This is my last article of the 2021 NFL season, as most fantasy leagues are going to be having their Fantasy Championship Game this week and there will be no need to make any roster decisions after that game. This has probably been one of the crazier fantasy playoffs in recent memory with a wave of COVID-19 cases combined with the normal injuries that happen in an NFL season making it a wild ride in the fantasy playoffs. Players like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Isaiah McKenzie, Justin Jackson, and Rex Burkhead became stars of the fantasy playoffs.
I would expect more of the unexpected in Week 17, COVID-19 is not going anywhere and teams are just trying to escape the regular season with a roster intact that can either compete in the 2021 NFL postseason or can wait to fight in 2022. There are a lot of unheralded players that are going to continue to have a say in which fantasy managers will bring home the gold in 2021 and which teams will have to settle for second place.
Thank you for checking out my article every week to find players that were worth cutting in fantasy football. I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year and I hope everyone that is playing in the final fantasy game of the season has a great week. I do not think this was the season anyone imagined having, but it was an entertaining season none the less and there still is a lot of great football left in the NFL season before the NFL crowns a Super Bowl champion.
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12- and 14-Team Leagues
Myles Gaskin (RB – MIA)
Gaskin has been wildly inconsistent the entire year, but he has settled into a diminished role in recent weeks with six, five, and two fantasy points over his last three games. The big problem for him on Monday Night Football was that both Duke Johnson and Phillip Lindsay took away touches. Johnson led the backfield with 13 carries for 39 yards, Lindsay was close behind with 13 carries for 36 yards, and that left Gaskin with just three carries for 10 yards. He did add three targets, one reception, and six yards, but four touches is an incredibly low floor for a fantasy running back.
It looks like the Dolphins coaching staff has settled in on Johnson and Lindsay splitting early down work and Gaskin being used in a third-down passing situation role. They are playing a Tennessee Titans team that is third against fantasy running backs this year and has allowed only one receiving touchdown to a running back. I do not see a path to fantasy relevance for him, I think he can safely be dropped for the final week of the fantasy playoffs.
Miami Dolphins Running Back Production – Week 13, 15, and 16
David Johnson (RB - HOU)
Not only was Johnson on the COVID-19 list this week, but he watched Rex Burkhead record 22 carries for 149 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns. I cannot see them going back to an even timeshare with Johnson after this game, Burkhead is going to start as the lead back against the San Francisco 49ers. Johnson has too low of a floor to trust in the fantasy playoffs and he can safely be put on the waiver wire.
Zack Moss (RB - BUF)
Moss was active this week and he saw three carries for 12 yards. Devin Singletary still saw the bulk of the work with 12 carries for 37 yards and one rushing touchdown. I have written about Moss several times this season, he is still rostered in 36 percent of Yahoo.com leagues. If he is on your roster heading into the last game of the playoffs, I would look for better options.
Alex Collins (RB - SEA)
Collins was a healthy scratch this week, but he also was only four days removed from the COVID-19 list. His biggest obstacle to playing time at the moment is Rashaad Penny. Penny had 137 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns against the Houston Texans in Week 14 and followed that up with 135 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown in Week 16 against the Chicago Bears. Even if Collins is active this week, there is not a good path for him to see meaningful work. He can safely be dropped for the final week of the fantasy season.
A.J. Green (WR - ARI)
Green had just three targets, one reception, and 33 yards receiving this week. That was with both DeAndre Hopkins and Rondale Moore out of the lineup. This Cardinals offense has been in a tailspin in recent weeks. An offense that was once among the best in the league has scored only 51 points in their last three games, which have all been losses.
They have tallied 294 net passing yards per game in those three games, so the problem is not a lack of passing attempts. The problem is that Christian Kirk, Zach Ertz, and Chase Edmonds are dominating the targets and Green is not seeing much. In this latest loss to the Indianapolis Colts, those three combined for 31 of the 43 targets by Kyler Murray. I would not trust Green in a matchup against a Dallas D that is fourth against fantasy wide receivers over the last three games. Green has an incredibly low fantasy floor on a struggling offense as the fourth target.
