Players to Drop in Week 10

Players to Drop in Week 10: Is it time to cut Baker Mayfield from fantasy rosters (if you haven’t already?)

Was it an early Christmas miracle or are the Ravens and Lamar Jackson the real-deal after taking down New England? I am sure New England fans feel sour, along with the rest of America who is mad that I made a Christmas reference at the beginning of November. One thing we can all agree on is that Lamar Jackson is a cheat-code.

Speaking of cheat-codes, I hope you had Tyler Lockett and Mike Evans in the same lineup this week. DFS winners assuredly did and luckily, for my redraft league, I had them both going as well. Evans and Lockett logged 38 and 42.2 PPR points, respectively. That is insane, especially when Evans scored 44.8 points the week before.

Two other receivers have also leveled-up in Detroit: Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones. Golladay has always had a fantasy floor with great upside (which seems to have grown), but Marvin Jones is quickly establishing a quality floor and upside of his own. It seems these two have become more prevalent in this offense at the expense of losing Kerryon Johnson for the year. Not to mention, Stafford being healthy and playing well doesn’t hurt a bit.

In more surprising news, Kenyan Drake was a Top-5 running back in Week 9, just as the fantasy experts predicted, and Melvin Gordon finally finished as an RB1. After weeks of underwhelming fantasy performances from Gordon, a game-ending goal-line fumble and a new offensive coordinator, he finished with 25.9 PPR points. Gordon could be in line to receive his 2018 workload, something that led teams to their league’s playoffs one year ago.

With Week 10 approaching I am sure many of you are frustrated with your season and want to drop your entire squad. Trust me, it has been a rough year for me as well, but hang in because there is still hope with three more weeks left!

Before dropping anyone, make sure to put your team into perspective. Just because your player is listed in this cut column, it does not automatically mean you should drop him, especially if you are in a dynasty league.

You also need to weigh your waiver-wire options. If someone tells you to drop a player, it does not necessarily mean the move is right for your team. For your team to improve, you have to be able to add a player that will make your team better, immediately or down the road, compared to the player to be cut. It is paramount to evaluate the players, and the transaction, prior to completing it.

Here are some names you should consider dropping going into Week 10.

Baker Mayfield (QB, CLE)

2019’s biggest bust in fantasy is likely going to be Baker Mayfield. Mayfield came off of fantasy draft boards as the 3rd – 5th quarterback and he is currently ranked 26th at his position. Now his Week 9 performance was respectable, but given the circumstances (Denver starting a new inexperienced quarterback) it should have resulted in a win with better fantasy results.

Mayfield has been given time to adjust, nine weeks to be exact, but his offensive line is a mess and his own struggles are not going away fast enough to keep him on your roster. Even looking at his upcoming schedule, you would have to gamble on Mayfield’s fantasy production since his next four matchups will be Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Miami and Pittsburgh.

Is he a must-cut? No, especially in two-QB leagues and deeper leagues that do not have a plethora of quarterback options on the waiver-wire. At the least, Mayfield is a week-to-week stream that should be dropped in 12-team redraft leagues and below.

Cam Newton (QB, CAR)

Cam Newton’s injury woes continue and his ankle has not gotten better. Leading up to Week 9, the former Heisman winner began contemplating whether or not he will even return in 2019. Further, Ian Rapport reported that Newton was headed to Green Bay to see a specialist on his ankle because his injury had not gotten better with the rehab he completed.

His return is multiple weeks off at best and, as aforementioned, he could land on IR. Even if he gets back into game shape, would the Panthers give the keys back to Cam despite the success of young Kyle Allen? There is a ton of adversity that Newton has to overcome to get back on the field in 2019 and I am no longer willing to risk a roster spot over him. He is a cut in all leagues unless something develops this week, which is not likely.

Chase Edmonds (RB, ARI)

What a perfect example of how quick fantasy football can create a star and quickly cast them aside. In Weeks 5 and 6, Edmonds began getting more involved with Arizona’s offense, to the tune of 17.6 PPR points in Week 5 and 14.7 PPR points in Week 6.

Then in Week 7, we saw a sleeping giant awaken and Edmonds destroyed New York for 37 PPR points. Edmonds instantly looked like a league winning pickup after Week 7, especially since David Johnson’s health was compromised.

Then in Week 8, Edmonds picked up a hamstring injury which will sideline him for multiple weeks. Because of Edmonds’ injury, and the Cardinals’ lack of depth with DJ out as well, Arizona was forced to trade for Kenyan Drake and sign Alfred Morris. While Morris did not do much, Drake exploded for 30.2 PPR points against the 49ers, which complicates the Arizona backfield.

What we know is that David Johnson will be involved in this offense when he returns but from the early looks of it, Kenyan Drake will also be involved and likely to the expense of Edmonds. How much volume Edmonds will lose is tough to answer since his backup role was increasing without Drake in the mix.

Even if Edmonds was healthy enough to play in Week 10, which he likely won’t, you would have temper expectations now that Drake and Johnson are involved. Further, his schedule would make him difficult to trust since Arizona will be playing at the 49ers, then going on BYE, followed by the Rams and Pittsburgh. Edmonds is not a must cut, but if you are needing to make roster room he is someone I would look to let go.

LeSean McCoy (RB, KC)

Any running back in the Kansas City backfield has likely given you a headache and LeSean McCoy is no different. I would not call Shady a must-cut, especially since Patrick Mahomes will be his quarterback when healthy, but it is a decision people will have to make this week with so many teams on BYE.

Make no mistake, McCoy is a player that can be flexed, but you cannot trust him and his floor continues to be shaky while his ceiling will be capped. Part of the reason Shady has no consistent floor is because you can never predict which running back will get the bulk of the work. Further, McCoy has only scored one touchdown for the year and he rarely gets over two receptions a game.

Starting McCoy is playing with fire and if you can find something more reliable, even just temporarily like Jaylen Samuels was in Week 9, I would look to remove McCoy.