Fantasy Football: Players to consider dropping for your Week 12 waiver wire pickups
By Jennifer Eakins, 4for4
Special to Yahoo Sports
Here is this week’s list of players possibly weighing down your respective fantasy football rosters as we head down the stretch. If you’re looking for some players to add this week or to stash for future use, we also have you covered there.
Gabe Davis, WR, Bills (88% rostered on Yahoo)
If a Hall of Fame existed for boom-bust players, Gabe Davis would be a first-ballot nominee. He’s seen anywhere from zero to 12 targets per contest this season and sits as the WR45 in half-PPR points per game through the first 11 weeks. He’s finished as a WR1 twice, a WR2 twice, a WR3 twice, and a WR6 or worse five times so far in 2023.
There are 88% of Yahoo managers wrestling with whether to start Davis from week to week and it may alleviate some mental anguish to let him go. New Bills OC Joe Brady seemed to favor a more run-heavy approach last week with 12 more rushing attempts than in Week 10 and 22 more carries than Week 9’s game script, making it even harder for Josh Allen to feed multiple pass catchers. It also appears Khalil Shakir has pulled ahead of Davis in the WR2 department. If you want to hang on for their Week 12 matchup against a soft Philly secondary go for it, but the Bills have a Week 13 bye, then face the Chiefs and Cowboys in very important fantasy weeks. This is a drop that most likely won’t make, but if you’re fighting for a playoff spot, you may need a WR with a higher chance to actually show up.
Jakobi Meyers, WR, Raiders (82% rostered)
This drop may not be for everyone as well, but Jakobi Meyers may be the only negative part of the Raiders' departure from Josh McDaniels and Jimmy Garroppolo. He’s averaging just four targets per tilt with Aidan O'Connell under center and is the WR43 in half-PPR scoring on a per-game basis in that same time frame.
With a stout Chiefs secondary on tap and zero teams off this week, Meyers likely won’t crack your starting lineup, and then he’s on a bye in Week 13. It’s understandable to want to hang on after his solid start to 2023, but it’s almost win-or-go-home time and with O'Connell at the helm, Meyers isn’t going to be a difference-maker.
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Chuba Hubbard, RB, Panthers (63% rostered)
Pain has been the theme for the Carolina Panthers in both real and fake football this season with the exception of Adam Thielen. They’ve lost all but one contest in 2023 and the only fantasy-relevant player in their offense is a 33-year-old WR who is somehow managing to put up WR14 numbers in half-PPR scoring per contest.
Miles Sanders made this column back in Week 9 and now it’s teammate Chuba Hubbard’s time. The two are splitting carries nearly 50/50 and the Panthers are 29th in the NFL in rushing attempts (23.5 per game) and 29th in rushing yards (92.3). Free yourself of the pain, while you still can.
Tyler Boyd, WR, Bengals (70% rostered)
I actually wrestled between Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins for this column this week, which is something I never saw coming heading into this season. After we’re all done shower-crying over the loss of Joe Burrow for 2023, we need to come to grips with the fact that this offense won’t be the same moving forward. Tee Higgins has a shot at returning in Week 12, leaving Boyd as the odd man out in an offense that may not support more than one WR.
Boyd’s season has been relatively quiet outside of one WR12 performance in Week 10. With Higgins out again last week, the 29-year-old had just three receptions for 22 yards, which was the third time he’s had just three catches over the last four contests. Higgins is likely droppable, too, in the Bengals' Burrow-less offense, but if he can get back this week and remain healthy, he could be serviceable down the stretch.
Also droppable: Rams RB Darrell Henderson, Chargers WR Quentin Johnston, Ravens RB Justice Hill
Injury drops and situations to monitor
Joe Burrow - Drop
Mark Andrews - IR candidate (would be out until Week 16) but monitor for updates before making a call
Aaron Jones - IR candidate (would be out until Week 16) but monitor for updates before making a call
On Thin Ice
Diontae Johnson, WR, Steelers
Marquise Brown, WR, Cardinals
George Pickens, WR, Steelers
This article was originally published on 4for4.com
More from 4for4.com: 12 stash candidates ahead of Week 12
A proud alumna of the UGA Grady College of Journalism, Jennifer Eakins has been working in the sports industry for well over a decade. She has had stints with CNN Sports, the Atlanta Hawks and the Colorado Rockies. Her first fantasy football draft took place in 1996 where she selected Ricky Watters with the first overall pick, and she has been a fantasy degenerate ever since.
