Fantasy Football: 3 Players You Can Drop After Week 4

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 4

Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore

It's always hard to know when to cut ties with an underperforming top pick, especially when they play a position as scarce as tight end.

But it's time to drop Mark Andrews.

Andrews had yet another disappointing performance in Week 4, failing to score a single fantasy point for the second straight game. Perhaps most concerning was his utilization. For the third time in four games, Andrews had a single-digit target share. His snap and route rates have dwindled precipitously since Week 1.

Such poor utilization just isn't going to cut in when the Baltimore Ravens are dead-last in pass rate over expectation (-12%).

There's reason to be concerned with all of Baltimore's pass-catchers in fantasy, but for their No. 5 option (by target share)? That's not someone who's even worth rostering.

Now, tight end has been so bad that I can understand wanting to hold onto Andrews in deeper formats. But he's a legitimate zero for your fantasy team right now, and there are several Week 5 tight end streamers who are better options in the foreseeable future.

Unless your league has an abundance of bench spots, I can't see any reason to keep Andrews rotting on your bench.

Ezekiel Elliot, RB, Dallas Cowboys

Ezekiel Elliott was a contender for the drop list last week after he saw just a 20% snap rate and totaled 7 adjusted opportunities in Week 3. I was concerned about him then but figured he would see better usage in a more positive game script.

Well, we got the positive game script last week, but Zeke's utilization somehow got even worse. His snap rate dipped to a season-low 18%, and he saw just one more adjusted opportunity than fullback Hunter Luepke -- who played 51% of snaps.

Now? It's full-blown panic time.

We've seen Zeke take a backseat to Rico Dowdle over the last two games, with Dowdle averaging 15.5 adjusted opportunities to Elliott's 7.0 over that span. Perhaps equally concerning is Elliott's 12% route participation the last two weeks -- a number that's even more worrying with the Dallas Cowboys posting positive pass rates over expected in each game.

If Zeke's not going to be the goal-line back or run many routes, what value does he have on what's shaping into a pass-heavy offense?

In essentially any 12-team league, Elliott is a safe drop. You aren't starting him at this point, and there are several other backup running backs with more contingent upside who offer more potential value down the road.

Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers

Christian Watson suffered a high-ankle sprain on Sunday. While it's not expected to result in an IR stint, it's not great timing for Watson's fantasy stock with Jordan Love back under center.

Watson's battled injuries throughout his young career, but the Green Bay Packers now have a deep receiving room, one that shouldn't have any issues stepping up if Watson misses time. Watson wasn't seeing very encouraging utilization even before the injury. In Weeks 1-3, Watson was just third among Green Bay receivers in snap rate (59%) and route participation (59%). Dontayvion Wicks was right behind him in both, but Wicks stepped up to lead the team with a 25% target share and 2 touchdowns after Watson departed on Sunday.

That's where Watson's issues lie. Even if he's able to quickly recover from his latest injury, he now has three legitimate competitors for targets. His 7% season-long target share was reason enough to consider dropping him, but this injury makes that decision a no-brainer.

Now, he'd still be worth an IR stash if your league settings allow it, but if you don't have anywhere to stash him, Watson can be safely dropped in the majority of leagues.

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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.