Fantasy Football: 3 Players You Can Drop After Week 2

Every week, basically every fantasy website in the industry puts out a waiver wire column -- here's ours for this week. But in some instances, the real problem isn't deciding who to pick up; it's figuring out which players to part ways with.

Knowing when to drop an under-performing player is a tough call, but I'm here to help you out. Dead weight on your fantasy roster can be particularly harmful during bye weeks. These are the players you don't feel comfortable cutting but who prevent you from picking up someone else. Maybe you even get roped into starting them in a pinch.

Of course, it doesn't hurt to explore any trade possibilities before cutting a player. But the issue with many of these guys is that their value is already low, so they may be difficult to move. If you can't move them, fine -- that's when you can consider dropping them to address other needs on your roster. But don't just drop them without doing any market research in your league.

These are tough decisions to make -- if they weren't, I wouldn't need to write this article. But it doesn't have to be so hard. After this past week, here are some players you can drop and why you can do so.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook. Statistics via NFL Next Gen Stats and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise stated.

Fantasy Football Players to Drop After Week 2

Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams

Make no mistake, Matthew Stafford can still sling it. But a series of injuries to the Los Angeles Rams' offensive line and top two receivers have crippled the offense beyond the point of no return. Think of it this way -- if Stafford couldn't produce a serviceable fantasy performance against the Arizona Cardinals (a team that featured PFF's 32nd-ranked secondary coming into the year), who will he produce against?

Probably not the San Francisco 49ers or Chicago Bears -- his next two opponents. Though LA figures to face a negative game script in both games, their current crop of pass-catchers doesn't offer much upside against a pair of stout secondaries.

Stafford could have fantasy value down the road if Puka Nacua and/or Cooper Kupp are able to return, but who knows when that will happen?

There are several serviceable quarterbacks available in the majority of standard-sized leagues, and Stafford is nothing more than a streamer with this roster. You certainly don't want to stream him the next two weeks, and that's enough to banish him to the waiver wire in all but the deepest fantasy football leagues.

Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati

Chase Brown was a popular sleeper in draft season, and that was a defensible take. He was the only returning back on a high-powered Cincinnati Bengals offense that had just let Joe Mixon walk in free agency. Sure, they added journeyman Zack Moss, but Brown flashed enough in his rookie season to warrant speculation that he would see more volume in year two.

Well, at least through two weeks, that projected volume hasn't manifested.

Brown saw a measly 18% snap rate in Week 2, and that culminated in just 4 carries. He did not see a target in the passing game and only ran a route on 12% of dropbacks.

Two games in, Moss has led the way with a 75% snap rate, 45% route rate, and 15.5 adjusted opportunities per game. Brown has only played 26% of snaps, run a route on 22% of dropbacks, and notched 6.5 adjusted opportunities per game.

That's just not going to cut it.

In 12-team (or bigger) leagues, I still want to hold onto Brown. There's upside if Moss were to go down, and he could still carve out a roll for himself as the schedule lightens up. But in shallow leagues -- where bench spots are at a premium -- there's not much of a reason to roster the backup running back on one of football's most pass-heavy teams.

Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

After leading the Seattle Seahawks in targets and yards in Week 1, Tyler Lockett took a step back in Week 2. Though his route participation actually jumped from 71% in Week 1 to 83% in Week 2, Lockett's target share dipped from 28% to 5%.

In turn, fellow wideouts D.K. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba both cleared 30% target shares in Week 2, and both have played more snaps and run more routes each of the first two weeks.

This is what we expected coming into the season, and it's fair to say Lockett's Week 1 was more of a mirage than something we can count on week-by-week.

The 31-year-old is the clear No. 3 receiver on the Seahawks. That's not a terrible role considering the Seahawks are fourth in pass rate over expectation through two games, but it doesn't offer much reliability. The upcoming schedule features two bottom-10 pass defenses in the next three weeks, but it's hard to get excited about someone who's on the back end of his career and has two younger, more explosive receivers ahead of him.

So, while there may be somewhat of a floor with Lockett in plus matchups, he isn't someone that's going to make-or-break your fantasy season. That makes him someone you can drop after Week 2 in favor of high-upside waiver wire targets that could have a higher ceiling going forward.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.