Five players you can safely drop in fantasy football

As the guy who writes the weekly waiver wire add article here, I can tell you that sometimes those articles are really annoying. Not to write, they’re actually pretty fun to write, but as a fantasy owner, they’re annoying to work from because sure it might give you great advice on who to add, but unless you’re a baller and haven’t been needing to roll with a full roster, you don’t have space on your team to pick up another player.

Those articles (mine included) tell you who to add, but not who to drop.

So , here I am telling you who you can safely drop from your team to open up those roster spaces to grab the hot names off the waiver. Is this article a day too late? Perhaps. But as my grandmother always says, “Better late than never, now stop sitting around asking me to say stupid things and go set the table.”

Here are five guys who you can drop and will be confident they will not come to bite you in your behind.

Jordy Nelson

The time has finally come. For those who’ve held out hope that maybe, just maybe Nelson’s talent would be enough for him to overcome losing his bestest buddy Aaron Rodgers throwing him the football, think again. It’s clear Brett Hundley does not share the same affinity towards Nelson as Rodgers did. Over the last five games, Nelson has been targeted only 26 times while Davante Adams has been targeted 42 times. More damning is that Nelson hasn’t caught a touchdown Rodgers went down in Week 6. It’s time to move on from Nelson. He won’t help you anymore.

Kelvin Benjamin

I initially was going to keep Benjamin off the list because the Bills’ remaining schedule is pretty cushy for receivers as they play the Patriots twice, Dolphins twice and Colts. That’s smooth sailing. However, Benjamin is still dealing with a torn meniscus in his knee and has struggled since coming to Buffalo. Now, some of that might have to do with the Bills randomly going with Nate Peterman for a week, but clearly it has taken Benjamin more time than expected to integrate himself into this offense. Plus Tyrod Taylor is about to unleash the power of Zay Jones so he’s the real Bills’ receiver you want.

Bilal Powell

Here’s what I wrote about Powell back in the summer, when we were all young and naive:

He was second on the team in rushing attempts and catches last year and fourth in passing targets. He was also tied for third on the team in receiving touchdowns. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the offense quickly build itself around a strong running game and quick passes out of the backfield, both of which work towards Powell’s strengths.

Ah, such a simpler time when we all could think the best of players and not be met with the harsh truth of reality. Bilal Powell has been none of the things I described above this season and hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 4. He as become a complete afterthought in New York and he should be that for your fantasy team as well.

Theo Riddick

Here’s what you need to know about Theo Riddick: over the last five games, he’s only being targeted three times per game. If Riddick isn’t making plays in the passing game, he shouldn’t be on your team mostly because a) that’s really what he does best and b) you’re not going to trust the Lions’ running attack to give you points are you? (hint: no you shouldn’t). He’s also only had one double digit scoring game in standard scoring this season. Time to move on.

Cameron Brate

After starting off the season sizzling hot—he had a four game stretch where he caught a touchdown—Brate has cooled off to the point of freezing. He’s only registered one catch in each of the last four games after posting six games with at least four catches in them. Now, maybe some of this has to do with the change from Jameis Winston to Ryan Fitzpatrick, but I think it has more to do with the emergence of rookie O.J. Howard who has been coming on hot as of late, recording six catches, 104 yards and a touchdown in his last two games combined.

Bonus: David Johnson

To those 56% of people on Yahoo! who still own David Johnson, give it up. He’s not coming back. There’s no way the 5-6 Cardinals, playing with Blaine Gabbert under center, are going to rush Johnson back to play with potential risk of him reinjuring his wrist. I feel very very safe in saying Johnson will not play football again this season. Don’t waste a bench spot on him.

Double Bonus: Eli Manning