Players To Drop In Week 15 Fantasy Football: Say Goodbye To Isiah Pacheco and DJ Moore

You know that Key & Peele gif? Well, this is exactly what you have been waiting for: Week 15, the fantasy football playoffs. It’s time to drop the players who aren't providing you any fantasy ceiling and pick up that player that few are considering, but whose fantasy schedule is looking quite tasty (um, just mixed up my metaphors again, but you know what I mean).

So let’s get to it. These are the fantasy players you were holding onto “just in case,” but they are now the players to drop in Week 15. They don’t deserve to ride your coattails to the fantasy football winners' podium.

Fantasy Football Players to Drop Week 15

Kirk Cousins, QB, ATL

Admit it, if you've been holding out hope, this was a desperation hold. You believed that anyone making that amount of money could not possibly be bad enough to tank their team, Bijan Robinson’s fantasy value and your team simultaneously. But here we are.

I get it, the Seattle Seahawks defense is quite formidable. The Falcons scored nine points against them (at home) this week. Cousins passed for 162 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. He finished with a passer rating of 38.5.

Last week against the New York Jets defense (a defense that managed to dispel the "Tua Tagovailoa can’t play in the cold" narrative, after his record was 0-4 when the temperature was 40 or below! But I digress), Cousins threw for 234 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Not bad, except the Falcons managed to lose the game.

Anyway, the Falcons’ remaining schedule includes the reeling Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night (oof, Cousins on a short week), the Arizona Cardinals, and, for the fantasy football championship, the Los Angeles Rams! No, thank you.

Better options for fantasy from ATL: Kyle Pitts, who appears to be Cousins' main man. Week 14 saw Pitts lead the team with 10 targets and six receptions for 90 yards. In Week 13, he led the team with seven targets and seven receptions for 82 yards, and in Week 12, led with five targets for two receptions and 25 yards. Pitts is trending up.

But if we are doing the ‘traditional’ better option ... Marcus Mariota, 8% rostered.

Christian Kirk, WR, HOU

Kirk is a returning member to this list, but some of y’all are stubborn. So let’s just bottom line this. The Houston Texans just beat the Kansas City Chiefs 20-10 in prime time at Arrowhead Stadium. In a game where quarterback C.J. Stroud attempted 31 passes and only completed 15 of them, Kirk shared the same target count as running back Woody Marks (three). Marks, however, was able to reel in two receptions and a receiving touchdown. Kirk had one reception and six yards, giving him a grand total of 204 yards for the season!

I am perfectly okay with Kirk riding the Texans’ defense coattails to playoff land. What is baffling it is as if we are living in Mirror, Mirror land, where somehow we have ended up with the ‘bad’ Kirk while the ‘good’ Kirk languishes in a parallel universe. Don’t be fooled, transport yourself out of it now.

Better options for fantasy from HOU: Houston Texans defense, or if you are IDP-minded, defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins.

But when we do the ‘traditional’ option, listen to Kendall Valenzuela and get Ryan Flournoy, 1% rostered.

Isiah Pacheco, RB, KC

Pacheco has returned from a brutal, fractured fibula injury. He made a splash, but not the kind that is winning you any fantasy points. He was a smart and decent hold, but it appears that the strategy of the Chiefs, and thus your plan, may be changing. With the loss on Sunday night, the Chiefs, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, have a 15% chance of making the playoffs. It’s not nothing, but it definitely would signal that it might be time for the Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce power hour.

And it’s worth mentioning that the path for the Chiefs to get to playoff land goes through the Los Angeles Chargers, whose defense is 13th against the run and has only allowed an average of 98.7 rushing yards in their last three games, and the Tennessee Titans, who are 18th against the run while only allowing 81.7 rushing yards in their last three games.

Better options for fantasy from KC: Kareem Hunt, who will get the goal-line touchdowns. Has eight touchdowns this season with a 7.1% touchdown rate.

Sean Tucker, RB, TB

Bucky Irving is back. And speaking of quarterbacks who need to go into the Superman mode, hello Baker Mayfield. The Buccaneers are currently tied with the Carolina Panthers for first place in the NFC South.

The band is about to be back together as we are eying the return of Mike Evans and Tristan Wirfs. And all this would signal some fantasy value to Tucker if he were a passing back. But Tucker has a 2.6% target share, a 10.3% route participation and 0.77 yards per route run (compared to Irving, who has a 13.3% target share, a 51.4% route participation and 2.34 yards per route run).

Tucker was a good placeholder when Irving was out, and when the Buccaneers appeared to have the NFC South locked up. Now Irving is back, and the Buccaneers are in a fight with the Panthers for first place in the NFC South (feel like that cannot be said enough).

Tucker appears to be that afterthought that will languish behind Iriving and Rachaad White (who out-carried Tucker 11-7). It’s time to let him go.

Better options for fantasy: Blake Corum (33% rostered), Jaylen Wright (3% rostered)

DJ Moore, WR, CHI

Moore is also making a return to this list, but this time it is a cautionary tale. You will be tempted to pick him up for the fantasy playoff run with the news that Rome Odunze is out. Do not do it. With Odunze out this week, Moore had negative four yards on three targets and one reception. NEGATIVE FOUR YARDS … it’s a thing.

This is not the time to bow to the temptation of what looks like a good thing. Do you know what would be a good thing, Luther Burden?

Better options for fantasy: Luther Burden

Mr. Right Versus Mr. Right Now

As this is the final article for this topic, there is no player to watch. You got this far, you know what to do and who deserves your attention. Do not waste your time on those who aren’t worthy.

And I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time out of your day to read these articles. I sincerely appreciate you. I want you all to know that you have been my Mr/Ms Right Now every week. Thank you.

Good luck and play nice.