Safest players to drop for Week 13 waiver wire priority

The waiver wire is a zero-sum game. For every exciting upside addition, there must be a disappointing release of a player you once gladly added to your roster. Yet, the entire fantasy football realm seems to focus only on the first half of the add-drop exchange.

Welcome back to “let it go”. The curmudgeonly counterpart to all your overly-enthusiastic waiver wire pickup columns. We’re here to kill your already-dying dreams, but in doing so help you cut loose the dead weight holding back your rosters.

And, since drops are often agonizing, all categories are named for lyrics from “let it go”. The pain of your difficult drop decision is nothing compared to the pain of getting that song stuck in your head.

The ground rules:

• A player must be rostered in at least 30% of Yahoo leagues to qualify for inclusion
• At least one player listed must be rostered in at least 60% of leagues

The three lists at the bottom address players who have been listed in earlier weeks’ columns

Turn away and slam the door

These players should be dropped

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Packers

Why is he on enough rosters that he even qualifies for this article? I wrote about him three weeks ago – since then, he’s caught one pass for seven yards. He’s too obvious to need a full blurb, but wanted to draw attention to him just in case you are one of the managers still holding on.

Darren Fells, TE, Texans

A couple TDs and a well-timed 69-yard game had many thinking Fells was a semi-reliable TE option. But that was always wishful thinking. Fells has three targets or fewer in eight of his 11 games. He has one or zero catches in more than half his games. While he received at least 49 yards in all of the games that he saw extra targets, that’s not nearly enough to make him a regular fantasy start. The TE landscape is so barren that almost anyone can be justified for a one-week streamer, but Fells should be considered one of the riskier options. And with back-to-back bad matchups on deck – the Patriots and the Broncos – you should drop him and find another streaming TE option.

Phillip Dorsett, WR, Patriots

Dorsett has some rapport with Tom Brady. As a result, especially combined with the Pats’ struggling WR corps, Dorsett is unlikely to ever get a zero when healthy. Furthermore, he has some touchdown potential, already collecting five this season. But Dorsett’s ceiling is low and he doesn’t get enough targets. Since his explosive Week 1, he hasn’t topped 53 yards, and only once did he catch more than three passes. Even when he catches a TD, he’s still barely start-worthy in many settings. On top of that, the emergence of N’Keal Harry and Mohamed Sanu further caps his upside.

I don’t care what they’re going to say

This section is for a player rostered in almost every league, but should still be dropped

Jared Goff, QB, Rams

It’s been a tough season for Goff, but his Monday night only made things worse. The Rams offense looked anemic, and Goff’s two interceptions get him up to five over the last three games. He has zero touchdowns in those game. His poor 212 yard performance was despite having all three of his primary WRs back healthy, and throwing 37 times. He’s scored single-digit fantasy points four times this season, including each of his last three games. The schedule lightens up a little bit over the next few weeks, but it’ll be hard to justify starting him in Week 14 against the Seahawks, and he’s a must-bench for Week 16 against the 49ers. He’s been bad, the Rams’ offense isn’t good enough to compensate for his failures, and you don’t want to use him in two of the three playoff matchups.

You might feel that this pick is a little obvious for this section, but there aren’t many guys widely rostered who need to get dropped this late in the season, and Goff’s still rostered in more than 70% of leagues.

I’m never going back, the past is in the past

Players listed in previous weeks who should still be dropped

Dante Pettis, WR, 49ers
Nyheim Hines, RB, Colts
Robby Anderson, WR, Jets
Antonio Brown, WR, free agent
Mitchell Trubisky, QB, Bears
Corey Davis, WR, Titans
Latavius Murray, RB, Saints
Peyton Barber, RB, Buccaneers
Nelson Agholor, WR, Eagles
Eric Ebron, TE, Colts
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Lions
Delanie Walker, TE, Titans
Wayne Gallman, RB, Giants
Sammy Watkins, WR, Chiefs
Mecole Hardman, WR, Chiefs
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Packers
DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles
Mark Walton, RB, Dolphins
Jonnu Smith, TE, Titans
LeSean McCoy, RB, Chiefs
Ty Johnson, RB, Lions
Chris Herndon, TE, Jets
A.J. Brown, WR, Titans
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Packers
Mike Williams, WR, Chargers
Matthew Stafford, QB, Lions
O.J. Howard, TE, Buccaneers
Brian Hill, RB, Falcons
Josh Gordon, WR, Seahawks

Test the limits

Players listed in previous weeks who, if you’ve held on this long, it’s OK to hold another week – but are still safe to drop

Duke Johnson, RB, Texans
Darrel Williams, RB, Chiefs
Damien Williams, RB, Chiefs
Adrian Peterson, RB, Washington
Raheem Mostert, RB, 49ers

Can’t hold ‘em back anymore

Players listed in previous weeks who are no longer drop candidates, and in some cases can be added back onto rosters

Dede Westbrook, WR, Jaguars
Darrell Henderson, RB, Rams
Derrius Guice, RB, Washington
Rashaad Penny, RB, Seahawks