Players To Drop In Fantasy Football Ahead Of Week 1: Jaylen Wright, Joe Mixon, and More
Geoff Ulrich breaks down players you should cut bait with before Week 1 kicks off.
Cutting bait on those investments you’re already underwater on sucks, but just like Warren Buffett always says, “throwing good money after bad is for non-ball knowers … avoid it like the Aaron Rodgers avoids his family at Thanksgiving”.
That’s why I’m here to give you some of the best names you need to consider dropping NOW, before they drag your team down under the burden of another wasted roster spot, or worse, another week with a big, fat, single-digit fantasy score. Gross.
I’m not just going to give you the easy or obvious decisions either (but seriously, stop trying to make Jaylen Wright happen already).
I’ll go over which higher-end names you may want to consider letting go in case you need more room to bid on a big waiver name—or would just be better served taking a huge swing on an elite handcuff.
As always, you can pair the advice here with the fantasy football rankings, projections, and other cool tools from a Fantasy Life+ subscription (Use code “GRIND” for 20% off).
Let’s drop it like it’s hot.
Fantasy Football Players To Drop Ahead Of Week 1
Late-Round Darts You Needed To Drop Yesterday
KeAndre Lambert-Smith | WR | LAC: Lambert-Smith had a nice preseason. That said, the writing is on the wall. Tre Harris had a breakout game against the Rams (6 rec. 86 yards) and is back practicing. As the 55th pick in the draft and at 6’2 210lbs+, he’s going to be their starting outside receiver this year.
Lambert-Smith may make his way onto the field at some point for significant snaps, but would likely either need a Keenan Allen/Ladd McConkey injury to get those snaps. Let’s also not forget he may need to jump Quentin Johnston in the pecking order.
There is no doubt Lambert-Smith is part of the future here, but he feels like a 2026 story right now. I would not be afraid to drop him if a player with better playing prospects were available.
Potential replacements: Jack Bech (Meyers potentially traded), Hunter Renfrow (Coker out), Isaac TeSlaa (Tim Patrick traded)
Jaylen Wright | RB | MIA: Despite the massive head start in the competition to be De'Von Achane’s backup, Wright did next to nothing in preseason and now looks firmly in third on the depth chart. Ollie Gordon, on the other hand, the Dolphins' sixth-round pick, looked like an elite early down grinder and goal line back in preseason, where he averaged 4.8 yards per carry and totaled 128 rushing yards.
To make things worse, Wright is now recovering from a small surgical procedure on his leg and likely won’t be back until Week 3, at the earliest.
While lots can change in a couple of weeks, with Achane recovered from a small calf strain and back practicing, you don’t need to wait here.
Potential replacements: Chris Rodriguez, Woody Marks, Ollie Gordon
Alec Pierce | WR | IND: Oof, this one hurts. I really like Pierce, and there is still a chance that he works out, but the premise on Pierce was always that he was attached to a big-play machine QB (aka, Anthony Richardson) who would be giving him multiple shots at landing a long TD every game.
After the Colts decided to roll with Daniel Jones at QB, Pierce’s future looks far more murky. Jones completed just 19 passes that traveled 20+ yards through the air last season, ranking him a horrid 36th in that category.
As of now, you shouldn’t feel bad about cutting bait if there are players available with better prospects ahead.
Potential replacements: Troy Franklin, Kyle Williams, Dontayvion Wicks
The Non-IR League “Tough Spot” Drops
Jalen Coker | WR | CAR: Man, this one hurts too. I really like Coker. He’s coming off a very underrated rookie year where he led the Panthers in yards per catch (14.9) and is a great blend of size and athleticism. He was also slotted in to start alongside Tetairoa McMillan this year after the team traded away Adam Thielen.
Alas, the injury gods would not allow us to have this small sliver of fantasy goodness for even a week. Out of nowhere (legitimately, out of nowhere), Coker was placed on IR and now will be out anywhere from four to six weeks.
Look. Coker could still be an impactful player at some point this season, but for those leagues without IR spots, I don’t see the value in holding him. This is also the same quad he hurt last year, so he may not be 100% until Week 7-8, and reinjury risk will be high.
