Much of fantasy football in-season owner strategy centers around which players to pick up from the waiver wire or to target in the trade market. However, roster spots are a premium resource. Cutting a player - or adding them to a trade - opens a roster spot for a key waiver wire addition or flexibility to keep a currently injured player through a missed game or two. Here are the key players to cut or trade after Week 5:
SHALLOW FORMATS
*15-18 roster spots*
Why: Drake is near-universally rostered on myfantasyleague.com fantasy teams heading into Week 6. However, Drake is largely being outplayed by Chase Edmonds on a weekly basis and Drake's workload consists of empty carries, needing a rogue touchdown, for even a decent fantasy day. Drake has six receptions in five games with a season-high of 14 PPR points and has flopped even in juicy matchups against the Lions and Panthers in recent weeks.
Why: Cam Akers is back and was eased into the rotation in Week 5. However, Brown is now behind both Akers and Darrell Henderson, needing multiple injuries to be a predictable fantasy starter in an upcoming week. While Brown is a decent hold in deep leagues, in shallow or moderate leagues Brown can be observed from the waiver wire.
Why: Hilton has been a shell of his former self this season to parallel his eroding quarterback Philip Rivers in Indianapolis. Hilton is the WR1 for the Colts, but on a running back-centric offense without big-play ability through the air. Hilton's role has turned into a short-to-intermediate game, and he has yet to find the end zone and on pace for around 100 targets.
Why: Higbee a single game of more than 40 yards this season, back in Week 2, plus Gerald Everett is back and healthy amidst the tight end rotation for the Rams. Higbee and Everett have formed a frustrating and even committee, seeing eight and seven targets respectively over the past three games. Such volume puts them on the 2TE format lineup spectrum more than anything of the start-1 variety until missed time by one fuels the other's prospects.
MEDIUM DEPTH
*18-22 roster spots*
Why: By the week, Rivers' eroding arm strength and already minimal movement capacity rear its head. The Colts are a defense and run game DNA team and Rivers' passing upside is even questionable for superflex formats. Rivers has thrown for 250 yards in a game just once this season, has yet to throw multiple touchdowns in a game, and Parris Campbell and Michael Pittman are both out with injuries. The offense lacks a vertical dimension and Rivers, at his matchup best, is a low-end QB2 for lineup decisions.
Why: Dallas' defense has been lit up this season and Daniel Jones could not shake out of his funk in Week 5 even against the Cowboys. Jones has not thrown a touchdown since Week 1, bound to change, but glaring nonetheless. Pocket pressure and the Giants shaky-at-best offensive line are landmines surrounding Jones to produce a quality passing stat line any given week. Their best receiving weapon, Evan Engram, is stuck too often pass blocking or chips due to pass protection issues. Jones has eight turnovers and two touchdowns on the season, yet is still on 69% of rosters. Outside of deep or premium formats, it is time to churn the roster spot.
Why: Freeman was a quality hold with Phillip Lindsay out in recent weeks, but Denver's game was rescheduled from Week 5 and Lindsay was ready to return from injury anyway. Freeman is one of the better third options in NFL backfields, but those types are reserved for deeper formats. Freeman's lone glimmer of promise in 2020 is multiple injuries in front of him in Denver or being a trade candidate for another team.
Why: Gage came up small again in Week 5 with 2-16-0 on five targets, this without Julio Jones in the lineup. Gage was a Week 1 wonder but has been invisible the past three weeks as Olamide Zaccheaus has out-targeted Gage 13 to 8. With Jones back soon, Gage is at best a WR3/4 type for his NFL team and his status on 73% of fantasy rosters are overblown as a result.
DEEP FORMATS
*25+ roster spots, more dynasty-focused*
Why: Bonnafon was the primary backup to Mike Davis in Carolina for two weeks, but Bonnafon suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 4 and heads to injured reserve. Christian McCaffrey should be back long before Bonnafon and Mike Davis would be ahead of Bonnafon on the depth chart as well. Bonnafon has minimal appeal to hold into the offseason and without an optimal depth chart remaining in 2020, he can be churned for better options.
Why: Hasty saw a cameo appearance for his debut back in Week 3, but the 49ers running backs are healthier now with Raheem Mostert back and Jerick McKinnon and Jeffrey Wilson also ahead of Hasty on the depth chart. Add in the quarterback and overall offensive questions for the 49ers and Hasty is reserved for 35+ man rosters at present being at least two injuries away from warranting a fantasy roster spot.
Why: The former Round 2 selection was slated to start in Week 5 for the Eagles' depleted wide receiver corps. The result was a mere one target, however, as newly-added Travis Fulgham stole the show with 13 targets. John Hightower and Greg Ward also saw more looks from Carson Wentz. With DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, and Jalen Reagor all ahead of Arcega-Whiteside when they return to the lineup, Arcega-Whiteside is not an optimized roster spot in all but the deepest of formats.
Why: Despite being the earmarked starting tight end in Arizona, Arnold is sixth on the team in targets on the season and has yet to see more than four looks in any game. Arnold is a flimsy streamer and in deeper leagues there is more upside from some of the optimal backup tight ends who could benefit from an injury (see: Blake Bell, Deon Yelder, etc).