Courtland Sutton (WR - DEN)
Sutton has just 21.1 fantasy points over his last seven games, making him the 108th ranked fantasy wide receiver since Week 8. It is staggering to me that he is rostered in 69 percent of Yahoo.com leagues and 67.8 percent of ESPN.com leagues with sustained awful production over the last two months. Despite his talent, he is not worth rostering in fantasy leagues playing on an offense that struggles to throw the ball most weeks.
Kenny Golladay (WR - NYG)
Golladay had one of the biggest paydays in the NFL offseason, but it has been a horrible experience for him in New York with a quarterback situation that was bad when Daniel Jones was healthy and is horrific since he was shut down and the combination of Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm has taken over at quarterback. In his last six games, Golladay has tallied 26.4 fantasy points, which makes him the 67th ranked fantasy wide receiver since Week 11. He has not found the end zone this year, has little chance of doing so with his current quarterback situation, and he has less than 25 yards receiving in three of his last six games. He should not be rostered in fantasy football.
Julio Jones (WR - TEN)
Jones was a surprise active last week and he did not do much to show he should have been active with one target, one reception, and seven yards receiving. He has now made his way to the COVID-19 list and it is not certain if he will be able to play this Sunday. Even if he does play, the Dolphins are the best fantasy wide receiver defense in the NFL over the last five weeks. There is not much upside to rostering Jones and hoping that he can play in that matchup.
Ryan Tannehill (QB - TEN)
Tannehill is the 23rd ranked fantasy quarterback since Week 11, averaging just 12.87 fantasy points per game in those five starts. A.J. Brown returning to the lineup was a welcome development, he had 16 targets, 11 receptions, and 145 yards. That did not help Tannehill, he still had only 14.56 fantasy points. I would not trust him in Week 17 against a Dolphins D that is first against fantasy quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers over the last five weeks. It is a brutal matchup for a quarterback that is not playing very well.
Jimmy Garoppolo (QB - SF)
Adam Schefter is reporting that Jimmy Garoppolo has a torn UCL and a fractured bone in his right thumb. That is going to make it very difficult for him to throw the ball. The 49ers may not put him on injured reserve this week as he goes through tests and they can see whether he can play through this injury. My best guess is that he is going to at least miss this week as the 49ers take advantage of the opportunity to play Trey Lance against the Houston Texans and see what they have at backup quarterback heading into the playoffs.
Even if Jimmy G is somehow cleared to play, are you going to want to play a streaming quarterback with a broken thumb on his throwing hand? The chances of him playing poorly and being replaced for ineffective play would be sky-high. I think it is safe to waive Garoppolo for the final week of the fantasy playoffs and look for a streaming quarterback with a healthy thumb.
Jared Cook (TE - LAC)
Let's look at what Cook had going for him on Sunday. Donald Parham did not play on Sunday, so he did not have to share targets with his backup. Mike Williams and Jalen Guyton were both out of the game, so the Chargers were shorthanded at wide receiver. Austin Ekeler was out of the game, so they were down a big red zone threat. Finally, the Texans are 24th against fantasy tight ends this year. That is a recipe for a monster day from Cook trying to fill the void for all those inactive players.
Cook had four targets, three receptions, and 44 yards in a game that they lost 41-29. If he cannot put up a big day in that situation, why are you going to trust him against a Broncos D that is fourth against fantasy tight ends this season? I do not see the upside to rostering Cook and streaming him this week in that matchup.
Austin Hooper (TE - ATL)
Hooper continues to put up mediocre numbers, in large part due to a three-tight end rotation. Hooper, Harrison Bryant, and David Njoku combined for eight targets, four receptions, 27 yards, and one touchdown. That is not great, but many fantasy managers would take that from their fantasy tight end. The problem is that Hooper had three of those receptions for 26 yards and Harrison had the touchdown. Nobody individually sees enough targets to warrant fantasy consideration. The Steelers are seventh against fantasy tight ends and they held Hooper to four receptions for 26 yards the last time they faced him. He is not a streaming option this week.
