Players To Cut In Dynasty Fantasy Football: Zach Ertz & The Most Dropped Players On Sleeper
Sam Wallace highlights the five most dropped players on Sleeper fantasy in dynasty leagues and examines what to do with each of the players ahead of 2026.
As dynasty rookie mock drafts continue to fly, players are being dropped across Sleeper dynasty leagues to make room for the incoming class of rookies on rosters. Below are the top five cuts over the last week on Sleeper. Let's examine whether they're actually worth dropping or if you should hang on a bit longer.
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Dynasty Fantasy Football Players To Cut - The Most Dropped On Sleeper
Zach Ertz | TE | FA
A 13-year veteran of the NFL, Zach Ertz (knee) is determined to play for (at least) another season despite both being unsigned as of this writing and rehabbing from a torn ACL that he suffered in Week 14 of last season.
The league does seem to be adapting its offensive approach. With more teams switching to a Cover 2 defense in an effort to prevent big plays and keep everything in front, teams are implementing more multi-TE sets.
Take the Rams, for example. They have veterans Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson and have drafted rookie TEs in the second round in each of the last two drafts. Then there's the Steelers, who have Pat Freiermuth but just signed Darnell Washington to a four-year, $42 million extension.
What I'm saying is there's still hope for someone like Ertz to carve out a viable role for both real football and fantasy football. He likely doesn't offer the week-winning upside we grew accustomed to in the past, but he's the ideal trade target for a competing roster looking to shore up the back of its bench. He's a virtually free asset, so managers should have no problem asking for him as a throw-in to get a deal done.
Devin Singletary | RB | NYG
Despite playing for three teams over the last four seasons, Devin Singletary has remained remarkably durable and productive. Aside from team-hopping over the back half of his career, the only real concern has been his steady drop in consistency. He topped 5.0 yards per carry as a rookie back in 2019, ran off four straight years of 4.0+ yards per carry, and is now on the heels of consecutive seasons where he's been in the high 3s in terms of yards per carry.
Now, as he gets set to embark on Year 3 with the Giants, Singletary is likely going to find himself No. 3 on the depth chart behind both Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy. As another credit to Singletary, he's done well whenever he's been tasked with taking on a larger role if a starter goes down, but too many things have to break his way to become fantasy relevant this season.
I'm fine dropping Singletary to waivers if there are better, more intriguing options available either on your waiver wire or in your upcoming rookie draft.
Brashard Smith | RB | KC
This one stings a bit as I was unnaturally optimistic about Brashard Smith during his rookie campaign. A seventh-round pick, Smith appeared in all 17 games yet only tallied 44 rushing attempts and only averaged 3.4 yards per carry. He did haul in 25 receptions on 35 targets and scored his lone TD in Week 17.
However, the Chiefs made one of the biggest free agent signings when they inked Kenneth Walker (Super Bowl Champion & Super Bowl MVP) to a new contract. They also spent a fifth-round pick on Emmett Johnson, one of the top receiving RBs in this class. Finally, they signed Emari Demercado in free agency as another depth piece. Speaking of Demercado, he's been wildly efficient during his three years with the Cardinals, albeit on a smaller sample size.
That leaves little room for Smith to rise the depth chart and compete for a meaningful role this season. While it might pain me to say it, Smith is someone you can afford to drop at this time unless he's still on your taxi squad and you've got space to spare.
Calvin Austin | WR | NYG
During his time with the Steelers, Calvin Austin was a much better asset to have in best ball formats than he was in any other fantasy football format. He's a big play waiting to happen, as demonstrated by his four top-15 weeks across his three seasons. However, he has just eight total TDs in that time and is going to be buried in a myriad of options in the New York receiver room.
After Malik Nabers, you have guys like Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields, JuJu Smith-Schuster and even the recently signed Odell Beckham. There's no single player outside of Nabers that I feel comfortable drafting right now. At this stage of his career, we know who Austin is, and he's not someone I am likely going to spend a roster spot on heading into the 2026 season.
Ja'Lynn Polk | WR | NO
In 2024, the New England Patriots drafted Ja'Lynn Polk with the 37th overall pick. Just one disappointing season later, the Pats shipped him and a 2028 Round 7 pick to the Saints in exchange for a 2026 Round 6 pick.
The Saints made the move knowing that a shoulder injury would keep Polk sidelined for the entire 2025 season.
Just how bad was Year 1 for Polk? He appeared in 15 games and finished with the following season stat line:
- 33 targets
- 12 receptions
- 87 receiving yards
- 2 TDs
That's … not good, especially for a guy who was an early-Round 2 selection. The Saints have Chris Olave and newly drafted rookie Jordyn Tyson as their projected top two options in the receiving game, leaving little room for Polk to make a meaningful impact.
Even so, if we start to hear positive news coming out of Saints camp in the coming weeks and months, Polk is a name we might want to keep in the back of our minds.
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