Fantasy Football Drop Candidates Ahead Of Week 12

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard has become an afterthought, as Rico Dowdle now seems to have a stranglehold on backfield touches. Hubbard is averaging four carries and 17 yards over the past three contests. Carolina uses him mainly on passing downs now, but he rarely sees targets. It is probably best to move on from Hubbard and acquire a more utilized player.

2) T.J. Hockenson

Veteran tight end T.J. Hockenson is the third, or sometimes fourth, option in a struggling Minnesota Vikings passing offense. Over the last four contests, he has not had over three catches or 40 yards. Hockenson was able to salvage one of those performances, with a seven-yard touchdown reception against his former Detroit Lions team. Outside of that, however, the production has been minimal. Fantasy owners can probably safely let go of Hock at this juncture.

3) Matthew Golden

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden remains owned in nearly half of fantasy leagues. At this point, however, it feels like a waste of a roster spot. Golden has done next to nothing since Week Six, even in the absence of Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft.

The Packers’ first-round pick has not cleared 25 receiving yards in the last three weeks and has yet to find the end zone in his rookie campaign. That, and the fact that three of Green Bay’s next four games are against top 10 passing defenses, essentially makes dropping Golden a no-brainer.

4) All Arizona Cardinals Running Backs

Getting a gauge on who will lead the Arizona Cardinals’ backfield each week is next to impossible. With that in mind, the best course of action for fantasy owners is probably to stay away from all of them. Emari Demercado is doubtful for Week 12 with a high ankle sprain. Bam Knight is RB1 on the depth chart now, but the Cardinals may decide to give the majority of the carries to Michael Carter, as they did back in Week Five.

There are too many inconsistencies in this running back room, and with Trey Benson possibly returning soon, it will likely get more complicated. None of these backs can be trusted heading into the back end of the fantasy season.

5) Nick Chubb

After having only five carries in Week Ten against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the thought was that veteran RB Nick Chubb would see a better game script the following week. The Houston Texans fell behind 29-10 in that matchup versus Jacksonville, forcing them to abandon the run game. Week 11 would only be worse for Chubb, however, even in a tightly contested battle against the Tennessee Titans.

Chubb’s carries dipped from five to three, and it seems as though the Texans have officially handed the keys over to the rookie, Woody Marks. The eight-year veteran, who is still owned in most fantasy leagues, can safely be let go.

End Of My Fantasy Football Rant

Knowing when to release a player in fantasy football can be challenging, especially for early to mid-round picks. Keeping failing talent is detrimental to your team, though, and could ultimately lead to an owner’s downfall.

Winning a championship can come down to acquiring that key free agent, which also means cutting ties where need be. Do not allow loyalty to prevent fantasy football glory.