Who should I drop in fantasy football? Joe Mixon, Keenan Allen and more cut candidates

Sports

add

Week 1 is a time of great hope and anticipation around the fantasy landscape. Every team is 0-0. Every fantasy manager believes they have assembled a team destined for greatness. Just hand out the trophy and give them the prize money now.

It’s not that way here at “Drops,” though. No sir. We don’t do hope and anticipation here. We sure as heck don’t do happiness. This column is all about despair. Rage. Misery.

You want a hug? Buy a Care Bear.

Here’s the thing, though. Before we get into another season of pelting me with comments that I’m mean and snarky and I hurt Kyle Pitts’ feelings — that’s rather the point of this piece. It’s supposed to be snarky.

Drops is about catharsis. About embracing the suck. Acknowledging that the player you drafted or snagged off the waiver wire isn’t working out. Taking a breath and doing that hardest of things — letting go.

And maybe having a chuckle while you do it.

To be clear, not every player listed here is an absolute must-drop in all formats, no matter what. Things like bench size and injured reserve spots obviously play a part. In all honesty, players listed here tend to go ballistic the following week, because life is a giant farce and the universe hates me.

But if you see a player listed here, it’s this writer’s opinion that he’s a roster-clogger. Some players are already hogging spots they don’t deserve before a game that counts is even played.

Rostered percentages courtesy of Yahoo

Week 1 drops

QB Aaron Rodgers, PIT (14% rostered — droppable in all leagues)

Yeah, I know, I’m coming out firing. What do you want? No quarterbacks have made me mad yet.

The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t had a losing season in forever, but they haven’t been especially relevant in a while. The hope is that Rodgers can change that in 2025. But The Athletic’s Mike Jones doubts whether that will be the case.

“Only two NFL starting quarterbacks 40 or older have won a playoff game (Tom Brady won eight, and Drew Brees one),” Jones wrote. “The Steelers need Rodgers to help mask deficiencies like an inconsistent offensive line and run game, and inconsistent wide receivers after DK Metcalf. But, a strong run game and supporting cast are must-haves for a quarterback at most every age, but especially post-40.”

With the New York Jets last year (and arguably a better offensive line and passing-game weapons), Rodgers threw for just under 3,900 yards, 28 touchdowns and was QB24 in fantasy points per game. That’s closer to Rodgers’ ceiling this year than his floor — even on just one in seven rosters, he’s on one in seven too many. Time to feed the pigeons in the park, Grandpa.

RB Joe Mixon, HOU (74% rostered — droppable in all leagues)

Mixon had a solid 2024 campaign in his first year in Houston, topping 1,300 total yards, scoring 12 touchdowns, and finishing as RB10 in PPR points per game among running backs. But Mixon has missed the entire preseason with a foot injury and will sit out at least the first four games of 2025 on the NFI list. Texans general manager Nick Caserio told reporters that the team has no idea when the 29-year-old might be ready to suit up again.

“We’ll see. We’ll take it one day at a time,” Caserio said. “We’ll evaluate those players after four weeks and see where they are in their progression and then make a determination.”

That’s GM-speak for “Not this season, kids.”

At this point, it doesn’t matter whether you can stash Mixon in an IR spot. We’re talking about a player who sat out OTAs. And minicamp. And training camp. And the preseason. Now he’s going to sit out at least the first four games of the season — and there’s no word when he might be able to practice again.

RB Brian Robinson, SF (66% rostered — droppable in all leagues)

Robinson needs one of those Care Bears. Maybe Tenderheart Bear.

Not long ago, Robinson was the lead back for the Washington Commanders — until he wasn’t. Now, Robinson finds himself in San Francisco after being traded to the 49ers for two Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts. While speaking to the media, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan talked up the team’s newest back.

“I love running backs that, I always say, can run like a true starting running back, which means as a guy that you can win the game just handing the ball off to,” Shanahan said. “And just having an opportunity to get a guy like him, who I think is a very good starting running back in this league, and to be able to pair him with Christian, I think, goes a long way.”

Oh, stop it. That much smoke will set off the sprinklers.

There is legitimately one reason at this point to roster Robinson — as a handcuff to Christian McCaffrey. Outside of that, it’s just wasting a roster spot in the hope that McCaffrey will suffer another injury. Otherwise, he won’t have enough standalone value to be startable.

WR Keenan Allen, LAC (49% rostered — droppable in shallow leagues)

Who says you can’t go home again? After a year in Chicago, Allen is back with the Bolts, where he posted six 1,000-yard seasons and five years with over 100 catches. While speaking to reporters, Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey said he’s eager to learn all he can from the 33-year-old.

“You sit in team meetings, pull up your iPad and just watch,” McConkey said. “Watching his one-on-one stuff from previous years, when he was here. I’m going to check this out, see what he’s got. He’s been doing it at a high level for a long time, so any knowledge I can get, I’m going to take it. He’s very decisive and smart. He knows how to win using leverage. He doesn’t just run past you; he can set you up at the top, stick, and he has great hands.”

This writer really doesn’t have anything that snarky to say about Allen. I interviewed him ahead of the 2013 NFL Draft and have been a fan of his ever since. But Allen flat-out wasn’t that good last year in Chicago. He wouldn’t have sat on the open market most of the offseason if he had been.

WR Adam Thielen, MIN (28% rostered — droppable in all leagues)

Noticing a theme here? It’s less about veteran wide receivers returning home and more about guys whose biggest endorsement deals are Metamucil and Old Country Buffet. Thielen took a sizable pay cut to return to the Twin Cities and told reporters he’s thrilled to be back in the purple and gold.

“Obviously, you guys know without me saying it, how much this place means to me,” Thielen said. “The state, the city, this organization, [ownership], coaches, players. I couldn’t be more excited, and there’s nothing I could say to tell you how excited I am to be back home in my family.”

Thielen was actually sneaky-decent two years ago in Carolina, topping 1,000 yards and finishing WR18 in PPR points. However, Thielen is also a 35-year-old wideout with no rapport with J.J. McCarthy, and he’ll be Minnesota’s No. 4 option in the passing game when Jordan Addison returns in Week 4.

TE Chig Okonkwo, TEN (31% rostered — droppable in all leagues)

Want to know how incredibly “blah” the tight end position is in fantasy once you get outside the top 15? Three in 10 fantasy managers have talked themselves into believing that Okonkwo will finally be a thing in 2025. But as Buck Reising wrote for A To Z Sports, while Okonkwo occasionally flashed, most of the time, it was full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

“Okonkwo’s best attribute as a pro thus far has been durability,” he said. “He has appeared in every possible game (51) with 30 starts since being selected by Tennessee as a 2022 fourth-round pick. Statistically, Okonkwo has the sixth-most receiving yards among tight ends in the “Titans Era” (1,457). The actual impact of those yards is fair to question versus the amount of stats accumulated while Tennessee trails in games.”

Over three pro seasons, Okonkwo has never had 550 receiving yards. His yards per reception have dropped every year. He has scored six touchdowns in three years. And he has never been a top-20 fantasy option at his position. He should not have a higher rostered percentage than Mason Taylor of the New York Jets and Brenton Strange of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on X at @IDPGodfather.

(Photo of Joe Mixon: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

Yankees’ sudoku: Judge has no return date and Stanton is back in left field for the first time since 2023

Aaron Boone - English

Next

trending_flat

Chiefs have an “energy guy” who may be just as important as Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce

Brashard Smith - English