start.

Michael Mayer

• There's no way I am dropping Mayer from my teams, but I wanted to mention that he has a shorter leash than I would have ever thought. Mayer was my 12th-ranked rookie in one-quarterback leagues last year, and I drafted him four times. He was starting to break out near the end of last season, so he remained hopeful for a breakout in year two. Then, the Raiders drafted Brock Bowers, and everything changed. I expect the Raiders to see them as almost different positions, keeping Mayer on the line and using Bowers as more of a slot receiver. If so, Mayer could see the field a lot and still be involved in the passing game. That's what I need to wait to see, and I will wait the whole season to see it. I need a few games to see if Burks has a role in the offense since he's already had years to prove himself, but one year is not enough for Mayer. He'll get at least a full second year. He was too high of a prospect and draft pick by the Raiders not to give him a role in the offense. I'm hanging onto Mayer even though the Bowers pick was the most painful pick in the NFL draft.

Leave your comment using the form below

Name
Comment
Enter the code