Even if everything goes to plan, he’s at best the #2 WR on a team in Carolina, who figures to be in the bottom third or bottom half of the league in scoring again.
I get it, it’s sad, because we thought we had a diamond in the rough forming here, but setting him free is likely the right move.
Chris Godwin | WR | TB and Joe Mixon | RB | HOU: These are both high-quality players you likely took with high draft picks. Obviously, if you’re deep at WR or RB, have deep benches, or don’t need Godwin or Mixon to produce right away, there is no need to let either player loose … yet.
Chances are, if you’re in a deep league, there may not be much else better out there anyway.
However, if you have a short four- or five-man bench, no IR spot, and an opportunity to grab an impactful player either this week or next week, both of these men should be on your expendable list.
Godwin is the player more likely to return first and the one I’d TRY to hold onto if I could. Todd Bowles gave him a return timetable of Week 2-5, but that was predicated on his returning to practice first and ramping up conditioning. Even if he returned to practice next week, it’s unlikely he’d be anywhere near 100% until mid-to-late season.
That is AGES in fantasy football, where we have a 14-week regular season at best in most leagues.
The good news with Godwin is that he’d likely return to a starting role right off the hop. Even with rookie Emeka Egbuka in the mix, the Buccaneers are now thinner at receiver with Jalen McMillan on IR, so Godwin SHOULD have some solid late-season value.
Mixon is in a far more murky situation and not someone I would wait on personally. The Texans' starting RB, who averaged 72.6 rush yards per game last year, missed all preseason and was placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list, so he’s out at least 4 games.
When asked if Mixon will play this season, Texans GM Nick Cesario was non-committal, “We'll see. We'll take it one day at a time”.
Not Great Bob.
The Texans also signed Nick Chubb, drafted Woody Marks, and still have Dameon Pierce on the roster, who has gotten good reviews in the preseason.
Again, if you have room to stash Mixon or in a league, you can hold on for a few weeks to see how this shakes out; otherwise, I’d recommend looking to get some value out of the bench position he’s currently occupying.
Droplets (Quick Ideas For Rosters That Need Room)
Weak QB2s (Bryce Young, Aaron Rodgers, Sam Darnold): If you are streaming QBs, have an elite starter or just have one of these guys holding up a roster spot for no reason right now, my question would be, why? Young has lost two starting WRs in a week, Rodgers plays the Jets/Seahawks to start, and Darnold plays the 49ers/Steelers. Drop them and add a lotto handcuff at RB for Weeks 1 and 2, at least.
Jayden Reed | WR | GB: Just a quick note on Reed. He’s slated to “play through” a Jones fracture this season, which is something most players get surgery for. If he’s practicing in full this week, the play is likely just to hang on and see how this plays out. HOWEVER, don’t forget this Packers WR room is pretty deep. If Reed looks questionable or we get poor news (like he’ll be limited all season), don’t hesitate to think about dropping/flipping him for Dontayvion Wicks (calf), who also returned to limited practice last week. It’s risky and a very fluid situation, but dropping Reed for another, healthier Green Bay WR (Doubs is an option as well if available) could pay big dividends.
Elijah Arroyo | TE | SEA: I like Arroyo, but I’m not sure the situation this season is one that is going to produce a ton of meaningful fantasy weeks. He’s clearly behind AJ Barner on the depth chart, who the Seahawks value for his blocking and is a decent pass catcher himself. Any spike week this year by Orroyo might just end up being a mirage anyway. If you’re deep at TE already, he’s not someone I would hesitate dropping.
Jaydon Blue | RB | DAL: I know the Cowboys' depth chart at RB is about as thin as the meat Elaine sliced in this episode of Seinfeld, but Blue was pretty unimpressive in preseason, and I’m not sure the Cowboys will be any good at running the ball this season anyway. This is more of a preference thing, but if I’m holding a handcuff on my bench, I like the upside of backups like Ollie Gordon, Kendre Miller, and even Sean Tucker more than Blue.
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