Well, that was a week.
It wasn’t the case in every game, but there was some ugly football played in Week 1 across the NFL. You can blame the fact that so many starters (especially stars) don’t play at all in the preseason. Or you can blame the fact that some teams are just bad. But there were plenty of statistical eggs laid over the weekend that had fantasy managers muttering words I can’t type here.
For folks who were forced to endure the efforts of the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans on Sunday, all this writer can say is that I hope you didn’t get alcohol poisoning… by squirting rubbing alcohol into your eyes to just make it stop.
Seriously, Kyler Murray. Marvin Harrison Jr. gets one lousy catch for four lousy yards in his NFL debut? What the what?
However, while quite a few fantasy managers are not happy campers right now, it’s vitally important that you don’t overreact. Panic drops after one loss are a great way to make a bad situation worse. You think watching a guy you drafted carry the ball nine times for 12 yards is frustrating? Try watching that same player gain 159 yards on 29 carries with two touchdowns a month later… for your opponent.
Early-season drops are a tightrope walk — knowing the difference between a slow start and a guy whose fantasy prospects just aren’t what we thought they would be. And the following players deserve a shove right off that rope and into the waiver abyss.
Rostered percentages courtesy of Yahoo!
WEEK 2 DROPS
Deshaun Watson, QB, CLE (33% rostered — droppable in all leagues)
In news that should surprise exactly no one, Watson was hot garbage (again) in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. Granted, his offensive line did him no favors, and Watson didn’t make excuses about his 169-yard, two interception performance with a passer rating that barely broke 50 while speaking to reporters after the 33-17 loss.
“We’re not the type of people that make excuses,” Watson said. “So, some people can say that can contribute to a lot – my injury, guys missing time. But at the end of the day, once you’re on the field, you gotta perform. You gotta execute. We didn’t do that, overall. And yeah, it showed.”
Let’s just get real. The only reason that Watson (and not Jameis Winston) is the starting quarterback for the Browns is that Cleveland sold their souls to trade for him and then handed him a $230 million fully guaranteed contract. Sunday marked Watson’s 13th start for the Browns (over two-plus years, because Cleveland), and he has looked like the star who played for the Houston Texans in 2020 in exactly none of them. He’s not Daniel Jones bad. But he’s not that far off, and you can do better on most waiver wires.
Blake Corum, RB, LAR (66% — droppable in shallow leagues)
Given the amount of hype that has surrounded Corum going all the way back to his standout 2023 season at Michigan and extending through his first the summer with the Rams, it was more than a little surprising that he didn’t play a single offensive snap Sunday night against the Lions. Corum told reporters after the game that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help the Rams win.
“For me, it’s just day to day, man,” Corum said. “Day to day, continue to get better, be patient, and understand my time’s going to come. But other than that, help my teammates anywhere I can — on the field, at practice, on special teams. Whatever the team needs me to do, I’m here to do it. So, just work day to day and keep going.”
That attitude is admirable and, given Kyren Williams’ injury history, fantasy managers who drafted Corum as injury insurance in deeper leagues should probably hold for now. But it’s not just that Ronnie Rivers served as the Rams’ No. 2 back against the Lions. Or that Corum didn’t have any touches. It’s that HE DID NOT PLAY A SNAP. Kinda hard to score fantasy points that way.
Chuba Hubbard, RB, CAR (63% – droppable in all leagues)
There was optimism entering the season that after a 2-15 debacle last year, the Carolina Panthers would show improvement in 2024. And despite rookie running back Jonathon Brooks opening the season on the non-football injury list, Panthers head coach Dave Canales expressed confidence last week that Hubbard and Miles Sanders could carry the load on the ground early in the season.
“(Miles) looked fantastic,” Canales told reporters. “He came into camp with this focus and this seriousness about the way he’s worked. He’s really emerging as a leader. Chuba has as well. It’s really one of the featured rooms on our team in terms of the character of what we’re looking for. They’re available, work hard, and set the tone for what we’re doing. I’m really pleased with that group as a whole.”
The only thing that was fantastic for the Panthers in Week 1 was that the game ended — Carolina was plastered 47-10 by the New Orleans Saints in a matchup where Sanders and Hubbard combined to rush for 36 yards on 11 carries. The Panthers are terrible. The backfield is a committee. And Brooks will return at some point. Do yourself a favor and purge all Panthers from your fantasy roster before they infect your team with their suck.
Curtis Samuel, WR, BUF (54% — droppable in all leagues)
There was more than a little uncertainty surrounding the Buffalo wide receiver corps entering the 2024 season after the departure of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. But as the Bills prepared to face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, free-agent addition Curtis Samuel told Dom Kibbets of WKBW-TV that he expected Buffalo’s new-look pass-catchers to surprise some people.
“You know going into this year I feel like teams don’t even know what we’re going to do, and I feel like that’s a great thing. We have so many weapons and so many different guys that can do a lot of different things. I feel like that makes us scary,” Samuel said.
Well, Bills quarterback Josh Allen had a huge Week 1 with four total touchdowns, but Samuel was a non-factor in the victory over Arizona — he was targeted just twice and had 15 receiving yards. Yes, Samuel battled turf toe in camp, but he appears to be the No. 4 option in the passing game behind wideouts Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid. A gadget player who gets two looks a week isn’t winning many fantasy leagues.
Luke Musgrave, TE, GB (55% — droppable in all leagues)
Musgrave was one of a handful of “maybe” tight ends who were drafted either just inside or just outside the top 12 at the position this summer. The hope was that the youngster could build on the modest success he had in the 2023 postseason and become a viable low-end fantasy TE1. Instead, as Justis Mosqueda wrote for Acme Packing Company, what we saw last week in Brazil is a player who isn’t even the TE1 for his own team.
“In the first three quarters versus the Eagles, (Tucker) Kraft received at least twice as many offensive snaps per quarter as Musgrave,” he said. “In the fourth quarter, those numbers widened, as Kraft played 13 snaps to Musgrave’s 0. In fact, Musgrave played just one offensive snap after quarterback Jordan Love threw an interception on a play that Musgrave was targeted on with 6:15 left in the third quarter. Meanwhile, Kraft played another 21 offensive snaps to end the game. In the second half, Kraft played 31 offensive snaps to Musgrave’s 5.”
That alone is enough to get Musgrave shown the door in fantasy leagues. But in addition, Packers quarterback Jordan Love is out indefinitely with a knee injury, leaving Malik “His Next Accurate Pass Will Be the First” Willis as Green Bay’s current starter. Combine those two factors together, and Musgrave has no business being rostered — anywhere.
Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on X at @IDPSharks
(Top photo of Blake Corum: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports)