Shallow Leagues
Kirk Cousins (QB - MN)
I am throwing out some bigger unconventional names in this section because there is only one week left in the fantasy playoffs and you do not need to worry about someone in the league picking up players you waived to beat your team. If your league plays a playoff game in Week 18 or if you are in a keeper or dynasty league, this advice does not apply. You also need to look at the opponent you are playing this week, if that opponent has a horrible quarterback situation, you do not want to release Cousins. Cutting players is not meant to help your opponent beat you and Cousins is a good player that could have a good week this week.
Here is my logic on waiving Cousins if your opponent has a strong fantasy quarterback. He is terrible in prime-time games with a record of just 10-17. He averages only 272.7 passing yards per game and 1.81 touchdowns per game in primetime games. Furthermore, this game is going to be on the road at Green Bay. There is a cold front going through Green Bay this week and Sunday the high is supposed to be 12 degrees. It likely will be much colder than that by the time this game kicks off at night.
Cousins has played in three prime-time games this year. His fantasy point totals were 13 points at home against Dallas, 16 points at home against Pittsburgh, and 11 points on the road at Chicago. He does not play well in primetime and when the weather was not ideal in Chicago in primetime, he had only 87 yards passing at Chicago on a Monday Night Football game two weeks ago. If I had a choice, I would roll with Trey Lance at home against Houston and hope for the best rather than play Cousins with that resume in prime-time games. I would not stream Cousins and if I would not stream him, there is no need to roster him, unless my opponent has a quarterback option worse than Cousins.
Kareem Hunt (RB - CLE)
I am not even sure he is going to be able to play this week and if he does, Hunt has nine carries and three targets in the two games he has played since Week 6. This is a player that has had ankle issues and was on the COVID-19 list. The only upside to this week is he plays a Steelers team that is 28th against fantasy running backs.
Again, you need to look at your opponent's roster and the waiver wire and make sure you are not throwing your fantasy opponent a lifeline. I do not think you will be considering his recent performances, the injury questions to Hunt, the health of Nick Chubb, and the fact that D'Ernest Johnson gives them another solid running back in the backfield. Hunt should not be in fantasy lineups this week, which means that he can be on the waiver wire if you are in a pinch to fill another position and it doe snot look like your opponent can make use of him.
Terry McLaurin (WR - WAS)
McLaurin has not broken double-digit fantasy points in the last five games and other than the 19 fantasy points he had in Week 11 at Carolina, he has not been in double digits in seven of his last eight games. He is the 68th ranked fantasy wide receiver over his last five games with 22.4 fantasy points. Kalif Raymond has more fantasy points in that time with 24.7 fantasy points in the same number of games.
McLarin also faces an Eagles D that has allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this year. McLaurin is a terrific talent, but he is sabotaged by a bad quarterback situation and the team has been a mess the last couple of weeks dealing with COVID-19. They were wiped out on Sunday Night Football by the Dallas Cowboys 56-14, putting them on the brink of playoff elimination. He could not even break double-digit fantasy points in a blowout loss like that with them trailing the entire game. I do not see the upside of playing him and I think he is a player that most fantasy managers are not going to want to play this week. I think you can stay clear of him in the final week of the season.
Mike Gesicki (TE - MIA)
I have the same message here, check your opponent's fantasy roster. Tight end is not an important position, it is entirely possible that your opponent has been streaming tight ends all year and you do not want to give him or her an upgrade in the final week of the season. However, if your opponent has someone like Travis Kelce or George Kittle, or Mark Andrews, they are not going to claim Gesicki off waivers.
In this seven-game winning streak that the Miami Dolphins are on, Gesicki has averaged only 5.2 fantasy points per game and the Dolphins face a Titans D on the road that is fifth against fantasy tight ends this year. I think Foster Moreau would be a much better option this week for a fantasy manager looking to stream a fantasy tight end. Darren Waller looks like he is still a long shot to play this week and the Colts are 30th against fantasy tight ends this year. He is rostered in only 22 percent of Yahoo.com leagues, meaning he is likely available and has more upside than Gesicki this week.
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Derek Lofland is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Derek, check out his archive and follow him @DerekLofland