Cutting the Cord: Week 11

Photo: USA Today Sports

Much of fantasy football's in-season team 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 (and finite) resource. Cutting a player - or adding them to a trade - opens a roster spot for a key waiver wire addition or the flexibility to keep a currently injured player through a missed game or two. Here are the key players to cut or trade after Week 10:

*Roster Rate references data collected from myfantasyleague.com leagues*

SHALLOW FORMATS

*15-18 roster spots*

QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Why: QB10 in Roster Rate. As a trade recommendation, Lawrence has yet to show much of a ceiling through nine games this season and in his fantasy career in general. NFL success and fantasy success are not always aligned. Lawrence has zero or one touchdown in all but two games, and both of those were exactly two scores. Also, Lawrence has only one 300-yard game. The schedule has no overt matchups to exploit by strength of schedule down the stretch either, plus the Browns to close the fantasy season and the Ravens in the opening round of the playoffs for fantasy teams not earmarked for a bye week.

RB Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers

Why: RB33 in Roster Rate. Hubbard's grip on the starting role weakened in Week 10 with just 30% of routes, and Miles Sanders rose to 43% in terms of route share. This on a Carolina team destined to have a negative game script down the stretch and is just 18th in HLO (high-leverage opportunities) this season. Hubbard is a fringe starting option for fantasy lineups, but the trend line is Hubbard is not making a difference with his optimization and utilization either way as long as Sanders is healthy. Tread lightly expecting Hubbard to make a difference in the closing weeks and shifting to a clear-cut RB2 with massive upsides like Rico Dowdle, Zack Moss, Tyjae Spears, Tyler Allgeier, or Zach Charbonnet offer more 'change your season' upside.

RB Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars

Why: RB60 in Roster Rate. The assumption Bigsby is the clear RB2 and benefactor for auto-start fantasy status if Travis Etienne misses time is a shaky one for the stretch run of the season. Bigsby has sparsely played in the passing game and looked middling as a runner in a small sample size. Add in the latest data point of D'Ernest Johnson playing more snaps, running more routes, and having equal carries to Bigsby in Week 10 and this is an evolving (and important) situation in the next game or two for Jacksonville. Johnson has a profile of being a fill-in dynamo with spot starts in Cleveland, plus Bigsby has not put to rest the RB2 battle through 10 weeks, which is a common outcome for Day 2 rookie running backs.

TE Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers

Why: TE20 in Roster Rate. Everett has devolved into more of a committee than before his injury, with Donald Parham and Stone Smartt combining for 27 routes to Everett's 17 this past week. Everett's 41% route share in Week 10 is relevant for a 2TE format option more than 1TE streamer only. Everett has 18 yards over the past two weeks and has one game of more than 30 yards on the season.